I Should've Known...

When I ended my most recent family-related blog post, I had mentioned that we didn't really have any plans on the calendar for the upcoming week. Within an hour of me writing that, I received 3 text messages from friends (and my sister, who if you are new to my blog, also happens to be the bestest friend a girl could ask for) requesting our company on 3 different outings. What a fun and eventful week we ended up having! :0)

On Monday we visited the Zoo with the Mason Family...



We rode on the Skyfari...



And we had an amazing opportunity in the "bug" exhibit! The elderly-gentleman-zoo-volunteer spent an enormous amount of time with our families schooling us in all things "ant farm" and "bees". Among other facts, we learned about, and witnessed bees carrying pollen to their hive in these tiny little pockets on their knees...SO fascinating! We then heard all about the mating of ants, their life spans, and their total devotion to their queen. That experience made this visit to the zoo my very favorite...ever. And considering that Beatrice was learning about the letter "H" this week, I was overjoyed that the Hippos were quite active on the morning we were there...



On Wednesday we went to the movies with 2-B, and her youngest daughter. My kiddos have never seen the movie Lion King, and on this day, they finally did. A few things...

1. On most days, the fact that I'm 30 doesn't equal up to me feeling old...but on this day, this experience of watching this movie, made me feel SO old. I can absolutely remember seeing this movie in the theater when I was a child. And here I was watching the movie in a theater...again...but with my own children. Sigh.

2. Totally random...but someone once told me that all of the villains in the Disney movies are female, and are usually a motherly figure. That has always stuck with me, and I have been very mindful of it when watching a Disney flick...but FINALLY...here is a Disney movie where the villain is male!

3. Best opening 10 minutes of a movie...ever. I tear up every time.

After the movie, we walked next door to Ceramicafe where the littles painted magnets...



And then we let them run...



And explore...



Friday's adventure lead us to Julian...which happened to be the first day of Fall...where we went apple picking for the first time with my sister and her family...



The fee was minimal, and the fun was never ending. The orchard was beautiful, and they encouraged us to eat as many apples as we wanted while we were there. And so we did. There was lots of picking...







And lots of eating...



After the picking of apples was completed, we headed in to town. We had some tortilla soup from the Julian Cafe and Bakery...a staple visit for our families...and then we slowly (and sometimes quickly, depending upon "grabby hands") browsed through the country shops...specifically, the candy store :0)...



We ended the day by eating some popcorn while the littles put on a performance for us. :0)



On Saturday, we headed to Morongo Valley (minutes from Palm Springs), to attend the wedding of my Cousin Luke & and his bride, Candace. It was a great time spent with family...



And my littles stole the show more than a few times with their dance moves...



I should have known that our week wasn't going to be uneventful...it never is. :0)

Our 8th week of school consisted of the color black...



Beatrice found all things "circle" in my bag of treasure...



And in our week of the letter "H", we read the book, "Scamper and the Horse Show", and then painted Scamper, the white horse with all of the colors she accumulates on her coat throughout the story...





Outside of school, Rick and I were gifted many more drawings from Wyatt...







And after Wyatt read us one of his library books about "The Lost Tooth Club", we discovered at the end of the story that if you send the publisher a written story or drawing about how you lost your tooth, they will mail you an official "Lost Tooth Club Badge" just like the characters in the story were awarded. :0) Wyatt went right to work...





Beatrice had the honor of being "Cubbie of the Week" in Awana this week. That meant that she got to hold the flag, and then the Bible during pledges, she got to be the line leader all night, AND she got to go to her seat and start eating first during snack time...it's the little things at this age. :0)



And I had a Sugar Shack order this week...32 Wedding Cake cookies. :0)



In our study through the United States, the kids were introduced to the 3rd state in the Union...New Jersey. Among many other things, we learned that New Jersey is where Albert Einstein attended school at Princeton University (and if you are 6-1/2 years old and STILL love/ask to watch "Baby Einstein" DVD's, then THAT is exciting information), and that folks from New Jersey say "yous" instead of "you all", and that the first seeing-eye-dog was brought to America, via New Jersey, from Switzerland in 1929. The kids had a lot of fun pretending they were seeing-eye-dogs...





We also learned about Atlantic City, and the giant National Monument on the shores of Atlantic City...Lucy, the elephant. Lucy is made with over 1 MILLION pieces of wood! Our Lucy's were made of clay. ;0)





And finally, we discovered that the company "Johnson & Johnson" was founded in the state of New Jersey. Beatrice was especially fond of this fact, as all of her "Princess Baths" that she takes at Grammy's house are completed with a dash of Johnson & Johnson powder, and a palm full of their pink baby, ahem, Princess lotion. The Brumbaugh's decided to do a Johnson & Johnson spinoff...we made our own bodywash...



The whole family got involved (never mind Bea's crazy hair, lol)...





Our finished product...



We ended our week of New Jersey with "Italian Subs" for dinner...not to be confused with a "hoagie" from PA, or a "hero" from NY, or even a "grinder" from MA...





The "Garden State" of New Jersey is known for their production of blueberries...so much so, that their "state fruit" is the blueberry. For dessert on state dinner night, we enjoyed a delicious blueberry cobbler...



This next week we get to dive into the state of Georgia! Seeming as though I just vacationed there 4 months ago (has it already been 4 months!? WAAAA! Time flies!) I can't wait to learn more about the history of the state, and recreate some of the food I enjoyed there while visiting. One thing is for sure...NO.MORE.FRIED.CHICKEN. After seeing and consuming countless pieces of fried chicken in GA, I can live without seeing another piece of it for at least a year! Now, buttered grits on the other hand.... ;0)