Labor Day Fun

We're just a little behind at the Adventures of Natalie, Amanda and Will, as you can tell by the fact that we're just now getting around to posting Labor Day pictures. We had a wonderful weekend, although it already seems like so long ago!

We took a trip up into the foothills to visit one of our favorite local wineries and we stopped at a fun park to play along the way. As usual, Natalie demonstrated that she is talented climber and that she can hang for a really, really long time.

Once we got to the winery, the kids have fun playing on the grounds. Here they cross over a little bridge.

And check out the koi fish with Dad.

Amanda looks like she is visiting Giverny with all of the lilypads in the background.

And she takes a picture break while climbing the tree.

Natalie, on the other hand, enjoyed doing somersaults on the lawn.

Here, all the munchkins meander across the grass.

And then Natalie and Amanda take a rest, and later a giggle break, on the benches.

Will was rosy-cheeked from the warm weather and from running around and exploring every inch of the place. He had fun!

We have not posted many pictures of Sable recently. She did not join us on this trip, but she remains our loyal and trusted companion and is always eager to spend time with the family.

Farewell to Summer

Ah, summer, how we love thee. The long days of summer allow us to frolic outside, bask in the warmth of the sun, play in the pool, slide, swing and do all the fun things that kids like to do. Although it's still very warm here, the weather forecasters are predicting cooler weather in just a week or so. So here is a little tribute to summer.

Popsicles are up first, of course. They are a beloved treat in our house!

No picture of the kids is complete without the cheesy smiles!

Clothes seem to be optional around our house during summer. A few weeks ago, the kids all stripped down to nothing and then proceeded to color themselves all over. Luckily, they used washable markers to create these masterpieces.

Of course, a tribute to summer would not be complete without some water play. It's a very popular past time at our house. While we have a pool, it's gated off to keep the little kiddies out until they master swimming. Not to be deterred, Will makes good use of Sable's water dish to get his feet wet!

And here is a video of Will running circles around the new playground we found near the kids' school! It is a great place to spend a nice summer day.

Strawberry Pancakes!

The kids were VERY excited to help daddy make strawberry pancakes. We will be sad when strawberry season is over. Luckily for us, it lasts a long time in our neck of the woods!

Water Bugs and Jumping Beans!

After much procrastination, we finally enrolled the kids in weekly Saturday morning swim lessons. The 30-minute lessons start at 9:30 for Will and at 10:00 for the girls. After the lessons are over, we head over to the farmer's market for shopping and a little lunch. Here is a group photo of all the kids waiting for their session to begin while watching the kids in the 9:00 class. As with most kids, Natalie, Amanda and Will all love to swim!

The infant class requires at least one parent to jump in the water with their child, so Daddy is the lucky one to have fun with Will. Here, Will gets warmed up by gathering toys from the side of the pool and taking them to the floating basket and dropping them in.

Will and Daddy sing the welcome song and spin around with teacher, Ms. Catherine.

Will learns to jump into Daddy's arms while sitting and waiting from the pool side.

Below, Will can be seen standing up on Daddy's chest and ready to jump into the middle of the ring.

Next, it is the girls' turn to kick their feet. Last week was their first lesson and they put their face in the water and blew bubbles 10 times in a row, enough to earn them ribbons and stickers for achieving their first milestone.

The girls love their teacher, Maggie, and do anything she requests. (Mom and Dad wish they were so lucky!) Below, the girls hold on the to body board and kick up a storm.

Having fun with the floating frog.

After our lesson, we quickly made it over to the farmer's market. This place is so kid friendly and there is always something entertaining for them to enjoy during our visit. Our little fish seemed to turn into jumping beans in a matter of minutes!

Zoo Friends

One of the great aspects about where we live is the kid friendly activities that are literally around the corner. Fairy Tale Town, Funderland, strolls at the park, picnics at the local winery and the Train Museum can all be found in one of many blog posts. Another family favorite is the zoo. (Clearly, we make full use of our family passes to these attractions!) Here is a recap of our recent trip to the zoo, and some photos of our new friends we made during our visit. Natalie and Amanda found these fun suckers as we were heading out and were kind enough to pose for a few pictures.

Natalie and Amanda watch some silly birds behind the cage.

We found this hidden green garden in the back of the zoo, where Natalie poses for a picture with mom.

Next, it was Amada's turn to pose with Dad.

....and Natalie's....

Everyone went for a ride on the dump truck. (Amanada is just a little bit upset that she is not riding shotgun inside the cab.)

Will hoots like an owl.

Natalie does her best impression of an orangatan. This one makes us all laugh!

We saw a lot of animals very close up on this trip. Here are our new friends, the zebras.

And another new friend: a giraffe. Amanda tried to reach up and touch him since we were so close.

The baby giraffe can bend down to eat.

Our little monkey, Will, gets to see the zoo's monkeys close up.

After seeing the animals we all went for a ride on the merry go round. Amanda was happy riding a lion and Will rode a dolphin.

Natalie was thrilled with her choice of a ladybug.

Before calling it a day, we all squeezed into the caboose of the choo choo train.