Emily's Jack-o-lantern

Emily Carved the cutest little jack-o-lantern in her class this year.

Reed's Bizzare Scout Camp

So many things that happen around here are surreal. This is one of them.... Reed went on a Boy Scout Camp last night and Dan went with him. They planned on camping for the night and then on the way home, doing some Air-Soft Shooting. There were 7 boys and 3 adults. One of the boys was in a wheelchair/granny cart thing. Dan said he was a huge brat and threw a few tantrums while they were up camping. When it came time for airsoft...Dan was trying to show the wheelchair boy the safety rules and how to correctly use the gun. The kid had no regard for anything Dan was saying and was pointing the gun everywhere. (Airsoft won't injure...unless shot in the eye or ear...but it will bruise you and does sting when you get shot). The boy continued to be an idiot, pointing the gun in Dan's eyes, and ended up shooting one of the adults in the back. This is where it got crazy.
The adult grabbed the gun and said he would make sure that the boy would remember not to shoot people and said he was going to shoot the kid to "teach him a lesson". The terrified kid was shrieking in fear and tipped his cart over in a scuffle with the adult trying to get the gun. Dan and the 3rd adult then tried to help the kid up. When they got him up, Dan moved away thinking the kid got the hell scared out of him and he wont do that again....then the injured adult shot the kid in the back from close range. The kid then tipped his cart again and slithered out of it. Dan & Reed were in disbelief. Then another kid at the camp was so mad at the adult for shooting the kid that he shot the adult again. The adult became so enraged he litterally threw a tantrum and thew a metal water bottle at the kid....fortunately missing.
Now when Dan was conveying the story to me, I must confess I was laughing my head off. The mental images I conjured in my head were very entertaining. But this man is obviously an idiot. I will never let Reed go on a campout with him again. As for the handicapped kid...he probably got what he deserved

Harvest Time Fixx

Today we went up to Oak Glen for our Fall Fixx. We toured a Cider Mill, picked apples, lost children in a corn maze, and had a fun day.

The usual nonsense occurred.
Reed probably would rather have been somewhere else...but I think he had a good time. And come on, what teenage kid wouldn't enjoy picking an apple right off of a tree?

Bjoern showed us how strong he was by lifting a pumpkin over his head..... Those germans are built so solid........Impressive Bjoern!

Dan tried to scare us by hiding behind stalks of corn in the corn maze. Unfortunately, his bright shirt gave him away....and the fact that he is slightly larger than a stock of corn.

Auslanders (foreigners)

Our friends Bjoern & Melanie are here from Geestacht Germany for 12 days. We went down to the beach for an evening of ocean air and fish & chips.

Mariachi Migrane

Today I needed to go down to Dana Point to pick up some feed for the chickens. Usually when I do this we will go to one of our favorite authentic Mexican restaurants for lunch/dinner, Ricardos. I had a slight headache all morning and after going to the feed store it was starting to escalate. So I asked Dan to rummage through the glove box and find me an Excedrine. Now, all I needed was water. As we walked into the restaurant, I noticed the regular harp player leaving with his harp. I was a little bummed because I enjoy hearing him play when we eat. As we sat down and ordered we were served our chips an salsa....slowly followed by that water I needed for my headache medicine.
Then suddenly, out of nowhere, we were literally surrounded by a 15 person Mariachi band. The trumpets were placed 6 inches from my throbbing head. It was so surreal, it was funny. They played 6 loud, long, very authentic mexican songs....accompanied by off key singers.
So much for the quiet lunch.
Also...another "star sighting". Jerry Van Dyke sat across from us. I think he was with a younger star...I didnt recognize, but he was cute.

Rain, How Exciting!

It is a rare occasion when we get rain here, and even more rare when it is warm outside while raining. This morning when the girls woke up, the rain started to pour. So instead of eating breakfast, Emily & Heidi, threw on their swimsuits and played in the rain. They had so much fun. It rained for about 1/2 hour. When it stopped, the girls just transitioned into the pool. Dan & I had fun spying on them from the upstairs bedroom window. It reminded us of a seal habitat at a zoo.

Heidi meets Toothfairy

It was a wonderful thing when Heidi's first tooth finally fell out. It dangled and wiggled in the front of her mouth for 2 months! It ended up taking a permanent position of laying sideways on top of the other tooth. When I asked her to try to wiggle it to get it out...she would use her tongue. That night she put her little tooth in her special "Tooth Fairy Pillow" and woke up to $5. The toothfairy pays very well for your 1st tooth. Then she is pretty cheap on the rest. I am now having Heidi say "sister-susie-sitting-on-a-thistle" it is hilarious!