We Have A Teenager Here!

So, can you tell the theme of this years’ birthday party?

Hawaiian!

The party was really fun. Some of Nikki's friends from our homeschool park day came. It was fun to watch the girls and their weirdness. Strange to me to have an official teenager in the house now! She is so much different than she was 6 months ago. How are we going to have this girl ready for adulthood in the next 5 years? It just isn't possible.

It's All Coming Together

THAT is a picture of my boys putting away the dishes out of the dishwasher! I asked them if they could do it and they ran off all happy to help. I heard them in there working together so I had to slip in and take a picture. Too cute! They both got a quarter for being so eager to help.

Our Field Trip to Logan's Candy

On Wednesday we went to a candy store in Ontario where they make candy canes by hand! A big ol' THANKS to Pia from CHN's Yahoo Group for arranging all of it. It was awesome. If you are interested in the place, go check it out. They don't have a website, but they are located in Ontario, CA on B street. We got there an hour early, so we walked down the center of Euclid and looked at the Nativity Scene's they have out. It was fun, but a little sad. They look poorly taken care of and I wish they would have been in chronological order. But it was fun to look at them all and think about the people that took the time to create them. The boys were a bit wild since it was getting near bedtime so it was hard to be reverent!   Once we got to the candy store we stood out front waiting for our tour. Jake made a friend right away. It was adorable watching them compare ages, bikes, scooters, and eventually height. The tour itself is not a tour, but a demonstration of how they make their candy canes. It was a fabulous experience. It was crowded, but they made it very enjoyable and really took care of their audience. They went through the whole process, from boiling the sugar, adding color and flavor, to wrapping the candy and rolling it out to candy cane size. We got samples, humor, and even a bit of candy cane history. I was amazed and so was Tom. Jake couldn't see much because it was so crowded and the other kids were pushing him up against the counter which he couldn't see over. I didn't realize this until afterwards when he came and told me. Poor guy! But he was happy since he got a candy cane.

Christmas at Knott's Berry Farm

Today we went to to the Craft Fair for the 6th time. I love this! Santa AND History! What can be better? The craft fair is in the Calico Ghost Town area. Here is a link if you aren't familiar with it. Knott's Berry Farm The ghost town is a replica of the real Calico out in the desert. Lots of Gold Rush history here. Calico was a silver mine, though. We read a bit about it before and Tom remembered the 49'ers (not the football team!). I found a website about it, of course. There is a Gold Rush movie narrated by John Lithgow that I would like to see, but I can't find it to rent anywhere. Maybe I will buy it, who knows.  

Great-Grandpa met us at our house this morning and we headed for Ghost Town! We got there just in time for the Wild West Stunt Show. They changed it! The boys loved watching it. Tom still has a problem with sudden loud noises, aka gun shots, and he watched with his fingers in his ears. While waiting he noticed a lot of the devices for the stunts, fall mats, break away railings, etc. He is just so darn observant! Seriously, he amazes me. "Mom, why is that part of the floor different than the other? Oh, I get it, they are going to run up those stairs, get shot, and fall from the top on that mat!" 
 

The next thing we visited was the blacksmith. That guy is great. He works through all the metal and equipment and tells the kids all about it. Then we went for lunch at the Ghost Town Grill. We went to see Santa after lunch. Jake is terrified of the man but he did go up and sit with him for a picture. He refused to talk to him though. He had this nervous smile on his face. You could see him talking to himself to remain calm. Afterwards he walked calmly to me and had me hold him for a long time. He was trembling! He just sat there real still while I patted his back. He took a few deep breaths then asked to leave. He said goodbye to Santa, but wouldn't look directly at him. So funny! Tom, on the other hand, had an agenda. He talked to Santa for a long time describing exactly what kind of gun he would like. Both the boys desperately want the orange and green, wood and metal rifles that they sell in the park. They have been asking for years, but I refuse to buy them because I know they may not shoot bullets, but they are heavy and will undoubtedly become swords that will kill one or the other. But Tom is insistent. Santa told him to have a back up plan because he doesn't bring weapons! I love that man!

  
After that, we went shopping a bit and decided to pan for gold. I haven't ever done this! It was so fun mostly because the man that worked it was so nice and knowledgeable. Tom had a blast asking a thousand questions and Jake just soaked it all in. 

Next stop was the western museum across the way. We spent a good hour in there looking at all the guns, rocks, saddles, and equipment. They have old instruments, toys, clothes, and just about everything else. I had to drag them out because the Bird Cage was about to start seating for A Christmas Carol. We stopped to see some cowboys fighting in the street, too. 
 

A Christmas Carol was great as usual. I love that show! The boys remembered it from last year and actually requested that we see it again this year. Today I went to the library and got the book so that we could read it entirely. The show is a short version. On the way out of the park we saw the Dickens Carolers and the huge piece of Magnetite they have by the Geode Shop.

It was an awesome day! I was so happy to have Grandpa there to share it with the boys. They love to have him with them. Thanks for coming Grandpa!

The End of An Era!

Jake has worn the same set of camouflage pants and shirt for two years! It started on Tom's 4th birthday in 2004. The outfit came from Walmart and a pair of black rubber boots came with it. Tom got one too. They both wore it daily for a whole year! They became known as the camo boys! Jake's has lasted longer than Tom's because when the pants were torn and frayed he was to tall for them and so Tom's went to Jake. The rubber boots were so worn that they were completely flat on the bottom and his toes were curled up in the end of them. They were two sizes too small when I finally got them to retire! Well, this week, Jake finally conceded that the camo pants he had inherited from his brother were too short for him.  Don't worry, he isn't having withdrawal's. I bought him a new pair of pants at JCPenney. They are really cool, but they aren't the pull up Walmart pant (those are for little kids).