Farm Day!

Those who are acquainted with us Mendozas know that Juan is the fun parent, and I am the dull parent. So while Juan was away, I had to fill in and try to be more fun. So I decided that I should take the kids someplace fun, and if possible, something free. As luck would have it, that weekend, while Juan was injuring himself doing yard work for some family in New Hampshire, the Watsonville Day on the Farm was on. So after a quick stop at Wendy's for lunch, we headed out to Watsonville to learn about farm stuff.

The kids got to see real live farm animals and pet them.

There were many classic cars on display as well.

Two wanded Wizard dueling? No! it's an old fashioned game that involves tossing and catching a hoop with sticks. Apparently this was the Nintendo Wii of the 1880's.

Pumping water the old fashioned way.

Nicholas attempts the Jr. tractor pull with a payload of six bricks. Much harder than it looks.

Monica has some fun at the candle making booth.

Ramon also tries his hand at candle making.

Lizzie and Nicholas tried out the sack races and were rewarded with candy.

After the kids were worn out from sack racing and candle making and other crafts, we decided to take the hay ride. We got to ride in a wagon pulled by these beautiful clydesdales. Juan says he could totally ride one of those. And then promptly fall off, and hurt himself.

There is a little Farming museum at the fairgrounds, and we went in to see the sewing exhibit. Lizzie models a lovely bonnet here. Now she wants me to sew her one. Sigh.

Dial-a-beef. It sounded fun, but we were disappointed to learn that instead of dispensing delicious beef products, it only gave out interesting facts about beef cattle.

Not a bad afternoon (except for the dial-a-beef disappointment). The kids came home with things like yarn dolls and ball and cup games, bits of rope, and other crafty things. I picked up a recipe for homemade ice cream that doesn't require any special appliances and instructions on how to make cheese.

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve around here on the Central Coast of California was a pleasant experience, as we were invited to a Bon Fire and Weenie Roast (insert your own jokes here) at the house of some friends near Salinas. Great company and Great Food!

The fire was kept going by just about all the kids who came.

There is nothing like bouncing on a Trampoline at 8 PM at night!

Thank you Flanders Family for a great time!

Our Christmas Tree in Progress

Here is the Mendoza Christmas Tree for 2009 in the process of going up. Our Guinea Pig, Henry Ulysses Kramer de Mendoza the Third, was moved form this corner of the house to a space closer to the TV, on the other side of the Davenport. More pictures to come soon.

Kramer Sighting of the Week!: November 25th, 2009

They've been spotted again!

This time is was our youngest son who spotted those elusive Kramers. They've been telling people on FB that they have moved, but even Eddie admits that they don't update their contact information. Ever.

So let us take a look at the latest Kramer sighting.

This took place in our Bedroom, right on the bed.

Believability Rating: 0.05% First of all, The color isn't quite right. A grey roof and red windows. Secondly, it doesn't look as big as the Kramer van. Third, it is cleaner than the Kramer van, (with no strange smells) And finally it appears to be made from Legos. While one of those little guys in the background is bald like Eddie, he also is made of plastic.