We are nestled back in our leased site at Pio Pico TT for one month before we leave for Florida. How sweet and stress free it was knowing we could pull into Pio anytime of day, and be able to go directly to our site! No hassles with having to arrive, get on the “crossover” list, and wait on the north side for a “crossover” that would yield a decent site on the south side with the amenities.
While here our priority is to have as much quality time with Isaac and Mona as we can before we take off for our late fall/early winter adventure. This includes having overnighters with them one at at time, going swimming as long as weather and pool temperatures cooperate, and babysitting whenever needed, but especially for a date night or two as Justin and Erika’s schedules permit.
Overnighters:
Isaac and Mona take turns regularly spending the night with us in the motorhome. Some people seem amazed that we have them overnight at such a young age. I think it helps that we started keeping them overnight well before they were a year old! We treasure this one-on-one time we get with them!
Our pre-bedtime routine with both always includes substantial book reading time. Cuddling up together on the couch with an assortment of books is so special. I LOVE reading aloud to share my love of books with them. Isaac and I obviously have had more time to develop this routine. It is precious when he laughs with some of the books and/or the voices I use to bring the story alive, and when he “helps” me read some of his favorites. Some of Isaac’s favorites are: One Gorilla, Chugga Chugga Choo Choo, That’s Not My Truck. Now he has added: The Wonky Donkey, Pirate Pat, and Tumford the Terrible. Mona’s favorite is Hide and Seek Puppies. She absolutely loves dogs! Mona took me by surprise when she asked for “Storytime”!
Our book collection. Chugga Chugga Choo Choo is now kept at their house. 
Private time with Tumford the Terrible
Keeping a large storage box with a nice collection of books, creative play toys, and puzzles to engage them and enhance their preschool development is a priority for us. Having limited space we have to choose wisely. We added a couple of 24-piece floor puzzles, and a stem building set this month.
Isaac put together the 24-piece Thomas the Train at the Circus floor puzzle all by himself the very first time!! He was so proud–as he should be!
The building set engages Isaac for over an hour each time. He occasionally gets frustrated when a piece comes loose or something comes apart, but Barry is great at saying things like, “Hey, no problem, bring it to the shop. Let’s repair it.” “Get the tool so we can tighten it.” It is a great set for creativity, developing perseverance, and trying some problem solving strategies . Even Mona enjoyed it on her level.
OMG what a sweetie! Mona was so happy just playing her heart out. At 21 months old she is doing great with age-appropriate puzzles, stacking blocks–she will even take the tower apart block by block.
Additional activities in the toy storage bin are pictured below. We do not get everything out each time. By bringing out an activity that they haven’t played with for a while makes it new and fresh, yet an old friend.
magnetic pieces to create pictures 
Magnetic people puzzles. 
Fun ways to develop real number sense. 
Tub of cars, race cars and race track sections 
Car track with loop and curve to have cars return to you. 
Crayons, plain paper and coloring book 
Hamburger cooking set 
Lacing cards 
Each an the name in English, Spanish, and French
Other special moments:
Halloween:
We went along with Justin, Erika and the kids for trick or treating in their neighborhood. Nana Ibarra and Tio Vic came for the fun, too. How nice to have mild temperatures and NO wind tonight! People here though don’t seem to know to turn off the porch light if you are NOT handing out candy, but we soon noticed that those participating tend to go all out with decorations. Most homeowners were right out side either on their porch or driveway area and also dressed for Halloween to some degree. I tried to capture some of the decorations, but remember that pictures never do the real life experience justice. Isaac really had “Trick or Treat” and “Thank you” down! Mona did, too, but she was much softer spoken. One “butler” decor that moved slightly and spoke was a bit much for Mona. She wouldn’t go up by him. She was A-OK with not getting any candy from that house! After about an hour both kids were ready to get into the stroller and head home. Once home, they patiently sat on the floor with Justin while he sorted through the candy giving them one piece of candy from their buckets. (More like one AT A TIME. LOL)
