Halloween

Our Halloween-related festivities consisted of the ward Harvest Festival the Saturday before Halloween and then trick or treating on Halloween. 

The Harvest Festival was headed up by the Young Men, so it was sort of chaotic.  Chili, cornbread, etc. were inside; games and trunk or treating were outside in the parking lot.  You could do whatever you wanted whenever you wanted.  Some people ate first.  Some people went out for games first.  There was a huge turnout, so I realized afterward that the lack of order was good - we couldn't have accommodated everyone eating or playing games at the same time. 

We ended up borrowing an elephant costume from friends in the ward.  Dolly wore it at least half the evening.  Jim and Ever did a little trunk or treating, and she was excited about the candy.

On Halloween, Susan Oddou invited us up for a kiddie craft in the afternoon.  (She and Paul are living with Jane and Gary up the street for a few months.)  We didn't get there until late and ended up staying for dinner and going trick or treating from there.  I had Jim bring Ever's costume up but forgot to have him bring pink or gray pants to go with it.  Here's the gang before trick or treating:

Left to right:  Christian Karner, Kara Karner (the tigress), Ever, Alina Karner, and Luc Oddou

Derrick (in a spider hat Kara made in school) holding Christian and Ever:

Dolly has no grasp of the costume thing, but she definitely understands getting candy.  We let her eat a few on the road.  So far she hasn't met a candy she doesn't like.

She enjoyed a brief ride on the tree swing we passed:

Surprisingly, Ever didn't ask about her candy again after Halloween night.  So we took care of the rest of it for her. 

Sun Project

Every October our stake participates in the Oceanside Sun Project.  The first year we went, we got really bitter about the whole thing.  It seemed to be a service project in which we paint a house while the residents sit inside and do nothing.  Our obnoxious mayor goes around taking publicity photos instead of helping.  We later learned that the city has a deal with the owners of these houses, pursuant to which the city handles the maintenance in exchange for the owners' renting the houses at below-market rates, or something like that.  So we're serving the city by participating.  In any case, it is still a service project in which we paint a house while the residents generally sit inside or sometimes - like this year - stand outside on the sidewalk and watch (which was disconcerting).  But we help make the low-income neighborhoods a little nicer, so that's good. 

When I say "a little nicer," I stress "a little."  We (including kids/youth) paint a whole house before lunch, so it goes without saying that we do a really bad job.  This year we painted the concrete-block fence in front of the house and stopped very sloppily (like mid-block) because the fence goes around the whole neighborhood, and we were just working on this one house. 

It was harder for me to be productive this year because we had a Dolly.  She didn't want me to put her down for a while.  Eventually she did a little painting and then just watched the goings-on.  At one point she pressed her forehead against the freshly painted fence to watch the big trucks going by.  Then she sat down by the freshly painted house, putting the back of her head into that paint.  So she looked as if she'd been hard at work.  She was really incredibly good for a long period of time.  And she was a hit in my Sun Project shirt. 

She ate two crunchy granola bars (which took her a really long time) and then part of a Luna bar.  She was in heaven.

When the house was nearly done, most of us went to the park to enjoy lunch (donated by Chick-Fil-A) while a select few finished up.  We spent a few minutes at the playground before we left. 



A Visit from the Rob and Annas

The Rob and Annas' kids had a fall break last month, and they came down for a visit after spending a little time in Yosemite and the surrounding area.  (Thanks to the government shutdown, they could drive through Yosemite but weren't supposed to stop anywhere.)  The bummer was that their fall break coincided with Jim's surf trip to Mexico, so he missed their visit. 

They arrived on Sunday evening.  We had a lasagna dinner (the only time I cooked for them) and hung out.  Ever was instantly totally smitten with Clara.  (It's funny because she's also a big fan of Kara Karner, who is about Clara's age.  She pronounces "Kara" and "Clara" the same way, so now I never know which once of them she's talking about.)  Ever was so excited about her new friend it was hard to tear her away for bed.

 

I worked from home Monday and Tuesday.  The Rob and Annas went to La Jolla on Monday.  We went to Pick Up Stix for dinner, and then they headed up to Shandra's parents' house in Westminster so they could hit California Adventure early Tuesday. 

 

Ever and I joined the clan for a Disneyland day on Wednesday.  Little One on the bus from the parking lot to the place where dreams come true:

 

 

We met the Rob and Annas in the line for Peter Pan. 

 

After the exciting Peter Pan ride, Udon graciously let me use his fast pass for Star Tours while he and Dean went to get fast passes for Indiana Jones.  (Fast Passes are the ONLY thing that make Disneyland doable these days.  The regular lines are nuts long for the good rides.)  Then we all met up in Fantasyland and did the jungle cruise, which features elephants and other animals.  I had never been on that before, and it was actually kind of fun, especially with Little Love.  Next we took turns doing Indiana Jones.  Ann Marie took Clara and Ever to the treehouse while the first crew went. Anna enjoyed Ever's commentary:  "Eber go with Clara."  "Eber find mama."  "Eber go in water there."  (She really does want to get in all water she sees.) 

 

 

Then they met me by Indiana Jones, and we snacked while waiting for Rob and the other kids to finish their ride. 

 

 

Ann Marvin and I took the second shift on Indiana Jones.  Then Rob and the boys and I went on Splash Mountain while Ann Marie took Lucy, Clara, and Ever to the Haunted Mansion.  Apparently Clara and Ever were terrified.  Ever buried her head into Anna's shoulder and kept repeating "Eber go out" the whole time.  Anna plugged her ears, and Lucy covered her eyes.  After that, they waited in line to see Tigger.  Ever was super-excited - "Eber see zebra."  I met them while they were in line.  As they got close to the "zebra," Ever got scared and started crying.  I had to take her away.  Clarice got a cute picture, though:

 

 

We all did Pirates of the Caribbean together.  Poor Ever was also terrified on that ride.  Then we took the train over to Fanstasyland and did Small World.  Ever was nervous at first (I'm sure she was thinking, "Another ride through the dark with loud sounds?") but ended up really enjoying it.  In the Small World line:

 

We split up again briefly.  The boys and Clara did a little roller coaster, and I did the Matterhorn.  (For more than 20 years, since our family vacation to California when I was wee, I've thought that I love the Matterhorn.  Turns out it's a jerky, not-great roller coaster.  I realized after going on it again that I may have been confusing it with Montezuma's Revenge at Knott's Berry Farm.)  Lucy and Ann Marie took Ever on a couple of rides.  I found them before they got on the Storybook Land boat.  I tried and tried but couldn't get a decent picture. 

 

 

Ever and my last ride of the day was Dumbo.  Ever absolutely LOVED it.  She was going crazy in the line wanting to get on - "Ever go high."  Riders can control (to some extent) whether the elephants they're riding in go up or down.  Ever wanted it to be as high as possible the whole time.  Then as soon as we got off, she tried to turn around and get back on instead of exiting.  She kept saying, "Eber go high again!" 

 

Afterward the kiddies posed on Dumbo:

 

We got some dinner at a restaurant in the park.  Ever scarfed her macaroni and cheese, apples, and carrots.  She's slow, though, so she was still eating after everybody else was done.  I always get nervous when she eats apples and carrots, as I know they're choking hazards.  Plus the three-year-old daughter of a guy we knew in L.A. choked to death on an apple at church, so that freaks me out.  I told Rob they could leave us since I was just going to head home with Dolly as soon as she finished.  When I said it, I wondered if I should make them wait until she finished in case she choked.  I didn't ask them to, but they stayed anyway.  Then Dolly choked.  At first she made a little choking noise, and I started patting her back.  Then I saw that she wasn't getting any air or making any noise anymore.  I panicked and exclaimed, "She's really choking!"  Rob just said, very calmly, "She's OK."  And he stood, picked her up so she was face down on his arm, and whacked her back until she spit up some apple and then finally threw up.  It was really scary.  Ever cried for a while afterward, so I think she was freaked out, too.  I proved again that I am the WORST in crisis.  I have no instincts, and I do not stay calm.  I was so incredibly grateful Udon was there.  After that excitement, I got Dolly home.  The Rob and Annas stayed to do more rides and came home late. 

 

Thursday we had a leisurely morning.  Dolly had missed her nap the last couple of days, so I put her down a little earlier than usual to squeeze in a nap before afternoon festivities.  Tucker shocked us all by sleeping until 1 P.M.  The rest of the gang went up to the tennis courts for a bit, but it was a little too hot for comfort that day.  We went to Torrey Pines State Reserve in the afternoon for a little "hiking."  (I don't think it counts as hiking when it's flat and short.)  I've never been on those trails and have wondered about taking visitors there.  It was pretty.  Ever gave me a hard time about being in the backpack, but she eventually settled down enough that I could enjoy it. 

 

Ever looked longing at the ocean and begged to get in it:

 

After meandering the trails, we went down to the beach.  I was mean and didn't take Dolly in the water, but she enjoyed running around. 

 

 

We had to hurry back to the car before the park closed.  Chavalyn had started trying to carry all the rocks she saw, so progress was slow. 

 

'Twas a lovely day.  I think I may take future visitors to Torrey Pines. 

 

We had dinner at Roberto's, a taco shop just up the street. 

 

 

The grown-ups watched a movie that night, but some of us had a hard time staying awake. 

 

Friday we went to the zoo.   Kids are free at the zoo and the Safari Park for the month of October, so it was a good deal.  I made the mistake of taking our giant Bob stroller.  It was way too big for crowded spaces (busloads of schoolchildren from Mexico made this a less-than-ideal day to visit the zoo), and Dolly refused to ride in the stroller except when she was eating a chocolatey granola bar donated by Udon or, for a brief period, riding on Clara's lap.  Clara was happy to lounge in it, though, so at least it got used. 

 

 

Watching the gorillas:

 

Watching the fish:

 

That night, the big people watched another video through Amazon after the little people went to bed.  I stayed awake for that one. 

 

The Rob and Annas left on Saturday morning.  It was wonderful to have them visit.  We love having guests - especially family.  Come again!