YouTube Tuesday - Yosemite!

When we were camping last week we took a hike to the bottom of Vernal Falls. When we got to our turn around spot we stopped and took a nice rest before heading back down. As we rested, snacked and replenished our water supply we noticed the local wildlife and how unafraid the squirrels were (and lets not forget the dive-bombing blue jays!). The squirrels were close to being tame and you could almost touch them! In this video that my brother shot, his friend Bryan was seeing how close he could get to touching a squirrel.

Our Camping Trip

And we're back! We survived our camping adventure in Yosemite with my brother and his family and a friend of his (and his family). It was a great week but, as always, it is also great to be back home. I think I finally have all the dirt out from under my fingernails! And oh how I love my bed, my glorious bed!

I am still surprised that all we had fit in our truck, even though we could not see out the back or check the blind spots. Next year we will have to get a pod or something to go on the rack on the top of the truck. But then again next year we won't have to haul a pack-n-play for Isabel either.

We left Modesto Monday morning and caravaned up to Yosemite. Everything worked out with our camp sites and we even managed to be altogether. Praise God! When we were checking into our site the ranger lady told us that the bears were horrendous this year. Yes, she used the word 'horrendous'. When we got to our site our 'neighbor' told us that the night before a bear got into one of the bear boxes a couple sites down. I think most of us were a little nervous about the bear situation but we were good about putting all food and toiletries away (we even went at far as pulling out the car seats so a bear would not go after the crumbs and leftovers that manage to lodge themselves in our vehicle). One night as we sat around the camp fire we heard a man yelling 'get away bear!' several times! He was not too far away either! I am thankful that the only bear we saw was in an open meadow and from the vantage point of a bus!

We rented bikes one day and took a great ride around the valley floor. We had to rent a bike with a trailer for Caleb and Isabel, and helmet rentals were required for the trailer. Poor Isabel....the only way she could see was to hold the helmet up! It was cute but I can only imagine that it was tiresome for her (maybe that is why she fell asleep as we headed back to camp).

Another day we hiked up one of the trails to Vernal Falls. We didn't go all the way up, only to a bridge that gives a great view of the falls. It is a popular stopping point with drinking fountains and bathrooms. We took a nice break there before heading back down. Ryan was not able to join us that day since there was no way to take Isabel. She is too big for the baby back pack and we only had room for the umbrella stroller (which is not trail-friendly). I must say though that the gym must be doing me some good! The next day I only felt a little bit of soreness. I had expected to be entirely sore, but that was not the case. Whoo-hoo!!!

The kids did pretty good. Although Ryan was pretty worn out from keeping Isabel in camp! She likes to wander around. A lot! You know you're not doing such a good job of keeping an eye on your kids when one of your 'neighbors' says 'You may want to get Isabel, she's running out of camp!'. Yes, by that point she knew Isabel's name. I think Isabel made her mark on the camp site, for sure! She could be heard early in the morning saying/yelling 'Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!' Another fellow camper, not in our group, responded from their own tent one morning and said 'Daddy, would you get that child!' Oops! Sorry lady! Overall, though, the kids did great. They got dirty, they played with the other kids, and actually didn't do too terribly bad with going to sleep at night.

It was a great week. I loved being able to spend time with my brother and his family. I am so grateful for the opportunity to take this vacation. We continue to be blessed with our move to Southern California and being closer to family. I look forward to having more times like we had this past week.

So Much To Do, So Little Time

I'm not too sure what to write about today. I've got many things to do and less than a day to do it. Mary is leaving on her own camping trip tomorrow and she has a to-do list posted for today. I think she is a wise lady, and because I am short on ideas and long on things to do I will create my own list (hope you don't mind Mary!).

So, as of this moment, it is a little after 10:00 in the morning and this is what I have to get accomplished before I hit the sack tonight:

• meet friend at pool with kids - go swimming
  
• go to store and get last minute camping items
• feed kids lunch
• vacuum
  
• finish laundry
  
• pack mine and Isabel's suitcases
• oversee Mae and Caleb's packing
• finish packing food stuff and other camping stuff
• pack ALL stuff in truck
• call Mom and Dad and see if they prefer beef ribs or pork ribs for Sunday's party
• order food for Sunday's birthday party extravaganza

You know, now that that I've written it down it doesn't feel so overwhelming! I just may get it all done without turning into super-crazed-stressed-out-mama! Wow. That'd be remarkable and a never before seen event. I'll keep you posted.

A Camping We Will Go!

Next week we are going camping! We will join my brother and his family along with his good friend and his family. Where are we going??? Yosemite!!! It's been years since we have camped. The last time was when Mae was 2 and Caleb was just a babe at 9 months.

In preparation for this trip we had to buy a new tent. The old one was a '4 man' tent and there was just enough room for Ryan and I with a kid on each side....absolutely no room for the size of our family now with all our crap stuff. So we bought a new one at Costco a few months ago (and got a great deal by the way). It's huge! I don't know how many 'men' it's supposed to sleep but I'd guess at, um, like 100! Well, ok, maybe not that many but it is for sure big enough for our family. The best thing about this tent is that it tall enough for me to stand up in! This means I no longer have to sit or crouch to changed my clothes (which is difficult to do, let me tell ya)! The other feature I like is that it has a sound proof wall/partition and therefore creates two rooms! Isn't that cool? (yeah, it's only my wish that it was sound proof.....maybe the next tent?)

The other week we set it up in the living room so we knew all the parts were there and that we also knew how to set it up. It's a good thing that our living room is ginormous and that we only have one couch for it took up the entire room! I feel like we've gone from humble to huge with this tent! Here's a couple pics of Huge Tent in our living room. Maybe after we get back from camping I can post pics of the tent in action at our campsite.



Well, I've got some shopping to do in preparation of our trip. Then I have to start laundry and then packing can commence. I hope I don't forget anything. I hate it when that happens! Like I said, it's been a while since we've been camping. Any ideas of things not to leave behind, things that might be easily overlooked?? I'm thinking about things that are typically brought on a trip or camping. Things that may make camping easier. Like, I bought a little cutting board and knife at Target, in the dollar section, along with some rope (you never know if you'll need some rope!). Things like that! Any ideas or suggestions???

YouTube Tuesday

If you are a frequent flyer or have flown in the past few years then you'll appreciate this video! Enjoy.



**thank you Rose for showing us this clip, it's great!!! (I may have to post the other one you showed us that night...stay tuned!)

Birthday Babe

Today is Isabel's 2nd birthday. It's hard to believe that my baby is now, offically, a toddler and no longer a baby. She'll always be my baby, no matter what!

So in honor of Isabel this day I will blow up her birthday balloons to cover the floor and bake her some little cakes. We will keep it low key simple as we celebrate her tonight. Next weekend we'll celebrate a little more with family when we are in Modesto. I'm thinking we'll go to a park late afternoon or early evening and have cake and ice cream while the two year old plays and gets dirty. What more could a baby turned toddler want?!

Est. July 13, 1996

Today Ryan and I celebrate our 11th anniversary. Wow. Eleven years! It seems that a lot has happened in the past 11 years. The Lord has been gracious to us in many ways. For one, if it were not for Him we would not be celebrating today.

Our first year of marriage was difficult, to say the least. If it were not for each of our relationships with Christ, and our commitment to him, either of us would have walked away from the other at one point in that first year. We've gone through a couple other 'rough' patches since then, but the Lord continues to show his grace to us.

Eleven years and 3 kids later we have managed to grow closer to the Lord and closer to each other. Ryan is my best friend. He gives me wise counsel, makes me laugh, and thinks I'm pretty. Ryan is my husband, he is my love.

So today I thank the Lord for his grace, mercy and love in our lives. I thank Him for helping me to let go of myself and to trust him with the course of my life. And I thank Him for my husband, whom I love and cherish.

I thank you, Lord, and praise you for the marriage that Ryan and I share today.

Happy Anniversary Ryan!

Another Tooth - Gone!

Yes, Mae has lost yet ANOTHER tooth. This makes five within 10 months (three of which have been in the last 3 weeks)! I never knew one could loose so many teeth in such a short amount of time. I have set a precedent for writing Mae poems when she looses a tooth. Do you know how difficult it is to write poems? Well, it takes time for me, and I'm in a pickle here! It wouldn't be so hard if she'd just space out the tooth loosing a little more! *big grin* Oh well, she is worth it. Who knows, maybe she'll look back and treasure these little poems that I stay up late at night writing for her? Hey, it could happen!

Before I unveil my latest poem I'll give a little background on the story behind the latest tooth escapade. First of all, this tooth has been loose for months now. And even more so in the last couple weeks. This tooth has been literally holding on by a thread (or is it a nerve?). Mae probably could have pulled the silly thing last week. Easy. I don't know which is more stubborn. Mae? or the tooth? My vote is Mae.

Your so proud
And I’m so glad
That you finally pulled that tooth!
I thought I’d never see the day
I never thought I’d here you say
“Look Mom, I pulled my tooth!”
But here it is
and there’s the proof
Yes, you have finally lost that tooth!

My Bargain Template!

Sooooooo????? How do I look? What do you think of the new me? Does this template make me look fat?

Kim, once again, has been an inspiration. A couple weeks ago she started changing her template and it made me want a new one too! I mean, come on Blogger, the templates to choose from are a tad boring. I wanted something new, fresh and unique. So, I went online and searched and searched and searched! And today I finally found a site that had a lot of free templates to offer (at least ones that I liked!). Yes, I'll admit it. I'm cheap. The word free will, in most cases, win my attention every time!

Are you, too, interested in changing your look (for free)??? I found my template here, and there are others here, here and here*.

Here is something to keep in mind if you do decide to change your template. If you are with Blogger and have a beta account then you will most likely want to keep it beta. If so, then make sure that your new template is in an XML format. That way you can make changes to your template (ie. add links to your sidebar) just as easily as you can now. If you choose a template that is not an XML then you have to do your changes the old fashioned way, which is mess with the html code.

Ok, I'm done. I'm off to enjoy my new look!

*this last link only offers about 3 XML templates, the rest are in the 'classic' template form.

Eight Little Things

I was tagged by Bringing Good Home for another meme. I guess I have to reveal eight things about myself. Here's the rules....

…Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

I wonder how long it will take me to come up with eight things? Let's see....

1. I used to looooove the color blue
2. but now it's red
   
3. tulips are my favorite flower
4. I share my birthday with my friend Chris (although she is one year younger)
5. I learned how to drive on a stick shift
6. I currently drive an automatic and it is the first non-stick vehicle I've driven/owned, ever.
   
7. I have lived in three states (California, Oregon, Michigan)
8. This Friday I will have been married for 11 whole years.

Ok. That wasn't too difficult. Now I have to spread the love and 'tag' eight more people. Hmmm, whom shall I choose? Oh, I know! In no particular order, other than randomness....

Amanda at Oh Amanda
Cat at MommyCat
Wendy in her Tiki Hut
Mary in Mary-land
Heather, the Orchard Girl
Chris, at The Mayne Events
Jenn at her Ivy Six Pack
and
Kim, whom has been self diagnosed with Temporary? Insanity

There you go, ladies, you've done been 'tagged'. So, in your not-so-free-time go post 8 things about yourself.

Clean Up on Isle Four!

I went to the gym today. The kids came with. That was the good thing, that I went to the gym that is. Our gym has childcare up to age 12. Another good thing.

So, I check in then proceed to the kid check-in counter. They have this huge nifty room for the kids. It has a McDonald's size play structure, 4 video game stations, a tv, and two craft tables among other toys to play with. Also in this room is a waist high gate that keep the kids contained.

Here's where it gets interesting.

I decided to lift Isabel over this gate instead of unlocking it and letting her walk through. I thought this was a good idea. It wasn't.

As I was lifting her over and setting her down I had to let the gate support my weight for a bit. Bad idea. The gate could not support me so it stripped itself of its hinge screws and completely came off from the wall causing me to drop Isabel and fall on top of the gate! Isabel was fine, just a little shaken and confused. I, on the other hand, had other issues.

'Are you alright mam?'

'Yes, I'm fine, but I may need some stitches for my pride.'

YouTube Tuesday

I saw this on someone else's blog (I don't remember who, not one of my 'regulars'), so forgive me if you've seen this before. I thought it was worth repeating!



Is this guy for real?? Oddly, I think he is! I'm not sure if I should laugh my head off or be in awe. Well, I think I'm doing a little of both.

What's Missing From This Picture?

Caleb's fish, Fisher Eater, is no more. The worst part is that I think it is my fault! A friend was going to take care of him while we were out of town so I put him in a vase for easier transportation and I think the temperature of the new water did him in. I knew about this but did it anyway. I did try to make sure that the water was as luke warm as possible. And to my credit (sort of) he had survived the transfer many a time in the past when changing his water.

It happened Saturday night after Caleb had already gone to bed so we waited until morning to tell him. I wasn't sure if he would care since he didn't pay much attention to the fist anymore. But he was very sad when he heard the news. He didn't believe Ryan at first, he thought it was a joke. But he observed the non-moving fish laying on its side at the bottom of the vase and was convinced.

Caleb was very sad but did not cry. Poor guy. We'll get him another fish after we get back from camping. Caleb says he going to pick out a red fish this time. I just wonder what he's going to name it!

Our Resident Photojournalist?

The other morning I got up and did not find Caleb watching PBS as usual.

"Hmmmm, where could he be? He isn't still sleeping is he?!", I thought to myself.

So I went on a seeking mission where I found him in his room taking pictures with our camera. Later, as I was looking at some pictures I had taken, I came across the ones he had taken that morning. Here is a little sample of what he shot that morning. I say little for he took several!




What do you think? Maybe he has a future as a photojournalist???

I Can't Believe I'm Writing This Post, Kind of Post

The other day Mae asked Ryan the question. You know, the question we all dread as parents. The question that asks more than we want to say. The question that causes blushing and avoids eye contact.

Daddy, how did the baby get in Mommy's tummy? (ominous foreboding music played here)

Yes, that question.

I can say this, I am so ever grateful that she asked Ryan and not me! Ryan did a great job (again, glad she asked him!). He used specific words including, but not limited to, 's*x' and even 'forenication'! Ryan did the best he could to explain to her that it is was created by God and is something that is to occur between married people.

This conversation occurred while we were driving so I had the advantage of not having to worry about hiding my reaction to everything. But I don't think I did so well in hiding my nervous laughter (I tried real real hard to not laugh out loud. real hard!)

I'm not sure she understood too much, but Ryan told her that maybe the next time she asked she would understand more. Hopefully that won't happen for a while. Like maybe when she's twenty five (and married!). It'll make much more sense then. For sure.

Keeping an Eye on My Kids

Last week I had to take Miss Isabel to the doctors office. While we were in the waiting room (filled with toys) waiting for Isabel to be called back into the exam room I saw a sign on the door. It read:

Unattended children
will be given an
Espresso
and a
free puppy!

Um, yes, I was watching my kids.

June Movie Log

Here's what we saw last month:

1. Casino Royale (I'm not much of Bond follower but this movie was pretty good! The movie was about Bond as he starts out as a double-0 agent, so he wasn't as suave and confident as the character typically is. It was good, I'd recommend it.)
2. The Queen (It was.....good. I wasn't blown away and I wonder why it received so much praise. Helen Mirren did a good job of portraying Queen Elizabeth and it seemed to be true to the actually events. It does help answer some questions as to why the monarchy responded the way they did to Diana's death.)
3. Deja 'Vu (Mr. Washington is at it again! The story line was, let's say, odd. I didn't know that this movie bordered on sci-fi. It doesn't seem to matter much though, Denzel is just so cool, I'd watch just about anything with him in it! So, if you like action, mystery and a dash of sci-fi then I'd reccommend this film.)
4. Stomp the Yard (the dancing was cool. The story line, not so much.)
5. Miss Potter (this was the story of Beatrix Potter, author of the Peter Rabbit stories. I enjoyed the movie very much. It was a delightful little movie of how she got her books published as well a little romance thrown into the mix. Yes, I used the word delightful to describe the movie!)
6. Bleak House (this was a BBC production and, as always, they did a great job. The movie was based on the Charles Dickens novel of the same name. And since it was 3 disks long we watched it over a 4 night period. It was fun to have something to watch for a week and it gave us something to talk about....like what exactly was going on and what we thought the outcome would be. The characters were well developed in this tragic tale, and I highly recommend it!)
7. DreamGirls (Hmm. It wasn't quite what I thought it was going to be, but it wasn't bad. Long. But not bad. And I must agree....that Jennifer Hudson was pretty good too!)
8. The Wild (our latest family movie night flick. I can sum this movie up in one word...LAME. Even for an animated kids movie it wasn't good. I don't recommend it. Lam-o.)

This month my favorite movie was Bleak House. I enjoyed the character development and the mystery. Because it was a long movie it was hard to turn it off each night and not watch one more episode.

Hello Mr. Postman! **updated**

I just got a package today. I love getting packages in the mail. Well, it doesn't have to come through the post office for me to love it. I'm not predujice, I love all delivery vehicles that stop at my house! Today, however, the package did happen to be given to me by the post office. 'What is it?', you ask? Well, I'll tell you this.....it came from Hawaii!!!

I recently did a trade, a barter if you will, with Wendy. I made Wendy 20 cards for one of her poncho-style beach towels in the form of a very fun shark! Of course I took pics to document this fun event.

This is a sample of what I made for her



And this is what she made for me (well, ok, it's really for Caleb!)


Didn't Wendy do a fabulous job?? Caleb loves his new shark towel (can you tell by his very pleased grin??), and I do too! It was a very successful trade, don'tcha think?! It's a win-win if you ask me! I'm thinking the towel could make for a good Halloween costume too, hmmmm......may have to get a couple more for the girls. The only problem is that I'll have to decide which creatures to get!

Wendy makes these towels (hooded or poncho style) in different variations for sale or trade! You can go here to look at some of the other towels she makes or to contact her if your interested.

I wouldn't be opposed to doing another trade as well, if anyone is up for trading for something.

**if you can't think of anything to trade....the cards are for sale as well. A buck a card, plus a couple extra for shipping.

Dodging the Bullet

I had a startling conversation with Caleb today. It went like this:

Caleb: Sometimes you're terrible (he said with his silly grin)

Me: What?!??! (inwardly I'm grasping for some other meaning than terrible or awful 'cause he's too young to have figured me out already, right??)

Caleb: Sometimes you're terrible. And sometimes you have a tail! (as he starts to giggle)

Me: Wha..? Ok. (phew! He's just being silly and hasn't really figured me out yet!)

Get the Door.....It's My Groceries!

It's summer vacation and I have absolutely no desire to take all three kids with me to the grocery store. None. So, I recently took advantage of a one-time offer for free delivery from a local grocery store. The only catch was that I had to have an order over $50. No problem, that's too easy!

I made out a menu for the next two weeks and made my grocery list. From there I selected the items I wanted online and submitted my order. Again, too easy!

From there I chose my delivery 'window' and waited. Shortly before Ryan came home yesterday my groceries were delivered. Just in time for dinner!

When I was online submitting my order I saw what the delivery charges are. And I must say that they are not what I thought they'd be. It was actually a reasonable price! It works like this...there are two delivery 'windows' to choose from. The first is a two hour window, the other is four. The two hour window cost $9.95 and the four is $7.95.

I think this will save me embarrassment and frustration with taking three kids shopping. And considering I saved $14 with the store's club card saving, I will take advantage of grocery delivery again. For sure!