Sisters at Knott's

One afternoon after school, Frances did not have homework, and both girls wanted to go to Knott's Berry Farm. We have annual passes. Always before, we have gone with our friends who have 4 children, which included a buddy for each of my girls. I would take the older kids on the extreme coasters, and the other mom would take the little kids to Camp Snoopy for the more tame attractions. However, our friends did not renew their passes. On this particular afternoon, the girls really wanted to go, and agreed to go on rides that they both liked. They also agreed not to bicker about not getting to go on their favorite rides.


Abigail really likes the "little kid" roller coaster, and I reminded Frances that when she was four years old, she loved it so much that one day she rode it 12 times in a row! So that was the girls' first ride. They also decided to do the Snoopy Bounce House. Most kids Fran's age are too tall for it.... but Frances is still really small for her age. The girls had so much fun! Abigail is thrilled to do things with her big sister, and they were getting along well, with Fran willing to do the "little kid" things, since no big kids were around to see her.

We ended our afternoon with the Log Ride, which Abigail really does not like. I think she agreed to go on it because she realized that Frances had been gracious in going on some little kid rides. We got a little wet and it was a chilly afternoon, so were ready to go home. We picked up some Mrs. Knott's chicken and headed home. I love it when the girls get along this well.

Early morning slumber party

Abigail had come into my room one morning, about ten minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off, asking if I would take her to the bathroom. Despite the fact that she knows where the bathroom is, and our house is really small, she likes me to accompany her to the bathroom during the night. Frances only recently grew out of this, so I may have about 5 more years of it with Abigail... Anyway, I did not go back to bed, since it was almost time to get up & start packing lunches. About 20 minutes later, on my way past Abigail's room to wake Frances, I glanced at Ab's bed and saw that it was empty! Where was she? When I entered Frances' room, there was Abigail. She had climbed up into bed with her big sister!

Global Reach Week at our new church

Last Wednesday night, I let Frances skip gymnastics, because there was a family dinner at our new church during their missions awareness week. The food was great - chicken nuggets, mac-n-cheese, pizza and fruit salad! At each table, one of the chairs had a balloon tied to it, which meant that the person sitting there received a little gift of a cup & seeds. Of course, Abigail was sitting in the balloon chair!


The theme for the week was "Hard Soil," and there was a game/contest along this theme, for which they chose children from the audience. Guess who was chosen? Abigail! The preschool program director adores my little girl, and I think she pulled some strings to have Abby participate. For the game, the children (the other 2 were elementary age boys) had to use a hammer to get to a pair of scissors encased in a block of ice, then use the scissors to cut the ribbon on a green helium balloon, representing a sprouting seed as the balloon rose up to the gym ceiling. Abigail had a "big boy" helping her, because she could barely lift the hammer! She came in third place out of three, but is convinced that she "won," because she received a prize basket of candy, pots & seeds, a watering can, and a Veggie Tales DVD! At each table was a specially created poster/game like Chutes & Ladders, with the chutes as green leafy "shoots." On each square there was a photo of a child whose parents are missionaries, with the child's birthdate & the country in which s/he lives. The game was played just like the original, with one difference: as you land on a space, you pray for that child. There was fun praise music, a children's choir... it was a terrific night!

What size is YOUR coffee cup?

My dad gave me a four-cup coffee maker for my birthday. Umm... take a look at one of the coffee cups I typically use, next to the "four-cup" pot!

A History Lesson

(Click on the photos to get a closer look.)

Last Saturday, we decided to take a break from working on Frances' science project, to get out and enjoy the gorgeous day. Frances suggested that we take a bike ride. We rode our bikes to a neighborhood in which the streets are in a state of perpetual disrepair, where men sit drinking beer in lawn chairs in front of apartments, where the music makes you think about margaritas and the cooking smells are mouth-watering. Tucked away on Sycamore Street is the old Anaheim Cemetary.

We had ridden past it once before on our way to a park. When I saw the many tall headstones, I realized that this was a place full of history. More recent headstones are plaques on the ground, but those tall ones.... I wondered what we might learn there. Frances is developing an interest in history, and she is actually the one who suggested this particular destination for our bike ride.

The girls and I wandered among the headstones, and Frances and I called out interesting dates and other information. Some of the inscriptions were in German, a reminder that Anaheim was originally settled by people from Germany and Austria. Dates on the headstones covered four centuries! We found one headstone of a soldier who fought in the War of 1812. Wow! Frances and I were fascinated by the names & dates, and Abigail thought that it was a great place to run around, almost as good as a playground!

Our time was limited that afternoon, but we may go back again for another visit to a peaceful, park-like place that is full of history.

Just Abigail and Mama....

Frances had a playdate with a friend one Saturday, so after Abigail's nap, my little girl and I went to Knott's. Abby was so excited to have time alone with Mommy, and we could go on all of her favorite rides. She got a map upon entering the park, and (despite the fact that she can't read yet) Abigail checked her map after each ride, to see what she wanted to do next.

She waved to one of the characters in Camp Snoopy - she is still not comfortable getting close to them - and we zig-zagged all over the park as Abigail chose rides in random order. We had no time constraints, so I let her plan our evening.

Of course, we had to ride on the stagecoach. That is Abigail's all-time favorite ride at Knott's. And... we got to ride on the top! Abigail happily waved to all of the people we passed during our stagecoach journey through the park.

Abigail rode the airplanes & the little rollercoaster, and she & I rode the carousel, the sombreros (like the teacups), the crazy bus, the stagecoach, the little train.... so much fun! She had a very loose tooth that day, and I was worried that it was going to fall out at Knott's and get lost!

When we finally left the park, Abigail asked if we could stop for some Chinese food. Frances doesn't like it, so the only time Ab & I eat it is when Frances is elsewhere. As we pulled into the parking lot of Panda Express, Abigail's tooth fell out! It was a great night!