Carlsbad Pumpkin Patch

When your 3 teens want to go to the pumpkin patch, you go to the pumpkin patch.

They had several games around the farm.  We played Connect 4 and Checkers.

If you give Colin something heavy, he will do a squat.

The farm also had marigold fields that you could walk through.  The real draw was that Lego land was right behind these fields.  

Just 2 brothers slightly teasing their sister.  She's a good sport about it...

Somehow they are all the same height!

We ended our afternoon with a funnel cake.  They didn't remember what they were and Alison said it was the best thing she's ever eaten.

Alison took a video of us riding the tricycles, which were actually a lot of fun.

First College Tour

Alison and I toured San Diego State University (SDSU).  On our drive down, we laughed at the fact that I can't stop blogging about her life.  I'm just going to take it as a good thing that she still lets me :). As of right now, Alison has it set to transfer to SDSU when she is done at Mira Costa.  She plans on studying Speech-Language Pathology and SDSU is one of the top schools for that program.  She will still apply to other schools for options to consider, but I thought it would be good to tour the school she will potentially be going to.

Campus is gorgeous! 

We went on a Sunday, so it wasn't very busy and perfect for exploring.  We found the Speech-Language Pathology building and this really cool tree was in its courtyard.

There are 4 Starbuck's on campus, so we got a drink and sat by the turtle pond, which will be a great little study spot.

The campus even has it's very own little Trader Joe's.  I thought that was the coolest part.  Alison said the library was her favorite.

One college down, hopefully a few more to go.  It will be exciting to see where she ends up in a year and a half!

 

This week

Colin got braces!

Before

He really didn't want his picture taken, so this is all I could get...

After

His teeth don't need much, it's really just his bite that needs help so this should be a quick process.  It's only been a week and I feel like they're already straight!  I've made lots of mashed potatoes and milkshakes this week :)

Alison and I went to the coffee festival at the Broadway Pier.  We had a really fun time!

Selfie of the best coffee:

My favorite picture of they day:

Our favorite moment of the day was hearing a sales pitch about how a probiotic coffee would heal our mitochondria and increase our ketones.  We learned to test the coffee after walking away from the vendor and this time proved our lesson.  The coffee tasted terrible but we laughed about the gimmick all day.

We went out for lunch and then to Westfield mall.  

Fun fact: we went there in 2017 and I wrote on the blog that we would go back to go ice skating and we never have.  Maybe this will be the year that it actually comes true.

Oh Maya pup.  She tweaked her leg while sprinting down our backyard hill.  She limped around the house for an entire day, which is kind of her fault because she insists on following us around constantly.  I had a feeling she would be okay if she would just rest, but she would only do that if we all stayed in one room.  The things we do for this dog.

Thankfully, I was right and she was fine the next day.  But she's still not very happy that Ben is gone.  This is her refusing to get into bed because she's convinced that he's still coming home that night.

This week

A spot opened up on a basketball team and Colin jumped in.  It was an intense week of training, but he killed it!  I was beyond impress him.  He was so sore, that it was hard to walk down the stairs one day.

While he was at one of his games, Eli and I went on a sushi date.

The time has come for a "mini" deployment.  While I'm thankful the kids are teens this time around, it doesn't make goodbyes any easier.

Distraction is the key to make time go by quickly, so we played some pickleball.

Field Trip to Balboa Park

We started off with a picnic and then went to the Japanese Friendship Garden.

Eli is beginning his Japanese studies this year, so this trip gave him a little taste of Japan.

We walked the grounds and got some boba lemonade.

We stopped by the fountain and then walked through the botanical gardens.

Then we went to the San Diego Museum of Art.

A favorite feature was this section where you could learn how to write calligraphy.

 

Life Lately

Eli and I went to KPop Demon Hunters sing-along in the theaters.  It was an epic event!

When he's not working on school, you will find Eli in his Lego domain. 

 He challenged himself this summer to build something everyday, using the random pieces that we have.  It's been amazing to see his creations.  Every day something in his city changes.

3  cars in the driveway, Maya keeping watch on the boys skateboarding and a garage puzzle in the works.

Catching up with Alison after school and work looks different these days, but I would say the transition to college life is going well.

This photo was not approved, but I had to document one of Colin and Ben's jam sessions.

Spontaneous beach trips are a regular around here and I love it.

A lot of evenings, the boys play Smash Bros together.

And my favorite thing of all...the boys put boogie boards on skateboards and spent many evenings running around the cul-de-sac.  I'm so thankful for neighbors who both have grown boys and have told me many times that they miss the street being full of kids playing.  I'm sure they were thoroughly entertained by their fun.