The Vandevoorde's Christmas Party

Noah and Eva dressed for our neighbor's Holiday party. Eva couldn't wait to wear her new green dress [but not a real green dress, that's cruel*]. We had a very nice time visiting with friends and neighbors. Even though Eva is still getting over a cold, she had a lot of fun and didn't want to go home early.

The kids all played well together. Our old neighbors Brian and Floy attended with their two kids, Rianna and Loden. They had a great time rolling around the Twister mat.

Autumnal Fun

The Fall colors have arrived on our street -- just in time for Winter. See, we have seasons in California -- they're just not on time.

Eva and I had some time to play in the leaves today. We made some big piles and she lept off of the low, brick wall to send them flying. She really had a great time. I think she wonders why the leaves aren't there all of the time.

Lily and Julia's Party

We went to a party for Lily and Julia Taylor today. It was at a place with lots of indoor climbing tunnels and games. Noah and Eva had a great time on all the tubes and slides, and both ended up in the ball pit. There were lots of kids to play with, plus pizza and cake, so the whole event was a lot of fun. Lily and Julia seemed to have a great time, too.








Kyle and Noah in the Rocket

Noah's Halloween Costume
Tanya made Noah a custom robot outfit for Halloween this year. He was certainly shiny in his costume, and really liked how he looked. Later at his school parade, he complained that people kept asking what he was dressed as. Then we found out that his teacher got the same question, and she was dressed as a witch. Following the parade, Noah's class had a party. Eva dressed up for his event, so she joined in for the snacks, too. She discovered Cheetos in a big way -- she gave them two paws up.

Robot pose

Take my picture, too

Party time at Stratford

Pre-school Halloween Parade

Eva's pre-school class had their Halloween parade and party today. Eva decided to be a cat this year, and Tanya created the perfect costume for her. Eva was THRILLED, and pranced around with her tail bouncing most of the day. Tanya and I attended the party, which consisted mostly of the kids eating fruit, cheese and popcorn. The perfect warm-up for the pending door-to-door loot.

Halloween is in the Air

We had some fun this weekend, as the kids' excitement increases about Halloween.
Noah and Eva had some time to play with our neighbors, Christine, Nicholas and Luke.
Nicholas was very eager to show me his zombie costume, so he went home for the mask. Eva really liked it, and insisted on wearing it herself. Noah wanted no parts of it.

Diwali at Stratford

To recognize the large Indian population at the school, Stratford celebrates Diwali (the Hindu "Festival of Lights") as an out-of-uniform day. Children are encouraged to wear traditional dress, and they painted pictures and made oil lamps as part of the festivities. Tanya wanted to make a special dress for Eva to wear, so she decided to embrace the African ethnicity. Eva loved her special outfit, and received many compliments.

Eva's Three

This weekend we celebrated Eva's third birthday. We did some family fun on Saturday, and had a party on Sunday complete with Blue's Clues bounce house.

Some pre-party play.

A play dress from Uncle Todd and Aunt Leah. Thanks!

Johnathan Green's Party

We had our first double booking this Saturday with a second party in the evening. Martin and Kathy's son Johnathan turned three the week before Eva. We joined them and many of their friends at the My-Gym in Palo Alto for an organized kid-action event. They sang songs, jumped on mats, rode the zip line and tramp'd the 'oline. Trampoline. Get it? Never mind. Pizza and cake finished the fun.

That's the happy My-Gym instructor, Johnathan on the right, and his friend Miles in the middle.

Noah and Eva were quickly joined in the songs and games. There's that Miles again. :)

Maggie's Birthday Picnic

We went up to Burlingame this Saturday to celebrate Maggie turning five. Davis and Christina had a picnic for the friends, so we met at the park across from their house. It's always really windy and brisk there, so I can never remember the actual name of the park -- I just think of it as "Wind Tunnel Park" or "Breezeway." Davis suggested, "Parctic Circle," so he wins.

The kids quickly shed their sweatshirts and jackets as they warmed up fast with a lot of running around. Eva had a good time trying to keep up with Maggie.


Later the kids were going down the slide in a big pile. Noah, Lily and Maggie repeatedly would line up at the top and try to go down in a row.

Somehow, they never all made it down at the same time.

Julia (Lily's little sister) was there as well, though she couldn't quite keep up with the bigger kids. She did a good job trying at times. Rich and Marni attended with Aidan and Brian, too, but I didn't seem to get any photos of them.

Bedtime at Home

Here is Eva, happy to be in her own bed in California.

First Days at Stratford School

Noah and Eva started school this week. They both attend Stratford -- Noah began Kindergarten, and Eva pre-school. They both like their teachers, and have adjusted quickly to the new schedule. Eva didn't even want to leave class on Friday at the end of the day. She had no issues with being away from us at all, which is not surprising but still hurts a bit. She is already making an impression on her teachers, and has been "helping" to teach whenever she can.



Tanya made Eva a dress just for her first day of school. Needless to say, she loves it.

Football Lessons

Tanya's parents came for a visit, and we all had a chance to play outside. It was a rare day in PA, in that the weather wasn't oppressively hot and it wasn't actually raining. Noah had a chance to get a football lesson from his "Pop Pop".

Good kick!

Eva played football, too, but here she is leaping into the air while she waits for her turn.

Of course, there was also time for a trike ride around the parking lot. Eva shows off her impressive turning radius.



We had a really nice time at the townhouse. It was a fine place to stay for the summer, and the kids were sad to leave it.

Ocean City, NJ Vacation

David and Jamie rented a house for the week in Ocean City. They invited us down for a day with my parents, so we all had a wonderful mini beach vacation. We arrived in Ocean City on Sunday before dinner. Finding a restaurant to seat 10 people was a challenge, but we ended up at a place that had been open for only a week. Locating it was more of a challenge, as the place had no sign out front. The food was mostly fried fare, but was pretty tasty in the end. The kids even got to keep their plates, as their food was served on frisbees. We went to the boardwalk after dinner on Sunday evening, and the kids really enjoyed the games and rides there. Jake and Matty were good company for Noah and Eva, and they all conquered the amusement rides as fast as they could get in line.


Noah and I were up early the next morning, and we took a walk on the beach with my father. I'm not much of a morning person, but walking the shore collecting shells with them was the perfect way to start the day. The beach was quiet, and there were very few people around. Noah was so excited to find all the shells, and it didn't take long before he filled my pockets with an assortment. Around 11:00am we all returned to the beach to dig in the sand and play in the waves. Noah was convinced he wouldn't need a bathing suit as, "There is no way I'm going in the water," he stated. By the time we finished up on the beach that afternoon he wondered aloud to me, "Why didn't we bring my float vest so I could swim in the ocean?"

Eva devised a game where we dug a small hole, and she jumped it over and over again.

A rare opportunity for my father to share a family tradition with four of his grandchildren at once. The dribble castle lessons were a big hit with the kids. It didn't do my dad any harm either! He was loving every minute of it.



It was a terrific day on the beach, and we all went home tired and happy. We hope to go back next year for a whole week.

Bensalem Township park

There is a really nice playground near our home this summer. It has great play structures, with some fun cars arranged in a racing configuration. The kids really enjoyed them, and spent a while changing cars. It made for a nice afternoon break.