7 months pregnant and just finished shooting an wedding client turned maternity client! So we had the dad-to-be snap a photo of us walking to dinner with them in downtown SLO.
Our first Wanderers large group day at the creek near a local apple farm. It was warm!
Avi painting pictures of apples in her nature journal.
Mila likes to pick and taste apples!
Watching TV at Macy and Fiona's house. My kids are the ones not looking at the TV...
Layla - a 12 year old who we hired to help carry Maren's camera equipment and get her water during a wedding shoot in hot Paso. She's home schooled and finished a novel she was reading during her spare time on the shoot.
As a wedding vendor you don't always get a good seat, but you do get good food!
Mila's 2-year-old class with Teacher Kerri. (Avi is sitting next to her 4-year-old friend Jaylie.)
Almost 25 pounds - this sweet little pumpkin!
Mila's leading us in the maze… uh-oh!
Avi saying, "awwwww…!" to the little pygmy goats! She loves little animals so much!
Happy, happy Mila!
Mila, Avi, Jayliek, Sophie!
Mila concentrating on picking a pumpkin!
Avi is done and ready!
My favorite image from today!
All four of us (and a pumpkin or two)!
Avi waiting for daddy to come home from work.
Avi is so blessed! We are on a train, heading to Disneyland, with "grammy" Candia, and she's doing "school.'' Candia is making Avi crack up with some phonetic word games in her National Geographic kids magazine. Life couldn't be sweeter. #trainschooling
Finally made it to the hotel in Anahiem! It's late, we've been traveling most of the day, but Mila is still hanging in there!
Maren's riding with Mila while Candia and Avi fly nearby!
In Tinkerbell's forest.
Mila was frightened to go into "It's a Small World" but about 20 seconds later she was fine and loved it!
Day one of Disneyland is almost over and Maren's taking a nap! She's happy! Only a 7.5 month pregnant mama could be this happy about a nap!
We met my high school friend and her hubby and 4 daughter on our second day in Disneyland. The girls loved playing with the other girls! And Sol loved holding Mila!
Playing games with Candia while mommy got a quick shower in!
Ready for another day!
A side story on how I'm dressed. It was hot in LA that week, and I had been shooting a double wedding weekend just 2 days before (a total of 18 hours of shooting, in 2 days, in 100 degree weather). Then I went to Disneyland for 2 days of travel, and 2 days of Disneyland (which means constant walking on asphalt). When I got home a few days later my back got a bad strain. It put in some bad pain for at least a week. I've got to learn to take it more easy, but it's hard to stop when you're having fun!
Hanging out in the bathroom so Mila could nap and we could talk. I was reading John Holt (education theory) and Avi was watching My Little Pony! (Candia was swimming in the pool!)
We gave Avi $20 to spend in Disneyland on her last day there - she choose Minnie. And she's snuggling Lovey, too!
This is us running to the catch the train. Because I am slightly brain deficient from almost 6 straight years of being pregnant or breastfeeding, I mixed up the departure time in my head. Thinking we had all sorts of time (up until 5 minutes before it departed) we made it on the train with 2 minutes to spare!
Finally settled!
Wasting time taking cool pictures in the LA Grand Central Train Station because I thought we had all sorts of time! Ha!
Yup, we had this car all to ourselves. Yup, Mila knows how to get comfortable!
Unschooling means taking time even when it's not convenient. We were on our way to the grocery store when I saw these huge vultures. Avi has been asking about vultures lately, so I turned around and took her back to see them. It was not part of my plan, but we made it happen because the opportunity was there. She was able to walk really slowly and get relatively close to them before they flew off. The next week or so we saw a vulture eating a baby deer carcass. It had more context because of this encounter.
While waiting in line (for about 4 minutes) at Chipotle, my kids made friends with these girls and entertained themselves. It amazes me how quick they can get to know other people.
Avi loves to "perch" on something and sing. She's our little Dove who loves to coo!
We used to have a outdoor training potty for Mila here. That was months ago, but she still considers it her pee spot!
So, reading up on reading and spelling acquisition and usage, I now can "read" my child's beginning sentences (whereas, I might otherwise consider it gibberish, or worse, try to correct her and take away the fun of her doing it on her own). This says, "Say hi to Elsa, say hi to for Halle" Pretty amazing first written sentence, in my opinion! Avi wrote this to her friend Halle who was going to Disneyland - Avi wanted to be sure that Halle would say "Hi" to Elsa for her.
Mila LOVES chocolate! Like crazy! One day, we were at Outside Now and I had packed some really healthy dark chocolate with pumpkin seeds. Since we didn't have a lot of food to choose from in our picnic lunch, I figured I let Mila eat as much chocolate as she wanted… Well, on the ride home (which is about 45 minutes) she was crying "Daddy, daddy, DADDY!" I was going crazy trying to figure out why she was such a basket case when she is normally a sweetie! It didn't dawn on me until about 2 days later the chocolate connection. Now, I really watch her chocolate intake!
Mila and her cohousing boyfriend Colin.
Daddy daughter date!
Sillies!
Avi's first selfie!
Maren took a selfie - on my way to my maternity shoot, so I was all done up!
Lollipops after BooBoo's - Avi bought her sister one! Viola, Mila, Lina and Avi by the creek.
Avi always gives money to homeless people. She's so generous in so many ways. (Personally, it makes me sort of angry that the homeless people see a little girl open her own wallet and still accept the money, but God grant me mercy for who am I to judge?!) Avi wins here because LOVE wins!
…but she still has a little girls tendencies! She saved up her money for about 2 weeks to buy this $10 stuffed pink unicorn!
Mila and Avi doing a check up on me and the midwives office.
Avi cracking an acorn with a rock at Outside Now.
Our Wanderers group at Cuesta Park.
Lollipop love!
Waking up Mila - Avi is excited to see her sister!
This is how happy Mila is waking up… most of the time!
Neighbor Susan reads to Avi. That story, Ping, was published the year Susan was born in the 1930's!
A non-themed Halloween this year! Michael is ???, Avi is a cheetah, Mila is a bumble bee and Maren is barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen.
With a hurt back it's good to have friends. Thanks Marco for carrying Mila during the Pismo pumpkin fair!
Mila's other Halloween costume - Little Bo Beep!
Getting ready for the Progressive Halloween Dinner.
Michael and Mila change Halloween costumes as often as they change shoes!
Downward Dog on the kitchen table!
We had our second family video done by Zach this year. We are so grateful to know him!
Halloween at Mila's parent participation class with Teacher Kerri. Yes, there are two Little Bo Beeps!
Avi loves to pick avocados.
Halloween at Avi's math/science class!
Going to get our pumpkin!
Homeschooling takes a stinky turn if your kid is so into what their learning that they make you follow them to the toilet!
Avi learned her numbers (1-10 was easy, 14-24 was harder) as we decorated our advent calendar. Avi also painted the boxes green and I did the red paint.
my heart goes weak!
Waiting for Amy Leach to come out and see her costume...
Avi wanted to Elsa from Frozen for tonight.
This was a Halloween I will not forget. It started raining hard (like it hasn't rained in 10 months kind of hard rain) the minute we left our house to start trick-or-treating. We had umbrellas, but it was still impossible not to get drenched! After about 6 or so houses, Avi was ready to come home!
Avi wanted to have a Halloween party at our house! So we watched a Curious George Halloween movie and bobbed for apples! Here's Tessa, Macy, Fiona, Lina, Mila, Avi and Halle.
