San Diego Zoo with Beck (and Eli-not pictured)

The week before last we meet my friend, Nancy, with her 2 boys, Beck and Eli at the zoo.  Anne and Beck are about the same age and play so nicely together.  We all had a great time.  Owen was very happy to be set free this trip and had a blast running with the older kids.  Anne loves to read maps and likes to give us directions on which way to go.

Julian, CA

A couple of weeks ago we drove about an hour up into the mountains to an apple festival in Julian, CA with some friends.  The colors were no where near as beautiful as fall in the midwest, but we did see some browns and yellows.  The apple festival left much to be desired, especially compared to what we're used to, but it was a beautiful drive up there.  We had a great visit with our friends and the kids enjoyed playing in the corn box.  Can't say I've seen one of those before.

Mommy's helpers

Anne loves to help me with whatever I'm doing which is awesome.  Most nights she asks me if she can help me make dinner.  She likes to get out the big stool and be right in on the action with me. 

Anne's main chore at home right now is helping to unload the dishwasher.  Owen even helped out this week too.  Anne's also really good at shoe organization when it's time to tidy up before daddy comes home from work.

Owen is a funny boy

Owen is all boy, loves to play with balls, trains, cars and wrestle on the floor.

Update on Anne

Anne loves to play with my phone whenever she gets the chance.  Here is one of her 12 self-portraits.

 I have a china tea set from when I was a kid.  Can't say I remember playing with it.  I think my mom forgot to get it out for us when we were old enough not to break it.  Anne's been having a daily tea party during quiet time. Apparently it is quite necessary for each guest to have their own seat.