Trunk or Treat!

We went to our first ward Trunk or Treat in our Eastvale ward. McKenna, Keilani, and Lucas came along with us. First we had some yummy chili and cornbread. Then they played a couple of games. Brandon and McKenna loved doing the donut on a string game. McKenna also tried the cake walk several times and had no luck. Poor McKenna! The grand finale was the trunk or treat. That's my kids favorite part. All Halloween parties are rated on the quantity of candy. So I would say this is a five star party! Unfortunately, Austin learned the tricks of the trade and ended up with pounds and pounds of candy! He was very sly in which cars he went to and how quickly he did it. Sounds like we'll be making a trip to the dentist soon. If I didn't say anything, they would eat candy all day long. Isn't there such a thing as stomach aches?
This year we (I) decided that we weren't going to spend an absurd amount of money on costumes. After all was said and done, we didn't spend any money on costumes! We borrowed and used some from previous years. Payton was Spiderman again, Austin was the grim reaper (Taylor's), and Brandon was a wolf ninja (Austin's). Oh, and I was a pirate again. We tried to get dad to dress up. We loved his rocker costume a couple years ago. He didn't feel like it.

Kissing Cousins

Lucas and Sawyer are the cutest peas in a pod. We just went to Sawyer's baby blessing last week. He's going to grow up to be a wonderful man. Lucas has his blessing next week. Yeah, another family get together. I love hangin' with the family. It's going to be great for them to have a cousin so close in age. And don't forget about Shae! We'll have to get Mark to do a photo shoot for the three of them. I remember pictures of Miles and Brandon when they were babies. Brandon always towered over Miles. (I guess the Cavanaghs have all the braun in the family!) I miss having a baby for myself. It's been over five years. Payton is too big to hold in my arms now. I guess that's good I can steel some time with my nephews. They are both adorable.

Bolsa Chica Babes

We camped two nights at Bolsa Chica State Beach. Dad didn't get to come with us because he had to work. It was still really hot even though it was October.
We played in the ocean and the kids thought it was freezing. That's because they're used to swimming in the 86 degree pool. They're so spoiled!
Because it was October, the beach was pretty empty. We went on a couple bike rides in search of a snack bar. None of them were open except the one at Huntington Pier. The kids rode all the way there and back on their bikes. I was so proud of Payton! The next day we went north on the bike path in search of another snack bar. None to be found. We had to cross PCH and go to a gas minimart and buy some goodies. (All of our excursions are motivated by food!)
While at the beach we tried several times to find sand crabs. Austin found ONE. That was it. Are we doing something wrong? When I was little, we used to find tons of them along the shore line.
For one of our campfires we had Austin prepare the fire, make a foil dinner and cook it. (He is such an excellent Webelo scout!) He loved the foil dinner! We saw Scott and April make one once at Barton Flats and decided to try it ourselves. Yummy. Brandon was gobbling up all the onions. I was so shocked. Our foil dinners consisted of hamburger, potato cubes and onions. No vegetables pleeeez.
While we were riding our bikes one night, Austin asked why everyone makes a big deal about sunsets. I told him it's because they're are so beautiful and romantic. Girls love sunsets! He didn't understand why a sunset would be romantic. Later that night, I told the boys we were going to take a walk on the beach along the shore. "Why?" they asked. Because it's romantic!!! Just wait Austin, I'm sure you'll use this idea for many dates. P.S. Maybe Tom and I can enjoy a sunset together?

L.A. County Fair

The last couple of years we've been going to the L.A. County Fair. It's such a fun atmosphere with all the carnival rides and booths. This year we got smart and purchased the unlimited wristband. They got to go on as many rides as they wanted. One of their favorites was the fun houses. They loved going in and out of all the mazes, mirrors, and dark alleys. They smelled like sweaty puppies by the end of the night. We had to do our usual visit to the Garden Railroad exhibit. It still amazes me how elaborate they are. They must have put in hours and hours of work. Train Grandpa would appreciate it! Poor Payton still wasn't tall enough to go on the rollercoaster. One more year baby! He even wore his heeley's so he could add another inch to his height. It didn't matter. He wants to do everything his big brothers do. Even on the big slide, Payton couldn't keep up with the boys. He was too light.

Orville Wright

Austin did a report on Orville Wright for school. Afterward, his whole class did a live presentation of their famous person. You had to walk up to his display and press the START button. Unfortunately, he forgot his start button at home. He was so adorable with his huge moustache and cute hat.

Lamborghini Lovers

While we were off track in October, we took a trip to Lake Mead, Las Vegas. Most of the trip the kids were coughing and complaining of earaches. So one day we just laid low and toured the hot spots. Our favorite place was at the Palazzo Hotel which had a Lamborghini dealership!!! Our kids are obsessed with sports cars! I wonder where they get it from??? We also went to the Wynn Hotel and visited the Ferrari dealership. Our kids were in awe! They loved every second of it! Their favorites are the Murcielago, spyder, gallardo, arrow, enzo, etc. I'm sure I'm not pronouncing all these correctly. Even little Payton knows what all these cars are. They asked me what my favorite car was...a mini cooper. They thought I was joking. How could that possible be my favorite car? Well, it is. Second in line is the Porche Cayenne suv. It's pretty sweet as Payton would say.
We had a talk about how a person would go about obtaining these exotic cars...ie. getting good grades, going to a good college, and getting a great job. Brandon said he wanted to be a brain surgeon (all for the reasons of making enough money to buy his favorite car.) Austin said if he got one of these cars, he wouldn't share it with ANYONE! Hmmm that doesn't sound like Austin.
Tom and Austin's favorite car is a Saleen S7, Brandon's is a Lamborghini Gallardo, and Payton's is a Ferrari Enzo.

Lake Tahoe Retreat

Tom and I had a little getaway to Lake Tahoe, Squaw Valley. He had a business meeting and I got to tag along. It was beautiful. The last time we came here was in April with all the snow capped mountains. While Tom was in meetings all day, I got to relax with the beautiful mountains surrounding me. Thanks to HMC all our expenses were paid for. That made it all the more enjoyable. The little chillins stayed home with Grammi. Thank you Grammi! You are a life saver!!! Mommy and Daddy need time away from the kids to relax a little.
On the last night, Tom's company rented a huge catamaran and we went sailing. It was right during sunset. The view was breathtaking. By the end of the evening, everyone was bundled up freezing to death. The nights are so cold!