I have been craving pumpkin everything lately (‘tis the season), so I made a pan of pumpkin mochi. I had D bring in some to work to share with his co-workers. I warned him that mochi is an acquired taste, so he should put out a sign to explain what it is.
If you can’t read it, it states:
“Pumpkin Mochi; Mochi is a sweet Japanese treat. The addition of pumpkin makes it perfect for fall. Great with coffee. by: Lauren Lim, authentic Japanese American”.
D cracks me up!
A couple of weeks ago, the kids had a Friday off, so we went to the San Diego Safari Park with my parents. D has been travelling a ton for work, so he was not able to go with us.
We felt bad for this bald eagle. He cannot fly, but the worst part may be that he is stuck in a cage right next to some really loud squawking parrots.
It is sad to think that there are only a few of these white rhinos left in the entire world!
We watched the bird show again. They changed it up a little from last time, so that was nice. n liked this ziplining parrot!
We saw the bat exhibit for the first time. Those things are so creepy!
We shared some drippy soft serve.
It was such a nice, overcast day. Our passes expire at the end of January, so we need to make another trip to the zoo!
Earlier this month, n rode his scooter in the Tustin Tillers Parade with his pack. I thought he was going to be leading the parade, but they were actually near the end. This was not the most convenient, since k had a basketball practice right after, but it did mean that we saw the majority of the parade while waiting for him.
Mazda representin’.
I enjoyed the “small-town” feel of this annual community event.
When your mom tells you to get ready the night before your 8 a.m. soccer game, and you are going to a pool party after your sister’s basketball game, this is what you feel the need to do…
I remember a lot about third grade, so it weird to me that k is in third grade now. This is such a nice age…becoming more independent, yet still calls us Mommy and Daddy. Every so often I see glimpses of tweenish behavior and think, “no, not yet!” I see little babies and wonder how that stage can seem so long ago. Life is busy, but I know I need to enjoy this time.
Look at that uniform…too cute!
n started Tiger Cubs last month and he has been having lots of fun. It does make our weekly schedule more busy with both kids in scouting, but I think it is worthwhile. In the bottom picture, he is holding a pinecone bird feeder that he made and hung outside. One big difference I see is that it is more family-oriented than Girl Scouts. An adult has to accompany the boy to each event at this age. I am looking forward to going on some camping trips!
As is our tradition, we have been busy redeeming birthday freebies the past few weeks. The following is a very small representation of what we redeemed. This was a new one for us: Dickey’s BBQ, free Big BBQ Sandwich. I chose the chopped brisket. There were some unappetizing globs of fat, but the overall flavor was good. The bread was a little too bready. I also did not like how they weigh everything in front of the customer. I watched them take small pieces off of other customer’s plates as they were serving, and that just looks stingy. The best part may be the free soft serve vanilla ice cream machine.
I always look forward to my free Venti drink from Starbucks. I made sure D was around so I could share it with him. I tried the Toasted Graham Latte. D and I have discovered that asking for half of the flavored syrup in any drink is a good thing. The bundtlet was from Corner Bakery.
I am excited to be a part of the #ChickFilAMomsPanel this year. We were sent vouchers for the frosted lemonade. I must say, this is a genius idea since they already had the vanilla ice cream and lemonade. All they have to do is mix it, and it tastes really good!
This is the birthday dinner I made for D. Unfortunately, we may have discovered another allergy for n: shellfish. He has eaten shrimp before, so I am not entirely convinced he has a definite allergy, but we will have to be more careful.