A quick but great visit from Alaska

This past Wednesday we had a fun and almost surprise visit from the Alaska Cranes!! We had heard a few weeks ago that they were coming down to Pebble Beach area for a big family reunion but we didn't think they would be able to make it all the way down here. We knew their time was very limited. They did and we are very, very happy that they could!!

Paul Jr. and Julia

Julia, Paul and the first child, Noey

Number two child, Spencer.
I brought out the old Lego's and some toys for the kids to play with. Those Lego's have seen a lot of little kids!! Some of them are at least 30 years old if not older. Hard to believe!

Spencer having fun with the camera.

Number three child, Lila
She had a little stuffed bird and wanted to climb the tree and put it up in it. The tree isn't quite old enough to climb in but that didn't stop her.


Lila looking as cute as a button.


Number four child, Audrey.
She was a little shy so I couldn't get a picture of her alone. Here she is with Lila. They went around the yard and collected all the little animals I have out there and lined them up.

Spencer found the Wii and started playing it. Here Lila is pretending to play along with her big brother. They have a Wii at their house for the long, long winters up in Alaska!!

Noey looking all grown up. She was explaining to Lila how the fountain worked.


Noey

The mad family picture!! I should have done this one as soon as they got here but didn't think about it until just before they were heading out the door. At that point after several hours, tired kids and ice cream and strawberries it was hard to get everyone sitting and looking!! I still think they are a pretty good looking family!

We were so glad that they were able to make the long trip down to Southern California to visit. We hope next time it works out that we can spend a lot more time with them.
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It was great to see you Alaska Cranes, We love you!!

News from Jim about Tammy

This just came in from Jim:

"Just want to pass along the news that Tammy was accepted to CSU Northridge and will start this fall.
She had to appeal for late admission as she left her job after the deadline for applications had passed, but still got in.
She was accepted to study Urban Planning with a concentration in Environmental Analysis. "

Good job, Tammy and Good Luck with all that studying!!

Happy 90th Birthday Pete!!

It's the birthday of folk singer Pete Seeger, born in New York City (1919). The first time he heard the sound of a banjo at the Folk Song and Dance Festival in Asheville, North Carolina, he fell in love with folk music. He dropped out of Harvard and rode the rails across America in the middle of the Great Depression, picking up folk songs and learning banjo techniques from farmers, workers, and mountaineers. He wrote:

Where have all the flowers gone?

Long time passing

Where have all the flowers gone?

Long time ago

Where have all the flowers gone?

Girls have picked them every one

When will they ever learn?

When will they ever learn?

Visit with Jake and his family

A couple of weeks ago I went down and spent the weekend with Steve & Lisa in San Diego. I went alone and left Paul and Mr. B home so I could spend more time playing with Jake! When B is with me I need to split my time between the two of them so this time I wanted be able to just play with my grandson. I hadn't seen him since his birthday almost two months before so I was having gramma withdrawals!!

Jake looking just soooo cute!!

He had fallen down the day before so he was sporting a nice scab on his face. Makes him look like a big kid! A big active kid.

Clowning for the camera!


They have set up this great little play area in the family room. He loves to go in and shut and open the door and play with his toys. I would build up the blocks he would knock them down.

The day before I got there Steve and Lisa went up to Hesperia and picked up a new family member, Bailey, a cream Pomeranian puppy. She is cute, sweet and lovable. She seems very smart too. She was using the doggy door the next day. Fast learner.

Jake was just starting to walk when I was there. He would take about 7 steps before he would fall down and crawl. Lisa wrote that he started really walking the next week. Here he is proving he can walk and hold a toy at the same time!! Cute look I think. I had bought a toy for the dogs that was almost the same as this teether toy of Jake's. It is a fine line between dog toys and kids toys. A line that keeps getting crossed!!

Here is the princess, Bailey

and the Prince of the house, Guinness. He was very good with Bailey those first few days she was home. I haven't heard how they have been getting along together since but I'm sure he is acting like a good big brother. There is his new toy with the teether hands!

Jake has his own book shelve with his books in it that he likes to pull out and place on the floor. He does like to sit there and "read" them also. Here is one of his favorites, The Hungry Catapiller. He has two or three that he really likes to look at.

Waking up from his nap. Happy little boy.

Drinking his milk and loving up on Mommy.

Okay, maybe this isn't the best picture of the two of them but Jake's look makes me think of his daddy!! It is just a Steve look to me!! Click on the picture to enlarge and see if you agree.

Here is a little better one of the two of them. You have to know it is morning so Steve has that I just got out of bed look!! At least Jake is happy it is morning! Wonder how long that will last.

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It was a wonderful visit and I miss them so much!!

In California

For the plane trip home we decided on Delta Airlines. It was a little more money than Southwest (plus they charge to check luggage!!) but it is nonstop. I thought it would be worth the extra money not to have to get off and one and extra time. The other thing with Delta is that they have assigned seats so you don't have to worry about getting the seat you want.

For the first part of the trip Kody played with his new toy that Mom had put into his backpack.

After we got our drinks and snacks ( I brought them as they didn't have anything that we could eat) and watching the snow covered mountains roll by for awhile this is how Kody spent the rest of the trip.

One six year old thumb and his blankey and he was a gone goose. He is still getting over the Mono that he had a month ago so he gets tired easily.

Coming off the plane in Burbank and saving his ears for Rock Concerts in the future!!

Kody was the first one to spend the night in our new bunk beds!! Here he is calling home to say goodnight to everyone!

Sunny Southern California! I didn't know if I was going to be able to write that this year or not. The first week we were back it was chilly the whole week. The day before we left to go back to Utah we made it down to the beach on a perfect day. The weather was just right and the waves were fun.

Kody had a great time in the surf. I know if he had had someone to go in with he would have gone swimming too. I didn't feel I was up to doing that! Those tides are strong!! The water was chilly but not as cold as I thought it would be.

Lots of wildlife that day.

He had a great time and wants to go back as often as he can. Future surfer maybe?

Park time was something we did a lot of. We mainly looked for monkey bars but all the equipment was fun. He can pump himself this year where he was just learning last year. Of course it was more fun if I pushed him......

Monkey bars. We didn't do them that much after awhile because.......

why you ask? This is why.....

Blisters!!!

Somehow the California Monkey Bars weren't as kind to him as the Utah bars are!!

Wading in the water to cool off.

One evening when I asked him what he wanted to do the next day he picked the Conejo Botanic Gardens. We had already gone hiking twice there . This time he wanted to take his lunch up to the top and have a picnic. Jessy and I always do that when she comes out and Kody and I did that last year also. He remembered and really wanted to do it again.

Up at the top of the mountain in the Desert Gardens they have several picnic tables and that is where we stopped. When I took Jessy before we would stop at Taco Bell and have that at the top. Since the Celiac change things are a little more difficult to plan but we managed. Yogurt, pudding, carrots and fruit roll ups did the trick.

And of course Chocolate Cookies (gluten free!) for dessert!!! He loves his chocolate!!

He brought his Ben Ten Alien Force toys up with him and after lunch we played with them.

And played with them..... Two and a half hours we sat up there in the wonderful outdoors and played with these toys.

Are they cute!! You put a "key" in the back and turn it and they come apart and then you can put them back together again. You can split the aliens apart and mix up the pieces to make new and exciting aliens. My favorite is the chubby one in the front! I called him penguin man.

While Kody was playing I took some breaks to play with my toy, the camera.

When I explained to Kody that I though of it as my Toy he understood why I like to use it all the time. He was willing to let me roam around the area next to him and take my pictures. After all you Have to play with your toys!!

Here is his skipping on down the hill after his picnic. That was the most relaxed I have seen him in a long time. He loved being outdoors with nothing else happening.

Two Deers!

The first week he was here Beach Gramma (Carolyn, Scott's mom) and I took him over to Underwood Farms for the day.

He rode the electric tractor.

Played on the old Tractor

Rode the Ponys a few times.

He enjoyed that. I think next year he will be too big for them.

Played on the wood train.

All in all a great visit even if it is too short! Next I will tell about the trip back up to Utah.