The Clifford Family: November 2008

We're a little behind again, but I will try to catch you all up on all the activity in the Clifford family.
Cliff had the final stop of the 48straight mountain bike tour ( www.48straight.com ) in San Luis Obispo. He was gone for a week so the kids and I decided to head down and visit my mom. After a couple of nights in Walnut Creek I decided it would be fun to play couple of days of hooky from school and go meet up with Cliff in San Luis. The kids did not want to leave Uncle Mike and Grandma Julie, but I shoved them in the car for the nearly 4 hour drive down.

Cliff was staying at the Madonna Inn (www.madonnainn.com) a California landmark. It was hilarious and very entertaining for the kids.
Here are Ella, Micah and Cliff watching the ballroom dancing that goes on in the dining room on Sunday nights. Please pay close attention to the kicking dj in the background:

Since we headed into town the day after the event finished, we actually got to spend some downtime on the road with Cliff. On Monday we took a trip out to Avila beach for lunch and to let the kids frolic in the surf. Frolicking pictures:

Somehow the pictures are out of order... During Cliff's time down there he got to know the Madonna family. They were incredibly welcoming, they live in a gorgeous house on property and have two teenage kids. The whole family rides horses and Ella and Micah enjoyed visiting them. Ella was supposed to go riding with Audrey their daughter, but it never panned out. Here is Micah feeding the horses:

Ella with her favorite one, she told me that he liked her, he gave her kisses all over:

Here we are back goofing around inside the Madonna again. Cliff made us come into the men's bathroom to see the famous waterfall. This is a urinal, when you walk up to it the water starts and you pee into it. Cliff didn't like it, he said your feet get wet, yuck...

The kids in brightly colored (like everything in the inn) chairs:

After 3 nights on the road and a full day at the beach followed by swimming in the pool, Micah had had enough. He fell asleep on his way to dinner and didn't wake up until we were leaving. Here he is sleeping on Cliff's lap at the restaurant. He missed some good Thai food!

Again pictures out of order, here we are at Avila beach again. Ella wrote her own name in the sand:

self portrait:

Micah frolicking with seaweed:

Ella looking out into the waves. We did see a bunch of dolphins playing in the surf and some sea lions:

We got home just days before Halloween. It was time to carve pumpkins. Here is Micah with his jackolantern:

Cliff concentrating on his carving:

Micah and his guts:

Ella and her guts:

Wow, pictures out of order! Here we are back at the Madonna the day we left out in front of the fountain where the kids made their wishes. If anyone has a good explanation for a 5 year old as to why her wish to be a horse has not come true yet please send me an email!

On Halloween Ella had a carnival in her classroom, here she is in her snow angel costume:

Ella's class has first grade buddies that come and join them from the classroom next door. They had the carnival together, here are Ella and Aubrey:

Back to the kids and the Jackolanterns on our front steps. Pumpkins from the top, Cliff, mine, Ella and Micah

Jackolanterns with the lights out:

Ella as the headless horseman:

Our new neighborhood is crazy on Halloween. It is one of few neighborhoods around here that is relatively flat and the houses are fairly close together. We decided to have a little Halloween party at our house before trick or treating. Here are the 7 kids at one door:

Suki killing it in her fairy costume with a fur coat:

Ella the snow angel, Hayden the devilette and Parker as Tinkerbell:

Micah went through a couple of different costumes on Halloween. He did go to two Halloween parties and trick or treating, you gotta mix it up. Here he is after his 4th costume change, Kingston helped him change into a dirt biking monkey, it was my favorite!