A Rainy Halloween

It was a cold, rainy Halloween. Spooky weather for a spooky day. Kirsten and I spent much of the day getting ready for her party. We cooked and cleaned and decorated. 

The rain stopped long enough for the kids to go "trick-or-treating".

James and Steven went to their friends' homes. After trick-or-treating, Dave-o sat at the door and handed out candy.

Emma was the only girl who showed up to Kirsten's party. The two of them had fun though. They decorated candy bags, played board games, went on a scavenger hunt, and played truth or dare. Justin and his friend Mike were bored so we convinced them to play along which made the evening fun. Mike even allowed the girls to paint his fingernails (a part of his dare). 

October Orange

 NorCal Giants fans woke up this morning to a spectacular ORANGE sunrise. Quite appropriate after  the San Francisco Giants' big win last night against the Royals. In the six years that we've been back in the bay area, I've enjoyed seeing my hometown team win the World Series three times. 

Baseball has always been a big part of my life. My older brothers played in many little leagues. Going to all of their games was a "family event". My brothers taught me how to throw and catch a baseball so that I could play "base runners" with them on our sidewalk leading up to our house. When visiting Nana (who lived in SF) during baseball season, a Giants game seemed to always be playing either on the TV or on the radio. The same was done in my home. My brother, Douglas, was more obsessed with the team than any of us (and still is today). He would mow our lawn and vacuum our carpet to mirror the field at Candlestick Park. Being able to go to a Giants game was always so much fun. My mom would pop enough popcorn to fill a brown paper grocery bag for us to bring. We also brought our gloves and made sure we got to the game early enough to watch batting practice while hanging out behind the Giants' dugout hoping to get some autographs. Seeing Candlestick Park get torn down is hard as it hold so many memories of my childhood.

Carving Time

Pumpkin guts, anyone?

Lonetta will take a spoonful.

Sugar Baby

While I played the role of "make-up artist" in preparation for the Halloween Party, Lonetta took advantage of being unwatched.

I found her sitting in front of our pantry in a pile of brown sugar. She was stuffing her mouth full of the sugar and grabbing as much as her little hands would allow.

Before cleaning up the crime scene, I had to take a picture (for evidence of course).

Halloween Party

Our family enjoyed a fun evening at our ward's Halloween Party. 

I didn't get any pictures of Justin, James, and Steven because they disappeared in the gym to play basketball with all the other young men.

Dave-o looked so cute in his Squirtle costume.

Our A's fan holding her adorable and very unique Cabbage Patch Doll.

I was a witch doctor.

Kellie stole Lonetta for the night.

We even decked out our trunk for the festivities.

Who do I Want to Look Like?

My friend shared a cute story with me while at church today. Over the weekend she bought her five year old daughter church shoes at a local flea market. Now, these weren't just any ordinary shoes. They had little heels. As her daughter pranced around in her first ever heeled shoes, she asked her mom, "Do I look like Sister Zinn?"

This triggered a memory of myself when I was about 10 years old. I too wanted to look like someone I knew from church. Permed hair was all the rage back in the early 80's. My hair had a little wave to it, but I wanted it to look like my Primary leader's hair. Every Sunday, I admired this lady and wanted to look and be her. She reminded me of Joanna Kerns, the mother in the popular TV show Growing Pains. 

Somehow I talked Mom into letting me have a permanent. We couldn't afford to go to a salon, so Mom performed her first home perm on me. (I think I was the first?) 

The end result was curlier than I had anticipated, but overall, it looked similar to who I was trying to emulate (minus the blond). The only problem was, it looked HORRIBLE on me (as my school picture below proves). It took close to a year for my hair to relax.

 Ironically, during my high school years, my hair began to curl on its own (due to hormones, I'm sure).

I wonder who Kirsten wants to look like?

California's Bounty

Kirsten and I have been talking about taking a drive to Watsonville to pick apples for a while now. We finally did it today. I could only convince two other children to come along. 

We were disappointment to learn that we were too late in the season to pick apples at Gizdich. However, we didn't leave the ranch empty handed. We filled a couple of bags full of a variety of apples that they sell in their store, along with an apple pie and an olallieberry pie.

We also stopped off at some produce stands for fresh berries, fruit, and veggies.

When we got home, Mom and Dad Zinn stopped by to say hello. Dad Zinn helped David prep our kitchen for our new oven/stove cooktop. 

I tend to get cabin fever frequently, so it was nice to get away and see another area of beautiful NorCal. I just wish I could convince other family members to join me.

Pumpkin Patch

Our family carried its tradition of pumpkin hunting at Uesugi Farms. We picked a weekday evening to avoid the large crowds.

Dave-o has the strangest expression in the above picture. It doesn't even look like him.

Lonetta loved playing in the hay.

 

 

Paisley Top

 Kirsten is excited about the top that she just finished sewing. 

I love the bright paisley pattern. She even made the belt.

I crocheted a hot pink headband to add to her finished look.

 (Check another thing off my list of Pinned items.) 

The pattern for it can be found at Creative Yarn.

Blossoming

 I can vividly recall my first day of school as an eighth grader. As I met up with my friends waiting for the bell to ring, a teacher from the past year approached our little click. He looked at me and said, "Wow Dixie! You have blossomed." Honestly, I was horrified at his words (which is why I remember this day so well). But he was right. I grew a lot that summer.

It is now Kirsten's turn to "blossom" into the woman God created her to be; inside and out. Towards the end of seventh grade, back in May, Kirsten was just beginning a new sewing project in her class. Her teacher and I measured her, we bought the fabric which was then cut. Over the summer, Kirsten met with her teacher three times, where they worked on the construction. Last month, the dress was completed. However, when Kirsten excitedly tried it on, she found that it didn't fit. The bust was too tight. Thankfully, Kirsten's teacher was able to suggest a few options to fix the problem. After moving some buttons around, we got it to fit, but barely.

As much as I wish I could keep Kirsten as my little girl for longer, I'm excited to see God's purpose for her unfold.

I See an Eleven Month Old

Peek-A-Boo

I see an 11 month old Loni Lou.

Loni has such a happy disposition. As long as she has a full tummy, she is content. Lack of sleep doesn't even make her moody. (And believe me; she doesn't sleep much during the day.)

Lonetta's ability to crawl has allowed her to explore every inch of our house. The stairs seem to be her favorite area. Second would be the bathroom because she wants to climb in the bathtub. 

The Primary song "Popcorn Popping" is her favorite tune. Loni opens and closes her hands for the "popcorn popping" part. 

Giving hugs with an accompanying "Aw" is a heart melting talent of Loni's. This is an instant cheer-up solution for Dave-o when he is sad or whining about something.

Eight teeth occupy Loni's tiny mouth (four on top and four on bottom) with two more threatening to come in.
Loni can also stand up on her own, but her balancing act is just that...an act. After she gets an applause and some hoorays, she quickly sits back down.