It sure felt like fall today and was just perfect for a trip to Peltzer Farms. It has become an annual tradition complete with photo ops, a visit to the petting zoo and several runs through the corn maze.
Reanna, Madison, Ethan, Taylor, Lauren, Nicholas and Allison 
They "play dead" pretty well!
Great friends
Almost 4 1/2 feet!
Almost 5 feet!
No ordinary pumpkins for these two.
Allison gets a special ride through the pumpkin patch!
Farmer Hank and all of the kiddos.
For the past 69 days, 33 Chilean miners have been trapped over 2,000 feet underground. For 17 days, no one above ground knew whether they were alive or dead. Luckily, the men rationed their 2 day food supply (eating 2 tsp of tuna, 1/2 a biscuit and 1/2 cup of milk every 48 hours) until being found alive on August 22nd. Food was sent down to the men through a small borehole and teams of doctors and psychologists helped keep them healthy and sane while waiting to be rescued. Conditions were difficult to say the least, nearly 90 degree heat and 90% humidity much of the time in very cramped quarters. The only light came from their helmets and small LED lights. However, the men established routines and jobs to maintain some sense of normalcy. 
Chilean authorities predicted it would take until Christmas to be able to rescue the men, but last night around 8:00 pm, we watched the 1st of 6 rescue workers head down the narrow hole in this capsule to help bring the men to safety.
One by one the miners entered the capsule and ascended to the earth's surface (approx. 15 minutes for the climb). Each miner was greeted by a very anxious family member and hundreds of emotional rescue workers who had worked so hard for this day. Rescuers chanted a popular futbol cheer as each miner thanked them. Then they were quickly placed on a stretcher and sent to the medical facility for evaluation and treatment. Although many had lost nearly 20 pounds, they all looked remarkably well for all they had endured. 
All 33 miners and 6 rescue workers were successfully brought to safety in just under 24 hours.
With all of our crazy schedules, the annual October Birthday Bash just couldn't be made a reality, but Lisa had a great idea...have a girly day at the Rose Bowl Flea Market instead! It was a good meeting place for each of us to drive from Carlsbad, Orange County, Valencia and Temecula. However, it meant leaving at 6:30am to get early admission at 8:00. The main parking area was already packed when I arrived!
Lisa, cart in tow, made the first purchase...2 gorgeous, oversized pillows for $40. She was so excited and probably had 10 people compliment them as we walked around. 
I loved this sign at the pillow shop, "Your husband called and said you could buy anything you want!"
Shannon, Kim and Lisa searching through tables of linens.
Although it was a very warm day, it was great getting together and we all walked away with at least one purchase. I found some fun 45 records ($0.25 each) to use as decorations for Taylor's upcoming Bday party. Kim bought some pretty linens and Lisa scored on the pillows. Shannon got a fun kid's guitar for her son. Happy October/November Birthdays!
We love GOURMET dinner night at the VanSchaik's! Everyone gets to prepare their own dishes and the options are endless.
Pick your favorite meats and vegetables
Bring it over to your personal saute pan and start cooking.
Once the meat cooks enough, add the vegetables and sauce combinations. We had anything from butter and garlic to teriyaki, oyster or peanut sauce. Once the dish is done, plate it over steamed rice or chow mein noodles.
Enjoy!
Today was Tony Tobin's Annual Jog-a-Thon. It is our biggest fundraiser of the year, helping us pay for assemblies, family nights, Accelerated Reader, technology, etc. Students try their best to run as many laps as possible and collect pledges for their efforts. This year's goal is $25,000!
Allison's class voted to be Siptroth's Pugs as their team name and Chessa created these adorable signs to match the theme. We had lots of parent helpers to tally laps, provide water and healthy snacks and be cheerleaders.
Allison ran 30 laps in the alloted time which was 2nd place for her class. She and Lorien ran most of the time, only stopping for grapes, oranges and some water. I'm glad I made a flat donation rather than sponsoring her per lap!
Lorien, Allison and Kaylee
Unfortunately, Allison's recent 6-month checkup didn't go so smoothly. The dentist found 3 cavities in the upper right/left and lower left molars. He actually asked if she had lots of fevers as an infant because the teeth buds didn't seem to be very strong. I can't say that she did, but either way, the problem exists.
Allison was so excited to find this cute outfit at Kohl's last night just in time for Picture Day. I curled her hair this morning and told her to do her best to stay clean until her picture time today!
The Promenade was like sensory overload. There were so many great shops, beautifully decorated flower displays...
bikes covered in yarn...
tasty coffee chops...
vans covered in plastic cameras...
and talented street performers. The people watching was amazing!
My favorite part was ordering cinnamon sugar crepes to go from Cafe Crepe!
Then we walked 3 blocks to Santa Monica pier, entertained by some of the most colorful people we have ever come across.
Darth Vadar
A very camera-shy Avatar
We walked along the pier and spotted Bubba Gump's right away. Coconut Shrimp was calling our name, so that was our lunch spot.
With full bellies, the girls and I boarded the world-famous Santa Monica Ferris Wheel.
Although the weather never cleared up, there was a gorgeous view from the top.
Taylor was terrified of being up so high and called Matt down below to express her fear!
Allison smiled from ear to ear the entire time!
Thank you Matt for the great idea. It was the perfect family day and end to my Birthday weekend!
