Sack Lunch

More felt food... Another birthday party, another project!  This time it was for a 2 year old boy whose invitation specifically said that his birthday was being held at a restaurant because his favorite thing to do is eat!  Most of the inspiration for this meal came from the Helping Little Hands Blog, she did a month long cook off where she made a new felt food item everyday. These came out too cute to not post and this will help remind me that some day, I need to make my own kids some felt food to play with!  This is what I came up with:  

Picnic meal

 Cheese sandwich, chips, carrots & strawberries... I think my kids would enjoy that lunch!

 2 different kinds of cheese and lettuce, if I had more time, I would have made some tomatoes and pickles to go along with it.

 Chips with ridges!

 The healthy stuff...

Apples!

We took an after church trip to the Dixon Mountain Apple Farm a couple of weeks ago in hopes of getting some Champagne Apples... They are that good!  Unfortunately they were out of them by the time we got there, but we got to experience the farm and took home some Burgundy apples.  Last week, we went to a local pumpkin patch and they were selling the Champagne apples :)... We had to buy a half bushel!  Needless to say, we have tons of apples sitting in our fridge, so PLEASE send your tried and trued apple recipes! Last week I made a an apple crisp and we have been eating apple slices everyday :).   

I think the boys can spot a truck a mile away!

 I still can't get Kyle to look at the camera... There was a country store with everything fall related!

 They don't let you pick your own apples here, but we beat the LONG waiting line for pre-bagged apples by bagging our own... The kids had a great time picking them out and filling the bag up.

 K wanted to climb right into the bins.

 Our bag was full and we had already enjoyed an apple fritter & a carmel apple, so we were ready to call it a day.

 Josh, who normally isn't a big fan of apples has eaten his fair share and comes up with new recipes that we should make with them everyday... Today's recipe: "Apple orange juice". 

 They are pretty little things!

Waiting patiently for recipes!!!

San Diego Trip Day 3- Beach and Pier

The beach was a big part of this trip... The calming sounds of the waves rolling in and birds squawking in the sand, the soothing sight of the sun glistening on the water and the warmth of the sand as I bury my feet into it.  It is about relaxing and enjoying the wonder of God's big world!  Along with this wonder is the curiosity of a 4 year old as he experiences it for the first time that he can remember.  I loved watching him take in every part of it... See for yourself!  Again, this a lonnnngggg post, but his expressions are priceless.

a little timid at first...

After seeing the water up close...

He was ready to let the waves chase him!

They both still look dry!

A little mommy coaxing to get him to play in the water...

Look Mom, I can touch the water, well sort of!

And dig my feet into the water blogged sand.

He wants to play, but a little unsure of those BIG waves!

So much to look at

Cat & mouse game of chase between the wave and J! This lasted a lonnnng time!

Dad Joined in the fun!

I think he forgot that he was avoiding the water...

The water IS kinda fun!

The splashing game is on... Do you see that game face?!

Do you think he is having fun?!

Time for rest and a bask in the sun!

I had to dig a hole for my belly!

That evening, right before sun down, we drove up to the Oceanside Pier.

Surfers, waves & a huge drop off... so many new sights for a little kid!

Having fun.

We enjoyed a milkshake at Ruby's Diner located at the ocean end of the pier... They gave us a nice window seat with a perfect view of the sunset...

Friday night at the pier just after sunset.

It was a little chilly with the ocean breeze and no sun.

This is J after a milkshake!

I have read that some of the very best photographing light is just after dusk... I wish I knew the settings on my camera a little better, this could have been a really cool picture!

Nice evening!

The day we left, we took one more stroll on the beach, J made a few friends!

There was a huge family of these little beach bums, they were not timid of people at all!

Taking it all in one last time...

And off to the airport... J is watching Tarzan from Mike's phone as we wait for our plane.

Short, but sweet trip!

San Diego Trip- Day 2... DisneyLand!

Mike and I both had not been to Disneyland since we were teenagers, so we payed a visit with our 4 year old!  It is so much funner (is that a word?!) to experience the excitement through the eyes of your child :).  Being off season, (if Disneyland really has an off season!) the lines were much shorter than I remember (~20 mins being the longest wait) and the weather was perfect.  It was a great day in good old classic d-land! 

***Long blog alert... This posting is for memory's sake and so that interested family and friends can see what we did, I had a hard time narrowing down the pictures!***

Main Street in its fall colors

Do you see the sparkle in his eyes as he is about to go on his first ride?

It was the Jungle Boats... In the end he was unclear if what he saw were real animals or not.

Next stop was Tarzan's Tree House... I think it used to be Robinson's Family Tree House?!

This is one of Josh's favorite Disney movies, so he knew every detail and was eager to see every bit of it.

Bird's eye view from the top

Long walk up and down for a prego!

At the bottom there was a place to swing on the rope like T himself... AAAAAHHHHH!

We convinced J to go on Splash Mountain (sorry no pictures) and after being a bit shaken up by that he insisted that we go on the Pooh ride!  Interestingly, at the end of the night a lady asked him what his favorite ride was and he proudly said "Splash Mountain!"!

The map kept him busy while waiting in line... He was always scouting out his next adventure!

We couldn't forget the 'Peter Pan' ride, although he told us that he was getting "Lazy about Peter Pan lately", translated into he isn't into it as much as he used to be. 

J standing in front of the Castle after we took the inside tour of it.

While waiting for a table at lunch we did some window shopping for a souvenir... What else do you think J would have picked?  He was excited about this particular sword because it had a cover.

After lunch we took a raft to a Pirate's Island.

There was all kinds of interactive things to do there!

We pumped water, walked bridges, went though many underground tunnel mazes, visited a wrecked ship...

...And found the treasure!

We had to catch J for a quick picture!

You can't go to Disney without visiting 'Its a Small World', after telling J that this was Grand Dee Dee's favorite, he said it was his too (this was before we even went inside).  He thought it looked like a castle.

I forgot how cute the decor and dolls were!

Josh sporting his new hat that he picked out himself.  Hummm.... Is that the look that I am taking too many pictures?!

Off to Mickey's Toon Town!

Goofy's Garden playground

Donald's Boat

And Josh proudly standing outside the roller coaster that he rode.

After a long hard day of riding rides and going on adventures, a late afternoon snack is in order... What is better than a HUGE mouse ear cookie and some milk?!

Evening Parade... do I see some heavy eyes?

Main Street all lit up... 

I saw so many parents lugging babies and toddlers around in strollers and in carriers and I was so glad I left mine at home...  Off season and with your 4+ year old kids is the way to go :)!  We can't wait until K & J are old enough to enjoy it.