Our long Halloween week-end

Since I didn't grow up celebrating Halloween, this particular holiday baffles me each year. Now, I understand it is a fun holiday for the children to wear costumes and eat candy. I also understand moms who decorate their homes to let their children enjoy themselves with make believe tales and fun scary stories. But what I don't understand is the adults that take it so seriously that not only they decorate their homes with horrifying decorations, but wear scary and gruesome costumes and throw parties with horror themes. And I'm not going to think or discuss horror movies. I've seen one horror movie in my life about some zombies, and believe me I have never forgotten it. I still to this day have vivid memories of many parts in that movie. And I don't think it was half as bad as the movies nowadays.

Last week I went to the Halloween Spirit store and I almost threw up. I had my kids with me because I needed to get them some costumes, and I told them to keep their eyes down. That was the fastest Halloween shopping I've ever done; 20 minutes total including trying out the costumes. It wasn't that I was scared of them, although that was one of the reasons I didn't want my kids to look around. Mostly, I didn't feel comfortable being there. As an adult, I understand what is real and what isn't. So, it isn't the lack of knowledge that causes fear. It is plainly the desire not to have anything dark in my mind or heart. Now, a good costume party is another thing, and for that I'm grateful we have church parties where kids and adults dress up and you wouldn't feel uncomfortable.

That said, our Halloween celebrations started early this year and continued throughout the week-end. Jefferson scout pack had a party on Thursday, and Jefferson was so happy to attend and finally wear his costume. Jefferson changed his mind many times on what he wanted to be, but he ultimately set his heart upon being Anakin. His friend, Jack, matched his costume by being Obi-Wan Kenobi.
On Friday morning, I took Charlton with me and went to cheer Gillian on receiving a medal for performing excellently in Star Test last year. Charlton kept calling Gillian's name when she went up on the podium. He cried when we had to say good-bye.
Friday afternoon found us getting ready for our ward's Halloween party. Gillian hadn't had a chance to wear her costume yet, so she was really thrilled to try it on. As I had mentioned in an earlier post she had chosen to be Cleopatra, and believe me it was a good choice. She looks stunning as the Jewel of the Nile.
Jefferson and James had decided to stay with Star Wars theme this year, Jefferson by being Anakin and James Obi-Wan Kenobi. I had planned for Charlton to wear one of the costumes the older children wore at that age, but Charlton is a very independent child as well as a younger brother who wants to follow in his older brothers' footsteps. He also wanted to be someone in the Star War saga. There wasn't any time to go and get him a new costume, so I put on him a very big Storm Trooper costume. He didn't care that it was big; what mattered was the fact that he matched with his brothers. (Elijah thought he looked more like Princess Leah than a Storm Trooper, but we won't tell Charlton that, yet.)

At our ward party, we were served some good food, the children were entertained with various games and activities, and the rest of us socialized. The children, of course, had the most fun playing with their friends, and filling their buckets with candy in the annual trunk-or-treat. Charlton didn't know what to think about the fact that mom was letting him have candy in abundance.

Saturday started by having our friend from our ward and one of the leaders in the cross-country running program bring certificates and trophies for the kids. They were ecstatic with joy, especially Jefferson who also got an award for the most improved runner. Here are their certificates with their running times for each meet. I'm so proud of you children. You did awesome!

Later in the afternoon, the children escaped their chores and went to celebrate Halloween at one of their teachers' home. Sister Drake, James' s Primary teacher, throws this fun party each year where the kids carve their pumpkins, eat good food and cookies, and play games. My kids couldn't stop talking about the fun they had. Thank you Sister Drake for a great party.
Today all four of my kids had a party, but believe it or not I didn't attend any of them. I was so tired from the long week-end, and truth be told I couldn't take any more Halloween parties. I felt bad the whole day, but I attend all their field trips and volunteer plenty that I was able to take that guilt and throw it out, especially knowing that I was going to be with them tonight as they trick-or-treated from door to door. That's another thing I don't understand, the trick-or-treat and my kids with buckets full of candy. What do you do with kids who think just because they have a bucket full of candy they also have the right to eat it?! I know, I know it's an American thing that us foreigners don't get. Tonight, however, was my favorite part of the whole Halloween week-end. Some friends of ours in our ward had mentioned something about meeting at her house at about six in the evening and having the kids go together trick-or-treat. Her neighborhood is children friendly and my kids were excited to share this last part of Halloween with their church friends. I was running some errands, so we were a bit late, but when we got there I couldn't believe my eyes. There were about 30 kids (with ages ranging from one to ten years old) from our ward walking together and stopping at each door. It was so funny and sweet at the same time. Many people at the doors would go back to refill their bowls so they could have enough for all of them. Charlton kept saying "More candy?" He couldn't believe that he was actually allowed to have candy and that people were giving it to him. That was so much fun. Kids truly bring joy into our lives, and turn a holiday such as Halloween into something sweet.

Too late to be out and about for the Little Red Riding Hood:

Checking their booty out:

Ah, the joy of being a child!

Have you ever hiked at night, by yourself?

This Tuesday and Wednesday, I accompanied Gillian in her overnight field trip to Marin Headlands. Her class, which consists of 7 4th graders and 9 5th graders, are studying the history and the natural resources of California. To better understand our surroundings and how they relate to our California history, the teacher has planed a variety of field trips through out the school year to various museums and locales.

Marin Headlands is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It includes a great many hills and beaches, filled with history as well as natural resources. Our goal for the students was to help them have an understanding and appreciation for our past, present and future by studying California's heritage, the various peoples who have settled through the centuries in this valley, as well as by recognizing plants, wildlife, habitat, etc. And above all to enjoy this beautiful area we live in.

We had thirteen kids with us and four chaperons, including the teacher. After checking in at our hostel, we were contacted by our two tour guides, both of whom were professional naturalists. They were very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their job.

We started our tour by stopping at the Visitor Center to learn about the history of the people who have lived in this area in the past, starting with the Native Americans (who were big ranchers), Portuguese farmers, WWII soldiers, and many more. Gillian had a lot of fun exploring and learning by using the interactive activities in the Visitor Center. Here she is being her funny self:
After learning about the settlers, it was time to learn about the plants and animals to be found in this area. The guides led them through various parts of the valley and hills. The children's favorite thing was exploring the marshes. They were given nets, plates, magnifying glasses, lab dishes, as well as instructions on how to recognize the little insects found in these marsh waters. Gillian had a blast trying to gather as many different specimen as she could. She wasn't afraid of touching those critters at all, and was very enthusiastic about distinguishing the various kinds.

Hiking up the hills and down to the ocean was our next item of business. We had been walking for a while and hiking those steep hills made me ache, but I have to say hiking is one of my favorite outdoor sports, and I truly enjoyed the pretty landscapes, especially after we got to the beach.

At the beach, the kids dug holes, played enrichment activities, and enjoyed each other's company.





We got back to our hostel to rest a bit and eat dinner. At about 7 in the evening, we all got coats on and went outside to meet our guide for our night hike. This part was my favorite activity. We hiked in absolute darkness; they didn't want us to use any flashlights, just our eyes. We stopped on the top of our hike, and we played a fun activity. We all made a circle and the tour asked us to close one eye tightly and look at the light of the flashlight on the ground. To take our minds off from keeping our eye shut, the tour guide started a game of telling a story by having each of us add a line to it. By the time we had all had a turn, the tour guide told us to open the eye, and close the other. We were astonished to notice that we had night vision from the previous closed eye, and when we would switch closing and opening one eye and then the other, we noticed that we could see light coming from our friends' bodies and darkness when we looked with the other eye. It was awesome! Night vision was cool!

After this activity, we were told that each of us was going to hike a portion of our path by ourselves. The tour guides told us to keep on the path, and we would meet them on the other side. We lined up and got ready to send the kids one by one, a few minutes from each other, to accomplish their solo hike. Some were a bit scared, and some were very scared, and a few brave souls just couldn't wait. And guess who was the first to go fearless into the darkness: Gillian. You see, most of these kids have rarely been out in the wild with exceptions of a few camping trips with their families. Gillian has lived and enjoyed her summers and vacations at her grandparents' vast property spending evenings around bonfires and enjoying exploring the woods. I was very proud of her. I stayed behind to watch on a few kids who were scared. When I finally got to the other side, all the boys were praising Gillian for being so brave. Gillian didn't understand what the big deal was. She thought it was so fun to explore the woods in the dark all by herself. (The light in this pictures is coming from my camera; I wanted to take more pictures, but the light wasn't good for our night vision, so I restrained myself.)
The next thing we did was so amazing that I couldn't believe I had never heard about it, especially having lived by the beach all my life. We hiked down to the ocean and approached the beach. Our tour guide told us about these beautiful one cell bio-luminescent organisms that live in the ocean, called Noctiluca Scintillans. They are smaller than a grain of sand, and when irritated they give out a greenish-blue glow. As we rubbed our feet and hands on the sand just as the wave receded, you could see thousands of these glowing creatures. It was so beautiful and it looked like stars on the ground. My camera didn't capture any since it was really dark where we were, but here is a picture of these pretty plankton as found in the Internet:

This had been a worthwhile hike, having gained a deeper appreciation of God's universe, starting by learning of the amazing abilities of our own bodies made up of thousands of cells, and finishing it by admiring the simple beauty of one-cell organisms. God takes notice of everything. I've always been shocked at scientists who don't accept the existence of God, and at religious people who don't accept the beauty and clarity of science. As we used to study when young, science is the study of natural laws, and God works with those natural laws, already discovered and undiscovered yet by our human mind. Such complexity and magnificence can never happen on its own.

After a good night's rest, we got up, cooked some yummy breakfast, let the kids play outside, and then right before heading to school, we took a few moments to take some pictures:

As always Gillian was the first to show her class mates not to be afraid of wet grass and little insects. As she rolled down the hill, her friends, boys and girls alike, stood there probably debating in their minds if that was something that they could do too. It looked like a lot of fun, so they joined her one by one:

This is Gillian's teacher with her class of joined 4th and 5th graders (three students didn't participate in this field trip.)
I truly had a good time with Gillian. I got to see her how she handled friendships and relationships, how she loved to learn with hands-on activities, and how much she enjoyed the outdoors. Thank you Gillian for a great time. I'm so glad you are my girl.

Snippets of news

I can't believe cross-country running is over. I am so glad my children gave their best and didn't quit, although it was hot most days and they were tired. This past Friday was their last meet, and I was touched to notice Gillian and Mary holding hands while running. I wanted to yell and remind them that this was a competition and not a stroll in the park, but there was nothing more beautiful in the whole crowd than those two hand in hand. I'm so happy my children had a great time with their friends.
Next week we welcome piano sessions for all three children. I'm not looking forward to practice nightmares. Any tips?

Charlton has completely potty-trained himself. I just bought him some new underwear with Lightning McQueen logo on them. He is happy to go around with just those on. Our mornings are very busy at our home. You would think with one child at home while the rest are at school, I could find some peace and quiet. You are wrong. Charlton keeps me more busy than all of the other three together. He loves to play with play dough and wants me to tell the colors over and over again. He is obsessed with Zingo and wants me to play with him game after game( (today we played just four turns). He is very attentive when I read books to him and has an amazing vocabulary. He is just starting to use them into sentences. Charlton said today: I love books! Now, that makes up for the time I repeatedly read the same books to him. Today, we read 6 books from cover to cover. His favorites are: all Curious George books, Peter Pan, all Lightning McQueen and Mater books, all Little Bear books, and all Dr. Seuss books, in particular Wacky Wednesday (which all of us could recite by heart). I'm TIRED! Where is James to help out? His favorite thing to do is imitate anything his brothers do. And yes, you guessed, playing with guns like his brothers is his favorite past time.
He is also enjoying music time. One of our friends from church is leading an one-hour music time for out little ones filled with songs, rhymes and marches. Charlton comes home and repeats it all to his brothers. It's so fun seeing him learning and growing.
I think Charlton makes us all tired with his energy going all day and at times with his not-so-very good temper. Elijah thinks he has my temper; I blame his Garmon side.

James is extremely happy to start art class this week. Now when he grows up he wants to be a pianist and an artist. He helps me tremendously with Charlton, is very good in allowing me some time for myself, and is loving kindergarten. I'm enjoying his creativity and desire to do better. Here are some of his latest drawings:

James the Surfer

Mickey and friends

James the Cowboy

Jefferson feels like a big boy to have started Tiger Scouts. He looks dashing in his uniform.
He is still obsessed with Star Wars and anything battle related. He is drawing amazingly well many characters and ships that he sees in his Star Wars books as well as in other books he reads.

A scene from "Treasure Island":

Alien Invasion

Gillian broke my heart when she changed her mind for her Halloween costume: from Fancy Nancy (I tried so hard to convince her) to Cleopatra. She told me Cleopatra fits her better: smart and beautiful. I know I should be proud and happy for her confidence, but I was so looking forward to decking her up with fancy stuff.

Elijah is the best husband to me. Not only he helps out with with my children when I'm out and enjoying myself, but he is usually the one who takes care of before bedtime routine with reading and praying and singing and brushing teeth and putting pajamas on and so on. He never misses dinner with family, and has tried to be there for all of the kids' track meets, even though I knew he was exhausted and would have rather slept. He is taking a day off this week to help out with the boys, so Gillian and I can go to a two-day field trip her class is taking to Marin Headlands. I love the many miscellaneous articles he sent me each day about what's happening in the world. His daily texts and love notes make my day.

I've found a way to catch up recording my life while writing in my blog during the day instead of at night when I'm wiped out. After reading to Charlton in the morning and to James after school, I put Charlton down for a nap. James finds his nook and sits down drawing while listening to books-on-tape. So far, he has listened to all of Roald Dahl's books, Tom Sawyer, Chronicles of Narnia, and many more. A great solution for all of us, and very productive. Although I don't know if my laundry room would agree with that. Oh well, you can't please everyone.

I love this singer , Mindy Gledhill. Her music is so pure and melodic, that I can't help but listen to her all day. Her voice calms me and makes me want to dance around the house humming her tunes. It will definitely brighten up your day. Her newest album, Winter Moon, has just come out and I'm so ready for winter when I listen to it. (Can you believe this California weather? We are still experiencing hot afternoons. But the evenings are the best, crisp and cool. That part I like. Nevertheless, I want some WINTER.)

I can't wait for Christmas!!! I know, I know we need to have Halloween parties, and celebrate Thanksgiving, but I LOVE Christmas colors, lights and that special feeling in the air. No, I haven't started listening to my Christmas CDs yet, although I have been tempted a few times. This year, however, we'll start our Christmas season by going to Disneyland after Thanksgiving and seeing the Christmas lights and decorations. I'm crazy for Christmas.