It has been 105/106 degrees the last two days and today is supposed to be no different ... so in hopes of escaping the unbearable heat, we are off to the beach once again where it is forecasted to reach a crisp temp of 85 degrees there at the shore. Jeesh! it is HOT here in So Cal!!!!!
Next week both kids start school. Yes, that's right folks...BOTH kids. Audrey starts preschool. She will go just three days for a few hours each day. She is SOOOOO excited to finally be in school. She has been looking forward to it for over a year now.
Well, we are off to cooler grounds...
Enjoy the day!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
THE WHEEZY FAMILY
So as I mentioned in one of my previous posts titled "My week in the Sequoias", Audrey collected an arm full of pine cones while hiking one day in the forest. She creatively gave them all individual fancy names, but as a whole, the group of pine cones became the Wheezy family. After our hike that day, I assumed she dropped all the pine cones to the ground before heading back to our camp site as I had not seen hide nor hair of the pine cones since that day on the trail...
...that is, until the other day, when I walked into Audrey's bedroom and to my surprise, I discovered the happy-go-lucky, conical Wheezy family sitting around shooting the breeze over some tea and toast.
...that is, until the other day, when I walked into Audrey's bedroom and to my surprise, I discovered the happy-go-lucky, conical Wheezy family sitting around shooting the breeze over some tea and toast.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
MY WEEK IN THE SEQUIOAS
~ be warned it's a super long post~
Ok so maybe the title to my last post was a little dramatic, but it WAS a really hard and frustrating week for many reasons, all of which I will spare you the gory details. But in general, with no relief or break to regroup, I felt chaotic inside most of the trip. I am sure my expectations for a peaceful, quiet, restful vacation (why I had these expectations in the first place, I don't know), but it did not help my state of mind, when there was little of this to be found in our small neck of the woods. But, like I said in my last post, I did have some very sweet moments with the kids. Here are some of the good moments we had.
Lodge Pole Campground became our home base for the past week. (Notice our bear box, we had to store all food items and toiletries immediately, or a bear could enter your campsite to snag your food or toothpaste) I talked to one woman who heard a bear outside her tent one night trying to get into the bear box.
Each evening, deer (or as Audrey called them Camels) walk through our campsites. Sunday a doe nursed her baby under a tree not even 20 feet from our tent. It was an amazing site.
The first morning we awoke we gobbled down some hearty pancakes and then we were off to explore. We hiked up the rocky river that trickled by our campsite. This is where the Zane and his friend Lucas found a clear, cold pool which of course prompted them to immediately take off their shirts and go for a dip. It became a daily ritual to splash and play in the mountain pool. Audrey and I enjoyed basking in the sun on rocks while the boys played.
While hiking up the stream balancing on rocks and helping Audrey up over the boulders, I fell while Audrey was in my arms. Protecting our heads, my leg took the fall and I gouged out my calf on a rock, but thank goodness for my handy dandy First Aid Kit. I got a little over ambitious in prepping before the trip and I totally pimped out our First Aid kit. Boy was I glad I did. In addition to my leg injury, I sliced off half the nail on my index finger later in the week, Zane gashed open his elbow, and then one night he squirted the glowing liquid from a glow stick into his eyes. But thanks to my kit I was well prepared for almost anything that came our way.
After a difficult, sleepless and cold first night we got up with the morning sun and filled the backpack. We were ready to go to the Crystal Cave. This cave was absolutely amazing. Stalactites ominously hung over our heads as we entered the dark winding narrow cave. I love geology, so it was right up my alley. Zane was a little scared and later told me he thought we were never going to make it out of the cave. Audrey said she got drips on her head.
On our hike back up the mountain, We found a three tiered water fall. It was one of my favorite places. I wish I had more time to spend in that spot. I tried to soak up as much as possible in that small moment of time that we were there.
We also visited Sherman Tree which is the largest living thing in the world. Audrey fell asleep on my lap as we arrived, so I lounged at the trail head in the shade while Zane hiked to the tree with the family we were traveling with. I wish I could have seen the tree, but I had a rested baby girl... and in that moment, it was more important. Here is Zane's buddy, Lucas before the hike down the mountain.
That same day the kids and I went off by ourselves and hiked the trails around Crescent Meadow. According to another hiker there was a bear and her cub sunning themselves in the meadow just before we got there. This was one of the most peaceful and enjoyable moments of the trip for me.
The kids and I bonded as we explored the wilderness by the meadow. I was surprised at how well Audrey hiked up and down those steep mountain sides. I started calling her my little mountain girl. That was one of the first things she told Scott as she walked in the door when we got home. "I'm now a mountain girl daddy!"
Audrey found a bunch of pine cones that she named Wheezy, Wandi, Wasu and Lindsey. This arm full of pine cones soon became the so called Wheezy family. At one point, one of the pine cones fell down a small hill. Audrey became quite panicked as she belted out. "The daddy pine cone fell, the daddy pine cone is GONE!" I stooped down to get the daddy pine cone for her. As I turned back around to continue down the path, I heard her deep little three year old voice eek out, "OH THANK YOU FOR RESCUING ME" I turned back to see a big grin and an out stretched hand holding the "daddy" pine cone front and center" talking to me".
Now about the bears. Well, I was driving through the Giant Forest one afternoon when I saw a black bear run across the road. I got closer just in time to see three cubs following her. All I got was this blurry photo from my driver's seat. I am so, extremely glad I got to see a bear... from INSIDE MY CAR!
Terry, Lucas's dad, however went for a morning hike up the mountain from our campsite and came face to face with a huge brown bear. The bear was eating foliage about 7 feet from Terry. The bear looked up and stared at Terry. Terry stared back and told the bear he needed to walk by him. The bear looked down. He ate on as Terry walked passed.
Uh... can I say that I am glad it was Terry and not me with the kids! Yikes! Zane would have booked it down the trail in flight mode, Audrey would have froze in her tracks and screamed (actually what you are supposed to do) and I would have been caught in the middle between my separated kids mad doggin' a confused, unpredictable bear!
Well, with bears lurking in the hills and tired kids plopped in chairs around our campsite, we managed to have a great night around the fire one evening. We ate some delicious Japanese Curry that Lily made. And if Japanese Curry is not enough to make a night great, add sitting around the campfire eating s'mores and laughing as the dusk sky turns into a dark sparkling wonderland. Now that night... was a good night.
All in all, the Sequoias are just beautiful! There are so many places that I wanted to see or to hike to. Believe it or not I am planning on going back to the Sequoias or to Kings Canyon WITH SCOTT this time for a little family get away in the fall. I think this time around, it will be significantly different and much more enjoyable.
Am I just an eternal optimist or a glutton for punishment? We shall see I guess. We shall see.
Ok so maybe the title to my last post was a little dramatic, but it WAS a really hard and frustrating week for many reasons, all of which I will spare you the gory details. But in general, with no relief or break to regroup, I felt chaotic inside most of the trip. I am sure my expectations for a peaceful, quiet, restful vacation (why I had these expectations in the first place, I don't know), but it did not help my state of mind, when there was little of this to be found in our small neck of the woods. But, like I said in my last post, I did have some very sweet moments with the kids. Here are some of the good moments we had.
Lodge Pole Campground became our home base for the past week. (Notice our bear box, we had to store all food items and toiletries immediately, or a bear could enter your campsite to snag your food or toothpaste) I talked to one woman who heard a bear outside her tent one night trying to get into the bear box.
Each evening, deer (or as Audrey called them Camels) walk through our campsites. Sunday a doe nursed her baby under a tree not even 20 feet from our tent. It was an amazing site.
The first morning we awoke we gobbled down some hearty pancakes and then we were off to explore. We hiked up the rocky river that trickled by our campsite. This is where the Zane and his friend Lucas found a clear, cold pool which of course prompted them to immediately take off their shirts and go for a dip. It became a daily ritual to splash and play in the mountain pool. Audrey and I enjoyed basking in the sun on rocks while the boys played.
While hiking up the stream balancing on rocks and helping Audrey up over the boulders, I fell while Audrey was in my arms. Protecting our heads, my leg took the fall and I gouged out my calf on a rock, but thank goodness for my handy dandy First Aid Kit. I got a little over ambitious in prepping before the trip and I totally pimped out our First Aid kit. Boy was I glad I did. In addition to my leg injury, I sliced off half the nail on my index finger later in the week, Zane gashed open his elbow, and then one night he squirted the glowing liquid from a glow stick into his eyes. But thanks to my kit I was well prepared for almost anything that came our way.
After a difficult, sleepless and cold first night we got up with the morning sun and filled the backpack. We were ready to go to the Crystal Cave. This cave was absolutely amazing. Stalactites ominously hung over our heads as we entered the dark winding narrow cave. I love geology, so it was right up my alley. Zane was a little scared and later told me he thought we were never going to make it out of the cave. Audrey said she got drips on her head.
On our hike back up the mountain, We found a three tiered water fall. It was one of my favorite places. I wish I had more time to spend in that spot. I tried to soak up as much as possible in that small moment of time that we were there.
We also visited Sherman Tree which is the largest living thing in the world. Audrey fell asleep on my lap as we arrived, so I lounged at the trail head in the shade while Zane hiked to the tree with the family we were traveling with. I wish I could have seen the tree, but I had a rested baby girl... and in that moment, it was more important. Here is Zane's buddy, Lucas before the hike down the mountain.
That same day the kids and I went off by ourselves and hiked the trails around Crescent Meadow. According to another hiker there was a bear and her cub sunning themselves in the meadow just before we got there. This was one of the most peaceful and enjoyable moments of the trip for me.
The kids and I bonded as we explored the wilderness by the meadow. I was surprised at how well Audrey hiked up and down those steep mountain sides. I started calling her my little mountain girl. That was one of the first things she told Scott as she walked in the door when we got home. "I'm now a mountain girl daddy!"
Audrey found a bunch of pine cones that she named Wheezy, Wandi, Wasu and Lindsey. This arm full of pine cones soon became the so called Wheezy family. At one point, one of the pine cones fell down a small hill. Audrey became quite panicked as she belted out. "The daddy pine cone fell, the daddy pine cone is GONE!" I stooped down to get the daddy pine cone for her. As I turned back around to continue down the path, I heard her deep little three year old voice eek out, "OH THANK YOU FOR RESCUING ME" I turned back to see a big grin and an out stretched hand holding the "daddy" pine cone front and center" talking to me".
Now about the bears. Well, I was driving through the Giant Forest one afternoon when I saw a black bear run across the road. I got closer just in time to see three cubs following her. All I got was this blurry photo from my driver's seat. I am so, extremely glad I got to see a bear... from INSIDE MY CAR!
Terry, Lucas's dad, however went for a morning hike up the mountain from our campsite and came face to face with a huge brown bear. The bear was eating foliage about 7 feet from Terry. The bear looked up and stared at Terry. Terry stared back and told the bear he needed to walk by him. The bear looked down. He ate on as Terry walked passed.
Uh... can I say that I am glad it was Terry and not me with the kids! Yikes! Zane would have booked it down the trail in flight mode, Audrey would have froze in her tracks and screamed (actually what you are supposed to do) and I would have been caught in the middle between my separated kids mad doggin' a confused, unpredictable bear!
Well, with bears lurking in the hills and tired kids plopped in chairs around our campsite, we managed to have a great night around the fire one evening. We ate some delicious Japanese Curry that Lily made. And if Japanese Curry is not enough to make a night great, add sitting around the campfire eating s'mores and laughing as the dusk sky turns into a dark sparkling wonderland. Now that night... was a good night.
All in all, the Sequoias are just beautiful! There are so many places that I wanted to see or to hike to. Believe it or not I am planning on going back to the Sequoias or to Kings Canyon WITH SCOTT this time for a little family get away in the fall. I think this time around, it will be significantly different and much more enjoyable.
Am I just an eternal optimist or a glutton for punishment? We shall see I guess. We shall see.
Monday, August 20, 2007
I BEARLY MADE IT OUT OF THE SEQUOIA FOREST ALIVE!
... and not because of the bears... but because I was in single mom mode with two rambunctious kids out in the middle of the mountains for a whole week. It was CA-RAZY hard! Scott could not join us because he was working... I was super sad to say the least!!!!
The kids and I did manage to have some fun moments together, I'll post more about our camping trip later. Here is the beautiful place where we just came from. And yes! I did see bears!
The kids and I did manage to have some fun moments together, I'll post more about our camping trip later. Here is the beautiful place where we just came from. And yes! I did see bears!
Thursday, August 09, 2007
OH A CAMPING WE WILL GO!
I am taking the kids camping in Sequoia National park with a family that we have become good friends with from Zane's school. Scott is working on his script for Dexter right now, so hopefully he can meet us at some point on the trip. But it is not looking good as of now.
I am nervous about the trip for a few reasons, I am a little scared, (ok a lot scared), because there are BEARS! We are going to bear country! Everything that I have read about the campground that we will be staying at, says that there is a good chance we will encounter at least one bear while camping there. We will be with the other family during the day, but I will be alone with the kids at our own campsite at night. My biggest fear is that a bear will enter my campsite while we are sleeping and we will have nothing but a thin piece of nylon separating us from the claws of a big hungry black bear. YIKES. Uh.. I think I would soil sleeping bag!
Not only am I worried that a growling beastly bear may come out at night and paw at my tent, but I am also worried that my sweet little three year old Audrey who has been searching out her sense of independence and finding her free will lately may decide to show her own growling, beastly three year old side and deem the forest a perfect place to have full blown fits. (Although, maybe her echoing cries bouncing from mountain to mountain would be enough to scare away the bears… hmmm… ok so maybe her fits aren’t so bad)
But then the other thing I stress about is with the given fact that I will be surrounded by bears, mountains lions and cougars (oh my!), I will have Zane, my adventure seeking, boundary testing, rock climbing, ever exploring, always running, six year old boy to keep at bay, so he does not accidentally find himself face to face with a mountain lion. (This trip will be fun right?)
But in spite of all my worries, I am SO extremely excited to go north, to be still, to rest, to enjoy God’s beauty, and to be amongst the giant Sequoia trees standing majestically on lush rocky mountain sides overlooking rushing rivers that have carved through the canyons. I look forward to lounging by a camp fire, reading my new book in the quiet hush of the blowing trees. Ahhh … it will be so peaceful… at least I hope so!
currently reading:
Going On a Bear Hunt
by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury
I am nervous about the trip for a few reasons, I am a little scared, (ok a lot scared), because there are BEARS! We are going to bear country! Everything that I have read about the campground that we will be staying at, says that there is a good chance we will encounter at least one bear while camping there. We will be with the other family during the day, but I will be alone with the kids at our own campsite at night. My biggest fear is that a bear will enter my campsite while we are sleeping and we will have nothing but a thin piece of nylon separating us from the claws of a big hungry black bear. YIKES. Uh.. I think I would soil sleeping bag!
Not only am I worried that a growling beastly bear may come out at night and paw at my tent, but I am also worried that my sweet little three year old Audrey who has been searching out her sense of independence and finding her free will lately may decide to show her own growling, beastly three year old side and deem the forest a perfect place to have full blown fits. (Although, maybe her echoing cries bouncing from mountain to mountain would be enough to scare away the bears… hmmm… ok so maybe her fits aren’t so bad)
But then the other thing I stress about is with the given fact that I will be surrounded by bears, mountains lions and cougars (oh my!), I will have Zane, my adventure seeking, boundary testing, rock climbing, ever exploring, always running, six year old boy to keep at bay, so he does not accidentally find himself face to face with a mountain lion. (This trip will be fun right?)
But in spite of all my worries, I am SO extremely excited to go north, to be still, to rest, to enjoy God’s beauty, and to be amongst the giant Sequoia trees standing majestically on lush rocky mountain sides overlooking rushing rivers that have carved through the canyons. I look forward to lounging by a camp fire, reading my new book in the quiet hush of the blowing trees. Ahhh … it will be so peaceful… at least I hope so!
currently reading:
Going On a Bear Hunt
by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury
BALBOA ISALND
In keeping with our weekly ocean bound excursions this summer, the kids and I spent yesterday from morning till night at our friends’ beach house on Balboa Island. I spent the afternoon, pummeled by waves trying to keep Zane from being swept out to sea. The waves were vicious, but my fearless Zane could care less. He was knocked about, scraped up and pulled under with sand rushing up his nose, but there was not a thing in the world that would make this kid drag his tattered body from the water, except that is...for maybe a cookie break.
After our day on the beach, we all met up at Ruby’s Diner at the end of the Pier. As the sun was setting and we gobbled our burgers and sipped our shakes dry, we watched fishermen pull up their lines from pier’s edge exposing sliver fish flipping franticly in the evening sun. The kids admired “handsome” surfers (their words, not mine) do their last tricks of the day as they glided on top of the water and jumped the rushing waves.
We strolled through the cool night air, back to the ferry boat that was waiting in the bay to take us back home, but before we could call it a day, a mandatory stop into the Fun Zone arcade was in order. Let’s just say the weathered wooden skeeballs were a-flying last night and the old-school photo booths were flashing. The kids and I got home late and stumbled into bed completely exhausted, but absolutely thrilled by our day’s adventure on Balboa Island!
Thursday, August 02, 2007
SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE
Ok, I am so addicted to this show. I can't help it! I love it! Maybe my hidden inner dancer is living vicariously through these performers, I don't know, but WOW! you can bet I won't miss a single episode. Tonight they are revealing who America voted off last night.
Boy, I sure hope it is not Sabra, Dominic, Lauren or Pasha. They are my faves.
If I could forecast the winner, I think Sabra will probably go all the way and take home the title of "America's Favorite Dancer" this year, but you just never can tell with these types of things now, can you?
.
Do you watch the show? Who are your favorites?
Who do YOU think will win?
Well, I gotta go... it show time on "SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE"
Here is Lauren and Pasha doing hip hop a few weeks back.
Here is Sabra and Dominic doing the jive which also aired a few weeks ago.
Boy, I sure hope it is not Sabra, Dominic, Lauren or Pasha. They are my faves.
If I could forecast the winner, I think Sabra will probably go all the way and take home the title of "America's Favorite Dancer" this year, but you just never can tell with these types of things now, can you?
.
Do you watch the show? Who are your favorites?
Who do YOU think will win?
Well, I gotta go... it show time on "SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE"
Here is Lauren and Pasha doing hip hop a few weeks back.
Here is Sabra and Dominic doing the jive which also aired a few weeks ago.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
SECOND HAND SATISFACTION
My neighbor asked Zane today how old he is now.
Zane held up both hands in the air.
Five fingers proudly popped up instantly... on his left hand.
Then a thumb from his right hand jetted out from the folded fingers that were tucked into his palm .
Looking at the six digits flexed in front of him...
a smile began to grow from the corner of his mouth, as he focused on his prominently displayed lone thumb.
He glanced back up at my neighbor with a look of insurmountable satisfaction and blurted out...
" I'm SIX!"
" I finally made it to my second hand!"
Zane held up both hands in the air.
Five fingers proudly popped up instantly... on his left hand.
Then a thumb from his right hand jetted out from the folded fingers that were tucked into his palm .
Looking at the six digits flexed in front of him...
a smile began to grow from the corner of his mouth, as he focused on his prominently displayed lone thumb.
He glanced back up at my neighbor with a look of insurmountable satisfaction and blurted out...
" I'm SIX!"
" I finally made it to my second hand!"
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