Parade, Soccer, Red Tomatoes... Must be the Fall.

Finally, I feel a sense of completeness. Verizon imposed a 10-day "time out" for me and the internet. After hours of calls to India to no avail and 10-days of run-around with no access... I now have my internet back, all is right as rain.

The Fall is always a busy season here in Happy Valley. Not only are we getting back into the school-groove, it's soccer season and Penn State FOOTBALL!

Last weekend was PSU Homecoming weekend. We headed out to the parade on Friday night and had a wonderful time. While waiting for the parade to start, we saw a couple of friends and then during the parade we saw a few people from church or other activities marching. I love the small-town feel of this area. Although there were about 100,000 people on campus for the festivities. ;-)

Here the kids are at the start of the parade with the emergency vehicles behind them. They were practicing their candy-catching. We came home with quite the booty!


Among the floats of sororities/fraternities, alumni processions, and campaigning politicians, this crazy bicyclist was the most intriguing.

Alexis and Dave came up for the game. I was able to tailgate with them pre-game, which was just perfect on this quintessential fall football day.

The next day was devoted to soccer. Here are the Blue Sharks, Alexander's fall team. They did a great job and scrimmaged well. Sorry there are no more pictures --- CJ really steals me from watching to go play on the adjacent playground.

Then it was off to CJ's game....

Here CJ is just scoring one of two goals for the day.

She has come a long way from the first game. She has confidence and has really found her joy in the game.

The next goal scored was by her teammate Emily. Funniest part was that I didn't even notice that another kid had stuck his head through the net. Another parent mentioned it to me later and I was so happy I had snapped this photo of it. HA!

Just like CJ playing with me at Alex's games, Alex dominates Zack during CJ's games. They have taken to a friendly game of football.

Since last Halloween, Alexander has proclaimed he will be Darth Vader for Halloween 2010. Luckily, we already had the costume. Then CJ decided a few weeks ago that she wanted to be Princess Leia. After a quick trip to Target.... VIOLA!

The Star Wars Duo!

Update on the basement tomatoes:

I didn't know how long to wait to check in on the tomatoes, but I guess I waited too long. Two days ago, I went down to check in on them and found this:

Intermixed with the ripe tomatoes were many rotten ones. After sorting through them, I was left with two trash bags of rotten tomatoes (great for the compost!) and two baskets filled with ripe ones for sauce-making and BLTs.

Here's to Mom and Grandpa Moore for the newspaper riping trick!

Final Garden Harvest

Two and half weeks ago, we collected the last really ripe tomatoes of the season. After suffering the complete destruction of our tomato plants last year from late blight and losing my early plantings (that I started inside back in February, dagnabit!) to hungry rabbits, I think we did remarkably well. I have oodles of roasted tomato sauce in my freezer and most of our friends are sick of getting deliveries.

This was the bounty from a few weeks ago. I can't describe adequately how delicious a huge slice of tomato with some lettuce and bacon was this year!

Now that the weather was turning cooler, the plants were still producing, but just not ripening. So, we decided to winterize the garden and pull the remaining plants and call it a "growing season". However, we had two bushels of green tomatoes to do something with.

This is Saturday's booty.

My mom had suggested we cellar-ripen the green tomatoes. I thought this was another nutty idea by my mom, but then Zack recalled that his grandfather used to do the same thing. The process consists of wrapping or laying/covering the green fruits in your basement and they will slowly turn red and ripe. Having garden delicious tomatoes through the fall and into early winter -- sounds great! So I am giving it a try.

This is three card tables filled with green tomatoes. I figure that this experiment can go one of two ways: 1. great tomatoes forever, or 2. massive fruit fly infestation.

stay tuned....

Visitor Week

As if Fall wasn't filled with fun stuff already, two weeks ago we kicked it up a notch. Sure we still had the regular hubbub of school, soccer, and PSU football, but we added some visits from the grandparents and a favorite Aunt to boot!

Tuesday through Thursday, my parents joined our regular week schedule. We were so happy that they came to visit and see the kids and even catch them playing soccer. Luckily the weather was wonderful and we enjoyed soccer on a typical cool but sunny fall day. CJ had her first scrimmage that night. Oh boy, was that a mess. They had no subs (some stomach flu was going around) and the other kids were imported from the English Premier League. Not only did the
other team have great foot skills and fast legs, we are pretty sure they were all 16 years old. ;-)

Many tears were shed: CJ under severe frustration, since she thought a "scrimmage" just meant another fun game/drill they would play; and from my parents and self, because we had two girls weeping and one other kid who was playing his best tackle football game on the soccer field. He was hilarious. I guess you would have to call it a grand comedy of errors.

Here PopPop is helping CJ write her letters. She did worksheets from letter C down to letter I. This was impressive, since I have to beg her to do just one line on one page of the book. Guess she was showing off a bit, eh?

Here Alex had completed his school homework and wanted to show off to Grandma with his math skills. He finished all but 3 pages of this entire book. What can I say? My children are brilliant! :-)

Then on Friday, my sister joined us with her best friend, Kim. They stayed until Monday and we had such a great time. Again, we headed out for some soccer for both CJ and Alex (CJ's game went much better with only one round of tears), went hiking at Whipple Dam and running through the corn maze at Harner Farm. We also mixed in a trip to the Creamery (YUMMY!) and Penn State's fairly new Arboretum.

Kim and Aunt Ann, BFFs!


Action shot -- sorry it is a bit blurry.


This was in the corn maze at the Treasure Chest. When you find it, you get to pick one prize from the chest. Spider rings was the prize of choice.

It was wonderful for my family to make the trip here and just hang out with us. I think it is so important for family to stay close and experience each other in your normal routine. Holidays are special, but you act a little different and usually there is far more chaos (I have a large family). From my parents helping the kids with homework to Alexander helping Aunt Ann down a slippery slope on our hike, it warms my heart to have those moments together.

CJ's first day of school... and my distraction.

I will admit this post is a bit late. We are already into Fall and I am just now posting her pictures from the first day. Assuredly, the day was met with much fanfare and excitement, but I was very distracted.

Here is CJ in all her first day of school glory.




She was up early, dressed quickly (which is a feat in and of itself) and ready for Mrs. Wiley's class. I really believe that her first memory of school has always been dropping Alexander off at Mrs. Wiley's class when she was 2 years old. She would run into the class and immediately start playing with the toys. After settling Alexander in, she would pitch a fit when I told her that we would have to leave. So now.... FINALLY.... she gets to stay and have school in that classroom with that same teacher. She feels like such a big girl and loves it.

Now to address my distraction.

Six months ago I had a friend call me to talk me into doing a triathlon with her. HA! I laughed out loud at the mere mention of this. Not me. No way. I am a hearty woman of german-stock and we don't do those crazy athletic things. I am not sure that anyone in my family has ever played on an organized sporting team. In high school the closest I came to organized sport participation was recording statistics for the baseball team. But honestly, I mostly did that to hang out with the cute guys on the team. Then after college, I played softball and soccer on some coed teams with Zack, but that was mostly because we would drink beer during and after the games.

She assured me that she was serious and that we would have months to train and get ready. Come on, she said. It will be fun, she assured me. Okay, what else do I have going on? So I registered for the race. Locked and loaded, I had six months to figure out how to swim half a mile, bike 7 miles and then run 3.5 miles.

The race was this past weekend and I can't believe that it has already come and gone. This was a huge personal accomplishment and I will admit that I am just tickled pink that I did it. Zack (and the kids) was so supportive and motivating during my training --- literally pushing me out of the house on the weekends to go bike or run.

My family was in shock to think that anyone from the Diephaus-clan would actually do something as crazy as a triathlon race. I heard from my sister that my dad made the comment that clearly I had not received any genes from his side. Perhaps the story about mom and the milk man were true. Then on the night before the race, Zack got a call from mom asking for him to confirm that I was not about to do the swim IN THE OCEAN for pete's sake. Needless to say, he did not lie to her and I had to call and assure her that there were life guards on boats watching everyone for safety.

As for the race, it went better than expected. The swim in the ocean was really hard. Harder then I had even anticipated. Lots of swells and lots of saltwater in your mouth. Definitely a far cry from training at the pool at the YMCA. The bike was fine and the run was better than I thought. Having people to cheer you on really does help make the time go by faster. Crossing the finish line was something that I had envisioned, but certainly didn't really know how I was going to feel. As I crossed the line to the cheers of the spectators, I was so excited/relieved/emotional I was on the verge of tears. That was the one moment I wished that Zack and the kids would have been there. I was so full of joy and emotion and had no one to share it with. But that was kind of the point. I did this for me. It was a huge personal accomplishment. Something that I had to do for myself. And I did. Go me. :-)

Here I am ready to head to the swim. Transition area all set!


This is a self-portrait after coming out of the water and getting ready to head out on the bike.

As an added plus, the times were announced and low and behold, I won 3rd prize in my class. HA! Since I was hoping to not be in the last third of the race, this was amazing. In the overall standings I came in #429 out of 1100 racers. Wow. Who knew??

Now I am back home, into the daily school grind and feeling a little bit at a loss. Haven't worked out since Saturday and have eaten ice cream every chance I can. Perhaps I need to sign up for another race just to keep me focused. Or I could just stop buying ice cream. Hmmmm. Tough decision.

Last days at the Pool

This was the first week of school and probably the last week of going to the pool in the afternoon. Happily, we really got our money's worth this summer at the pool. The weather was hot (even for Happy Valley) and the kids were so confident in their swimming skills they wanted to go daily.

From diving for toys at the bottom, jumping of the side or the diving boards, swimming with mom or dad, being thrown by mom or dad, or just trying to chase their friends in the water, we all had a blast.

Good memories and a great summer.


She's only 4, but can you see that in 10 years we are in serious trouble?


This year, he was the boy who LOVED the diving boards.




Cannon Ball!!! Pretty good form, eh?


Diving was a late-summer skill. Aunt Ruthie: EAT YOUR HEART OUT!


Although, mostly this was the norm. :-)

Another garden update

Just another day picking through the garden. Guess who is having spaghetti tonight?

First day of First Grade!

"It's the MOST wonderful time of the year!!!"

Tuesday was Alexander's first day and, again this year, I am not sure who is more excited: him or me. On Monday, the big boy packed his backpack with school supplies and discussed with me what he wanted to pack for lunch. We went to the pool for the entire afternoon with friends and then that evening we joined other friends at DQ for a celebratory "Last night of summer ice cream". Great way to finish up a very busy and very fun summer.

When I went to kiss Alexander goodnight, we had the following conversation:
Me: "You are going to have SOOOO much fun tomorrow at school. I am so excited for you!"
Alex: "Yeah"
Me: "But don't have too much fun.... I mean, learn some too. Learn a lot and then have fun. Okay?"
Alex: "I don't know, Mommy. {pause} I just don't know what the teachers have in mind. I'll have to see."

That boy cracks me up on a daily basis. I just love those conversations!
Here he is packed up, proud and ready for the bus stop.



Now with his cowgirl sister and striking his now-common, "AWESOME!" pose.




Arriving home that afternoon, he gave a spotty, yet completely positive, description of the first day. My last interrogation question was "So, is your teacher FUN?" I got a huge smile and a "Yes! Mommy!"

TOMATO ... TOMATO!!

Quick Garden Update:

Ending the summer with only a few items in the garden right now. Just tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers and a broccoli that just won't crown. Not sure if that broccoli will ever do anything. Thankfully, we can't say that about the tomatoes!!!

After such a devastating late-blight kill last year, we have really made up this year. Below are pictures from our harvest today (Sunday). We picked about the same amount last Thursday. And we will be picking again every day from now on.

Julie and Paul: EAT YOUR HEART OUT!


Our little farmers. They are so proud to pick the ripe red ones!


A mixture of heirlooms, romas, and better boys. The smallest heirloom we have picked is still bigger than a softball.


CJ inspecting the loot.


Here's my lunch on Friday. Just a slice of tomato, salt, mayo and whole wheat bread. YUMMY!

Road Trip!! And other fun times.

Last Monday at breakfast I asked the kids if they wanted to go on a Road Trip. Alexander immediately threw his hand in the air and proclaimed, "YES!" CJ chimed in nano-seconds later with "ME TOO!"

Then Alexander said, "What's a Road Trip?"

That's my boy and girl. Always up to do whatever is presented to them, even if they aren't even sure what it is. I hate to "miss out" on fun things to do and clearly this gene/Jean has been passed on to the kids!

Two hours later we were on the road to Charlottesville, VA to visit my college roommate, Holly, and her three kids. It was a great 3 days of talking, chasing cats and children and much more chatting!


Here is CJ with 4 week old, Stella. If the cat didn't have to go to the bathroom, CJ would have held her the entire time. LOVED IT!


Sophia (with kitten Tyson), Alexander (with no cat because he tells you he is "Allergic". If he touched the cat, then he would run to the bathroom to wash his hands.), and CJ with Stella.

Besides losing a cat for about 3 hours on day (he was asleep on a kitchen table chair... urg!), the cats were by far the main attraction of the visit.


Downtown Mall in Charlottesville. They have a public chalk board. Pretty cool.


Playing at the house. Alexander... the caped crusader!

Here is a quick peak into the days with the kids. This dance party is classic.





The reason for the trip. Holly and Me. 20 years this week we met for the first time on the third floor or Simmons Hall, Penn State. What a great day that was!


FRIDAY
Once we returned, we got to go to a pig roast at the home of our friend's parents. It was a big party with 100+ people and a big ole pig on the smoker. Sorry, no pictures. Since seeing exactly where my meat comes from completely grosses me out, I waited until they served it at the table in a chafing dish. That's a bit more my speed. Zack, the kids and I had fun hanging in the woods with friends and fine food.

SATURDAY
Then on Saturday afternoon we headed for Poe Paddy State Park with the King family. Zack was determined to fill up our last few days of summer with fun outings. We spent the day at the lake swimming and digging in the sand and then a picnic in the woods. Their kids and ours get along so well that it is such a treat to be able to enjoy the company of the adults while the kids run off all that summer energy!


Taryn, Lucas (behind Alexander), and Alexander striking his "AWESOME" pose.


Taryn and CJ showing a little love!


Amy and Adam. They never seem to make the pictures, so I thought I would finally include them this time. Plus it's a great picture!


All the outdoors to roam and our kids opt to play an electronic reader. Figures.

Hershey Park... More Summer Fun.

Continuing with our theme this summer of never resting, we decided to schlep down to Heryshey Park for the day on Friday. We determined that we would get there around lunch in order to stay late enough to enjoy the nighttime lights and festive atmosphere. This worked in our favor since it was raining until noon and then the cooler temps and cloudy skies kept the crowds to a minimum.

The first ride you come to is Chocolate World. It's a free advertisement for all Hershey chocolate products in the theme of Disney's "It's a Small World", plus you get a free mini chocolate bar at the end. In retrospect, the kids loved that so much we could have just done that a few times and left. Oh well, we pushed on. :-)

We stayed from lunch until about 10PM and had a fabulous time. The kids were in good moods and full of sugar, uh... I mean, energy; Zack was loving his stroll down memory lane with the kids, and I was happy to get some QT with the family.


At the entrance, we had the kids line up to see what rides they could go on. They were both "Reese's Peanut Butter Cups". This realization was very important for our rule follower Alexander. Each ride he was on the lookout for the orange strip of "Reese's Peanut Butter Cups".


The kids could move the heads of the dinosaurs, Alexander made it a bomb thrower.


CJ, the CowGirl, and her obligatory ride on the Merry Go Round. Fun Fact: This ride was made of wooden carving in 1912. All of the photos behind me were wood carvings. Gosh, I am so old that I thought that was interesting.


The ladybug ride. Woooo --- scary!


By FAR, CJ's favorite ride. Initially, she tried to get on top of the horse. We had to keep yelling to her to go in the cart. Then she proceeded to ride it 3 times. Then when we were leaving at 10PM, she pleaded to do it "just one more time".




Our Star Wars fanatic, Alexander turned this happy bug antenna into a shooting gun. You can see him doing the sound effects too!



Alexander said at the end of this ride, "It was actually Awesome. I didn't think I was going to like it."


Mommy and son on the Ferris Wheel. We just won those bears at the skeet ball game. I totally aced that game!


Waiting in line, again.


Cheesy Choo-Choo ride.

Although, Alexander and CJ both thought it was cool when they pulled out the station.


Our little airline pilot having a ball!


Alexander insisted that I ride with them.

Luckily, I got to take rest.

The last ride of the night was this bouncing frog ride. They loved it!!