Watermelon Pickin'

Yesterday we joined a few moms and kiddos from our moms group for a tour of an organic farm. I was really looking forward to our visit there and was excited for Dman and Moo to experience farming on a decently-large scale (30 acres is decent in SoCal!). The only downside was that my night owls were not in bed as early as I had hoped the night before, and I knew waking them up early was going to be a challenge. Add to that traveling with the flow of morning commuter traffic on a freeway I despise for a trip that should take about an hour with no obstacles, well, you get the point!

Dman woke up pretty easily and was excited once I reminded him we were going to the farm. Moo, on the other hand, flipped out as soon as I tried to change her and get her dressed. I knew that moment was some kind of bad literary foreshadowing. :o/ Eventually she woke up enough to calm down and cooperate. :o) We packed up the last few items, grabbed breakfast to take with us, and we were on our way!

Thankfully we made it right on time, even with the morning traffic. But once we got there, Moo decided to be cranky. I knew she was still tired and tried to be understanding, so I let her take her doggie and bopper (cloth diaper) praying she wouldn't drop either in the dirt too many times. We got checked in and waited in a neat "holding" area--a large covered space with lots of hay bales for sitting and waiting. I think we could have ended the day there without a fuss--the kids LOVED running through there and climbing the bales, walking up and down and jumping off of them. I loved that it was fenced off at one end so I didn't have to worry about any children escaping and could let them run free!

For our tour we boarded a wagon that was being pulled by an old Ford tractor. (I later realized there was also a John Deere tractor and was sorely offended we weren't assigned to that one, lol.) Darrin was in heaven since we were the last to board, therefore sitting at the front of the wagon. He could see the tractor without having to strain and was able to watch the wheels turn (something he's super into right now). But he also thought he could pop up every 20 seconds and fiddle with the latch on the wagon door. Leave it to my budding engineer to be more enthralled with a latch than all the agriculture we were to experience!

The tour was great, though a bit over the kids' heads. Our guide, Bruce, pointed out various crops around the farm and told how to identify most veggies and fruits. He talked about how certain plants grow, which was really interesting, and he shared the ways they control pests naturally rather than with chemicals. Along the way our driver would stop and Bruce would tell us about a specific fruit or veggie, then we'd get to sample fresh produce that had been harvested earlier that morning--it had been dunked in a bucket of fresh water; no cleaning or scrubbing required! We were given radishes, carrots, cherry tomatoes, Maui sweet onions (planted among the crops to deter insects), and cilantro (to combat the spice of the radishes).

The last stop on our tour found us in a covered seating area, again with hay bales as seats. Here we were given more fruits to try--fresh, raw zucchini (did you know we eat baby zucchinis since they become bitter as they develop fully and grow to 3 feet??), pickling cucumbers, salad cucumbers, and--finally!--watermelon. Bruce offered us 2 types of watermelon--red and yellow. The red watermelon we tasted is probably the best I've ever had! The yellow wasn't quite as sweet and had an almost salty flavor. Darrin at one slice of each and the carrot he'd been given earlier. Madi chowed on everything we were handed in the "arena"--including 3 slices of watermelon. I had to keep her from eating the rind! And as you would expect, we all got pretty messy!

Finally we were able to walk around the watermelon patch and choose our own melons to take home. (Side note, and completely juvenile, but I had to stop myself from guffawing at Bruce's benign comments such as, "Don't drop your melons." Yeah, I was tired!) Dman choose one watermelon and I choose another. Madi wasn't qualified to be a "helper" but was labeled as a "watermelon picker in training" instead. :o)

Unfortunately mixed in with all of the happenings on our tour was Miss Crankypants and her meltdowns. She wanted to sit, she wanted to be held; she wanted to stand up while the tractor was moving and she did NOT want me holding on to her. When I put her down she'd freak out and want back up. *sigh* My patience was fairly nonexistent by the time we were through. Dman didn't help much...he is a boy. He gets so absorbed in what's happening around him that he tunes me out completely and wanders around with his own agenda. I'm thankful a mommy-friend was able to help me keep an eye on him when we'd unload from the wagon!

So although my temper was flared by the time we left, it didn't take long for it to
cool off; glancing in the rear-view mirror at my exhausted, peaceful kiddos showed me that in spite of the stress, it was a good trip for us all. Next week we are supposed to go raspberry picking. I can't lie; I'm really having second thoughts! But I'm also game to try most outings at least once. The joy we derive from these little experiences (so rare where we live) makes it hard to remember the frustration involved in getting somewhere on time, keeping up with 2 toddlers, and desperately capturing their moments on my Nikon while trying to be in the moment with them. That settles it--we are going raspberry picking!!

Messy, messy!











The wheels on the tractor go 'round and 'round...

And so it goes...

I'm beginning this post with a disclaimer...if you are eagerly awaiting the arrival of your first baby, or you are praying for your first blessing, or you have a little one under the age of one, take this post with a grain of salt. Sometimes I just need to vent...

I'm so tired of poop. Poopy diapers, poopy pants, poopy potties... We are now several weeks into potty training with the Dman, and I really think he's been doing a great job. But my elation at one poop on the potty (I thought we were back on track after a 2 week potty poop-hiatus) quickly turned sour. We entered another week or so of poopy underwear. At one point we had 8 pairs of underwear (dinosaur, Thomas, camo, plain white...) lying around the laundry room sink after a dunking in the toilet, and hot water shower in the sink, and a good scrub with Oxiclean. Not in one day, mind you, but it certainly seemed so.

You aren't supposed to punish toddlers for going potty in their pants--fine, I totally get that and wouldn't dream of punishing for "accidents." You aren't supposed to scold or be anything other than super peppy and encouraging. It gets old...fast... Especially when your little man knows HOW to use the potty and CHOOSES not to. But we trudged on, dumping poopy loads in the potty from formerly clean undies, cleaning poopy smears on the potty where our son would sit AFTER the fact to allow us to access to clean him, going through the undie-cleaning ritual (mine more rigorous than my husband's, of course). I resisted the urge to roll my eyes or yell, "Why? Why? Why?" and instead closed my eyes (so I could roll them under my lids), took a deep breath, and calmly asked the usual questions in my best nice-mommy tone...Did you know you needed to go poopoo? Is your tummy hurting? Did you know you just couldn't make it in time? All of these garnered the same response from our precious boy, "I'm gonna do poopoo on the potty, yeah...that's where poopoo goes! Not in my pants!" He sounded so confident and wise and excited about the prospect of actually depositing his waste in its intended receptacle.

Wonder of wonders, we've had no poop accidents in 2 days--our little guy heads to the bathroom to take care of business--yahoo!! We are so happy he's decided to make an effort. So last night I was giving him a quick sink bath, washing his face and hands and feet before bedtime. We were chatting and sister was playing by us, waiting for her turn. All of a sudden I smelled an unmistakable stench wafting up from my dear daughter. I started to say something silly about it and looked down towards her...and stopped mid-sentence and began saying, "No, Moo, No!!!" then, "Josh!! I need you....NOW!!"

Our precious angel had stripped herself naked in anticipation of her turn at the sink, and so very helpfully removed her diaper--her POOPY diaper--and was standing there looking at me with a confused look on her face and poop on her hand, the other hand working its way backward as if to see if there was more. Oh, trust me, honey...there was plenty more...

Potty time!

So it's finally that time...time for our Dman to give up the diapers and take care of business like a big boy! We've tried over the past year to get this ball rolling, but he always thwarts our attempts. Basically, he just wasn't ready. Physically, yes; mentally, um, not at all! We thought we had tried everything, but he just didn't care at all and would shut down after about a half-day of trying potty practice. We know when to stop pushing, and he was giving that signal left and right! If we even mentioned trying to potty he'd pout and the bottom lip would quiver, and we could hear the fright and hesitation in his pathetic little, "No."

So we've waited and waited for our son to decide he was ready. A few weeks ago we started talking it up again, being positive and not pushy. We hung out with a friend a couple of times whose son is potty trained (he's 2), and I think that was the motivation our guy needed to get started. Instead of hesitant "no"s we started to get positive "yes"es when asking him if he wanted to use the big potty. We held off a few days and didn't have him try, just kept talking it up.

Finally the day came...well, actually I ran that morning and ended up in tremendous pain from tendonitis so we put it off another day. I knew I couldn't do the running around required to rush to the bathroom, lol. We had a sticker chart prepared from a few months earlier when we tried the big "change" last. Here are the potty rules: you go peepee on the potty, you earn a Skittle and a star on the chart; you go poopoo on the potty, you earn 2 Skittles and a star on the chart. After so many stars, as designated by the all-powerful yellow square Mommy colored in, a certain Thomas the Tank Engine prize awaits! Voila! We have a motivated kid!

Dman had one accident right away in his undies, which was totally expected and needed. After that one accident he started to make the connection between what he was feeling and needing to do. We only had one more accident that day, and that was with him standing at the potty waiting for the potty seat to go on. No biggie. He even pooped on the potty! Totally UNexpected and celebrated! Within about 3-4 days, our son was accident-free and also dry at night and naps. WOW!!

So we've been at this a couple of weeks now, and we've had a bit of a regression. He's had a few poopy accidents we can't explain, but then today he's right back on track. I figure it will be 2 steps forward and 1 back for a while, but we are definitely on the right track. We are so proud of our little guy! He's not so little anymore...sniff!

Grandma Shirley's 80th Birthday Bash

July 30th marked Grandma Shirley's 80th birthday. We celebrated earlier in the month with a party in her honor. True to form, Josh and I were running late (I finally woke Madi up, she was sleeping in so long!) and then we got stuck in traffic. We had no idea it was the first day of the OC Fair! So by the time we arrived we had missed lunch, gifts, and an apparently amazing & emotional time of sharing memories of our beloved Shirley. But the kids weren't too concerned--they got to blow lots of bubbles with Aunt Alissa! :o)

Alissa made Grandma a really great scrapbook as a special gift. Every family member wrote about a special memory and gave pictures to go along with it. Alissa worked her magic and it came out beautifully! Aunt Susie had Grandma Shirley's name translated into Hebrew and had the meaning and the Hebrew spelling written out and framed. For any of you that know Shirley, the meaning will strike you in the gut..."She who sings songs of the Word..." Amazing!

July is always a great time for our family since members who've moved away usually come back for the 4th of July celebration, so we were blessed to have everyone here to celebrate Grandma as well. We had a photographer join us after the party to take family portraits in the park by Grandma's house. Josh and I actually have a picture that includes the 4 of us--incredible!! And we all got together for one HUGE family shot of Grandma and her descendants and their families.

It was great spending time with everyone, but we had to head out pretty much as soon as the photos were done. Our munchkins were exhausted and cranky, lol. On the way home we ordered pizza so we didn't have to worry about cooking or going out. It was a long day for us, but well worth the effort!!

Our handsome boy!








Cute shoes...couldn't leave these out!








Our sweet Moo...











Aunt Alissa blowing bubbles...

HB 4th of July

June flew by and was nearly missed, except for the fact that my family came in to town for a nice visit and Josh and I celebrated 9 years of marital bliss. :o) It was wonderful having my mom and brother and sister here!! We did a whole lot of nothing for the most part, and it was great. When you don't get to spend much time together, who wants to fill each day with stressful activities and going here and there? Not me!

One event I was so excited to share with them was our family 4th of July celebration. The last time my mom and siblings took part in an Independence Day celebration out here was about 11 years ago, and I know there's no way my brother or sister would remember that one!

Every year on the 4th, our family gathers in hometown HB for the best parade. The men snag us a place on the parade route to set up camp, and we get awesome seats for viewing the festivities. This year, we kind of missed the whole thing! It was a small sacrifice, though, since we knew we'd spend the whole day down there sans naptime and I was reluctant to wake sleeping children to leave early. We did walk the end of the parade route and see the last 10 minutes or so. Just being absorbed in the crowd of patriots does a body a whole lot of good and serves well to amp the spirit!

Following the parade we enjoy tons of food at Grandma Shirley's home and watch the revelers as they pass by outside. It's an amazing time of visiting with family members and friends that we don't see often or often enough. I had the little ones decked out in patriotic colors, and my daughter really got into the party spirit and began to, um, un-deck herself. Let's just say that any top or dress with spaghetti straps is now on the "no" list. As my witty sister later put it to me, my daughter's favorite activities are singing, dancing, and taking off her clothes...boy are we in trouble!



Both kiddos proceeded to share some patriotic fun by way of red cupcake frosting...the kind that dyes your fingers and makes you wonder how many soapy scrubs it will take to remove it all. (Thanks, Kim B.!! ;o) ) Moo did pretty well, but that may be because Mommy wore all of the frosting Moo didn't get into her gullet. Can anyone explain why it takes forever to wash the dye off of your skin, yet a little rub from a baby wipe will take it out of cotton clothing almost immediately? Go figure... Dman fought a brave battle against the sugary explosion, but in the end I'm not sure who won...the cupcake, most likely!



After lunch the majority of the clan moved up the street to the middle school field for a game of blooper ball--softball with a ball that is kind of screwy, hard to hit, and catchable without gloves. We enjoyed the gorgeous beach weather and watched all the fun, though Moo got upset when her daddy would run by 3rd base on his way home and not come see her, lol. We knew the little critters were tired, so my mom and sister joined me in valiantly herding the kids to Grandma & Grandpa's house for a nap. It was a difficult battle for me (Moo isn't used to sleeping anywhere but her crib), but in the end everyone managed some kind of rest.

We later trouped down to the beach to watch the fireworks show. Years ago residents had to buy tickets to see the show as it was put on in the high school stadium. Those of us who were too cheap and lazy to buy tickets walked down towards the school and gathered on sidewalks and grassy areas to watch for free. It was really more fun that way! Now the city shoots the fireworks off the pier and hoards can gather for free up and down the beach to watch. They even shut down PCH near the pier knowing that so many pedestrians are crossing (um, jaywalking) to get a spot for the show. It's awesome! The kids really enjoyed watching and weren't at all afraid of the noise or the crowd.




After walking back to Grandma Shirley's and enjoying some of Grandma Ellen's homemade ice cream, we visited some more with family and then headed home. It was a long day, but it sure is worth it to make the venture each year! I would love to be able to share in more celebrations with my family here, so we'll just wait and see what the future holds!

So far behind!

I know people say that life gets in the way...sounds like a cop-out to me, but I'll take it! I find that I'm so absorbed in my day-to-day activities--no matter how mundane--that I forget to think about all the cuteness around me that I would love to share with you. I get to live it, but I don't take time to share it. I started this blog with the intent of sharing often, but, um, life got in the way!

So here goes attempt #2 (I think) at getting this ball out of the mud and rolling again! Bear with me...

The Aftermath of Diet Dr. Pepper

So Josh wakes me up this morning with, "Honey, I'm sorry to wake you but..." That can't be good! He knows how exhausted I am on Saturday mornings, and did I sleep well during the night? Well, those of you who know me best can answer that one! He goes on to tell me that he was putting some cans of Diet Dr. Pepper in the fridge and one slipped out of his hands and "blew up." He said "it was everywhere" in the way that someone might tell you "it's bad" after your 200 pound German Shepard has had his way with your family room sofa and you have yet to see the damage. Of course, I was in a sleepy haze so I was thinking, ok, mop the floor near the fridge, maybe have to wipe down the fridge...yes, I've also had experience with dropping a diet soda while restocking the refrigerator. It was then that I notice he's furiously pulling on slacks and tucking in his dress shirt. "I'm already late for work," he says, "and I don't have time to clean it up. I'm really sorry, but I had to change clothes."

Now my curiosity is whetted, so I roll out of bed, stumble into the bathroom, and put on my glasses. I didn't even bother to pull on pants because I was fervently hoping I could spend 5-10 minutes wiping up soda then go back to bed. Yeah, that didn't happen! So I go downstairs, sans pants (thank goodness the new neighbor hasn't moved in and his contractor hadn't shown up yet!), and I begin to see small splatters of diet soda on the floor in the hallway leading into the kitchen area. Near the island in the center of the kitchen I see the pool of dark liquid finding it's groove in the grout lines of the tile floor, slowly spreading outward in several directions. And like watching a detective in a movie coming upon a crime scene, I can almost hear the music begin to rise and I know the picture is about to cut abruptly from the expected evidence of the crime to the unexpected carnage that has certain audience members (like me) ready to cover their eyes. I can say my husband didn't exaggerate when he said, "It's everywhere."

Let's start with where it wasn't. It wasn't on the countertops, it wasn't on the area rug under our table. Thankfully, it wasn't on the ceiling! It was, however, all over the floor and the rug just in front of the fridge. The splatter stretched from ground-zero by the island all the way into the main hallway (that's about 6 or 7 feet one direction), into the butler's pantry and halfway to the garage (about the same distance in nearly the opposite direction), and along the tile near the cooktop (only about 3 or 4 feet opposite the hallway leading to the garage). It was all way up the refrigerator, on cabinets and drawers on the island and the perimeter of the kitchen. It was up the walls leading into either the main hallway or the smaller back hallway. It was all over the double ovens and the microwave (which is at the height of the top oven). And, it was all over Josh's shoes which I found removed near the sink. I later found his pants draped over the tub in our bathroom, and I have yet to know whether or not it reached his dress shirt and tie; after seeing the upward splatter all over the appliances I'd be amazed if it spared his torso.

So I set about cleaning, deciding I might as well mop the whole of the tile since I was going to be mopping at least 2/3 of it anyway. That meant I had to sweep, at least in areas where the floor wasn't tacky and wet. And by the time I complete the prep work and am ready to get down to business, I find that some very thoughtful ants have already arrived to offer their services. Bravely, those fine ants gave their lives as they later met the business end of my Libman Wonder Mop. I go to the sink to run water for mopping and come upon the corpse of a can of Diet Dr. Pepper; so unassuming, so ordinary, yet capable of so much more than quenching thirst. I notice the top end of the can is stretched upward as though it's contents engaged in mutiny, and the pop-top opening is a strange, not-quite-round "o" of protest where the offending liquid made its mad escape. Less than one quarter of the soda--apparently the only portion with any integrity--is left mingling in the bottom of this vessel of destruction. I'm ruthless. I drain the can and toss it in the recycling bin.

The kitchen having been mopped, I begin wiping down all the appliances and cabinet doors, cleaning the vent grooves around the microwave where drops of Diet Dr. Pepper gather and hide--still wearing only an old, oversized OCC t-shirt proclaiming commencement exercises I never participated in--and my underpants (sidenote, that word brings back memories of the movie Sixteen Candles. And by the way, don't dwell on the image I'm describing as it's really not one anyone should delight in!). I do my best with the detail work and decide I need Q-Tips to clean the rest. Nearly an hour passes between my unexpected wake-up call and initial assessment of the destruction to the time I find myself sweating, hungry, and in no way crawling back into bed.

Now that my work is done and I've cleaned myself up, I find the whole situation funny. I wish I hadn't been so sleepy as to not grab my camera. The pictures might have been boring, but worth a chuckle. I'm sorry Josh had to rush off to work feeling, perhaps, sheepish over what happened. I really would have enjoyed laughing over it with him. But since he's busy, here I am finishing the last of a bottle of vanilla frappucino and sharing my morning with all of you. Don't worry...I'm fully clothed now!

April Showers (Image Heavy!)

A very close friend of mine is expecting her first baby. After a long struggle and many complications, she and her hubby (also a good friend!) are so very close to the arrival of their baby girl! I wanted to help make this time even more special for them both by taking some maternity pictures to document the pregnancy. They agreed!

So to answer any questions you might have--since I've already fielded them from others...no, I'm not a professional photographer; yes, I'm building a portfolio of sorts (to track my growth, not share with prospective clients); and no, I'm not planning to go into the photography business...at least not yet. I have quite a ways to go before that could become a possibility!

This was an incredibly fun session for me--my first time using my skills on anything other than my own family or nature shots. But it was also incredibly special to be sharing in such an amazing journey with two wonderful friends. I hope to be able to do more sessions like this for family and friends--and I'm eagerly anticipating using their baby girl as my first newborn subject! :o)

I also helped throw their baby shower this past weekend. It was beautiful and turned out as perfect as I had hoped--with great food, funny games, and tons of presents! I managed to grab my camera to capture a few fun moments and collect a few highlights of the decor and such for the parents-to-be. Here are just a few of my favorite shots from the maternity session and the shower.

A Day on the Farm

Last Thursday we visited a local farm with our Moms group. I was unsure of how to handle both kids on my own and manage my Nikon--it probably qualifies as a 3rd child! Thankfully the farm was small enough that even Moo could run around and enjoy her independence without making my heart drop to my knees. Since there weren't very many of us, we got a nice, small tour of the farm and there was plenty of interaction between the kids and the animals. It was perfect for the toddlers--and the mommies! There were hoards of flies, however, which Dman has quite a fear of. I think after our time there, he has pretty much conquered his phobia...or at least learned to ignore them!

We got to walk through the garden and see how radishes and potatoes grow underground, and there was a "pizza" garden filled with all sorts of Italian herbs for cooking. The orange blossoms on the orange tree smelled heavenly, and the grapefruits were near to bursting off their branches. Our guide, Miss Amy, allowed the children to pick rosemary off the bush, and one smart cookie noted that it smells like "Christmas trees."

After the garden, we met Cinnamon--a newborn calf, about a week old. My Moo was ok with petting and standing near this baby; afterall, she was in a small pen and very quiet and docile. But that's pretty much where Miss M drew the line at being amicable with the farm animals. We got to feed lettuce to a pig--aptly named Wilbur--and then enter the goat pen. Moo freaked! There were 2 sheep and several goats, both kids and adults. I was trying to let Moo get used to being around the animals on her level, making her stand right by me (ok, ok...I wanted to get pics of Dman with the goats!). But all of a sudden her whimpers turned into a startled squeal, and I looked down to see the most precious black-and-white baby goat happily nibbling away on Moo's hair. So much for being brave! After that I held Moo in one arm and wielded my Nikon with the other hand. Thankfully Dman was comfortable around the animals and cautiously petted them. Then again, they weren't trying to eat his hair!

After visiting the goats, the kids got to bottle-fed calves in the "nursery." Since Moo wouldn't have anything to do with animals after the goat incident, we let Dman feed 2 calves. From there we visited Tina, the cow, and 2 old horses. Dman was a sport and gently rubbed the cow and one of the horses on their noses. I tried to get Moo to pet them, but she tried to craw into my shirt instead. That tiny goat ruined her for the bigger, more docile animals! The bunnies were next--no major freak-out here since they were smaller than Moo...and in cages. But she did try to dig out handfuls of rabbit feed from their troughs!

After washing our hands and running laps around a chicken coop (come on, who doesn't love that?), we picnicked quietly with the flies and then headed home...again, with a few flies. I was so happy with how much Dman interacted and enjoyed his farm experience. He can be so cautious and reserved when he's in new situations, but he jumped in there and tried everything! I think it would be fun to go back in the fall and pick pumpkins there. But next on the list is another farm...this time with only produce to contend with!

Running laps around the coop!

















Moo plays with the hay bale.

















Dman feeds a calf.

Sweet, Sweet Sleep

We've been so busy this past week that there were a couple of days our errands ran through naptime. Moo is always so great about napping, so on one particular day she was just too tired to make it to bedtime since we skipped the nap. She had dozed in the car, but only for about 20 minutes. Later while playing in the family room with her brother, she just got so sleepy she had to crash in the floor for a bit. It was too sweet not to photograph! Josh had me grab the camera, and I just had to share these sweet pics.

Spring Break in CO

Last week we traveled to Breckenridge, CO for what is becoming an annual Moss trip. The CA Moss group (Grandpa Dan, Grandma Ellen, Aunt Alissa, & Uncle A--along with the 4 of us) took off by plane (wimps!) or car (nuts!) to get to Uncle Joel and Aunt Karen. We were excited for the kids to play in the snow! Ironically, we had gorgeous weather while we were there, but there was plenty of snow from recent storms that set a beautiful backdrop for our vacation.

The more athletic of the group hit the mountain for skiing and snowboarding, but I declined from the fun this year. It's been 2 years since I stepped into my bindings, but another pregnancy and the changes it wrought made me decide to leave my snowboard safely at home. I looked forward to relaxing, reading, taking it easy, playing with the kids...Oh, that's right..."relaxing" and "vacation" take on new meaning when you have 2 toddlers! Add to that the fact that the kids and I became ill the week leading up to our departure for the trip, and you can imagine that I wasn't exactly up for too much snowy fun.

While nursing coughs, buying stock in Kleenex, and battling heat rash--the little ones' delicate skin revolted at the hot-cold war waged between inside and outside locations--we managed to sneak in some snow play. We took the kids to a park in town that has a hill for sledding, and they had a blast! We had ordered a little snowsuit and boots for Madi, and she looked positively adorable in them but wasn't sure about moving around at first. Her first step resulted in her pitching forward and landing on her head--think, downward-facing dog for you yogis--and she decided Mommy was the better way to travel. Yet, once in the snow, she lit up and decided that sledding was even better than being carried by Mommy! And Darrin didn't need any encouragement at all. He was ready for sledding, snow fights, and more sledding...and more snow-throwing...you get the picture!

One day it snowed off and on, nothing sticking. Near the end of that day the snow increased to a decent shower so we bundled up the troops and headed out to play. We attempted sledding, but a short, steep run had Darrin taking the ride of his life. He whooshed down so quickly that Grandma couldn't catch him and we all watched in suspended horror as he hit the slightly-upturned edge of the snow along the neighbor's driveway...and went sailing in the air as straight and level as you please, hit the driveway, and kept on sliding until the opposite edge of the driveway stopped him. He never let go of the sled and, amazingly, stayed right on it the whole time! He was totally unharmed but wisely said he was all done sledding, lol. We went inside a few minutes later!

Madi loved showing off downtown. We walked around downtown a couple of times and Madi soaked up the attention she drew in her pink sunglasses. She wore an air of confidence and acted like a movie star! If I didn't know any better I'd say she even perched her glasses just-so (having nothing to do with the fact that her button nose can hardly hold them up, I'm sure) and would cock her head to make sure any paparazzo could capture her best look. We are so in trouble! :o)

Darrin enjoyed going walking with Grandpa, and he really liked riding the gondola. We could catch a shuttle up to the lifts and get on the gondola for free, then ride the gondola all the way down the mountain into town, ride it back up the mountain, and catch the shuttle home. I really loved that we could get around town where we were without having to strap any children into carseats. It was liberating!

The week was topped off with some outlet shopping for Mommy and Grandma, and a nice date dinner for Josh and me. The snowboarders and skiers really enjoyed their time on the slopes and trails, the kids enjoyed the "new" toys that were in the home we stayed in, and we all enjoyed Karen's excellent meals--and Uncle Joel's pancakes! :o) I'm looking forward to taking this trip each year and watching how things change as our little ones grow. Maybe next year we'll put Dman in ski-school and see how he handles a board! (Just giving Gmom some fair warning, lol!)

Note: If you want to see lots more pics, you'll have to visit my facebook profile. There are way too many to dump here! :o)

Painting Chicks

We hosted a playdate today for some friends from my moms' group. We had about 6 kids running around, playing, having tons of fun! I had planned a cute handprint painting activity, and the kids that tried it made some of the cutest paintings you've ever seen. Darrin wasn't certain about the paint once I put it on his hands, but he bravely allowed me to help him finish. When he was done I asked him if he wanted to make more paintings...he said firmly, "No." :o) Here are a few pics of the masterpieces they created. Enjoy!

Miss A making a good impression...




Darrin's finished product...

Pictures, & Poppies, & Bears...oh my!

Ok, so just kidding about the bears! But we did have a great, Wizard of Oz-ish experience yesterday, minus the deep sleep--not that I would have complained about that! I belong to a digital photography group that met yesterday for a photo shoot near my home. I am sometimes still amazed that there is such natural beauty to be found where we live in Southern California. Making the move to this area has been such a blessing, and though we are far from being rural, we are surrounded by beautiful natural forest, mountains, and lots of rolling hills. Granted, we tend to see more brown than green since we live in an arid location, but recent rains have turned our dusty brown hills into lovely green shades that are becoming spotted with loads of wildflowers--mainly our state flower, the golden poppy.

I was excited to share this time with my family! I knew the kids would love being outdoors in something more than artificial turf and sidewalks. I was thrilled to get out and photograph the flowers and my kiddos playing in them. We hiked around for a couple of hours in beautiful spring weather, and even though it was awfully hazy we didn't let it get us down! Darrin found lots of rocks to throw down the ravines, Madi contented herself with picking poppies (and attempting to eat petals when she thought we weren't looking), and Josh and I simply enjoyed being in the moment with our kids.

I think it would be fun to go back and hike around again before the flowers fade and summer heat takes over. Maybe we can even brave the dirt to take some Easter pictures! Hope you enjoy these shots from our wonderful afternoon.

Obligatory flower shots...






Now the really important stuff...family pics! Though I seem to be conspicuously missing...















And all worn out at the end of our adventure...