Big Morongo Basin Preserve

We went to check out the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve today. It was a beautiful day. There was so much to see and many trails. I'm sure we will be spending some time over there again. Getting the boys to walk quietly through the area so that we could see some animals was a big challenge! We did get to see a woodpecker and hear frogs!

Jake's Big Birthday Campout!

Ok, how cool is it that we had a birthday party and campout in our front yard?! I wish more of our friends could have been there, but the ones that were there made it a great night!

We started with a BBQ and homemade ice cream and then just kept the party going. Jake loved all his presents! My brother brought his new dog, but my little dog is not nice and we had to keep them separated. He is just a puppy and he chased her all over while she barked and sounded vicious.

When it started to get dark we pitched tents, except my brother who brought his RV. We had a camp fire and went for a night walk. It was really windy most of the night, which made tent camping oh so fun!

In the morning my Mom, my brothers girlfriend, and I made a big breakfast and we all ate until we were stuffed. ;) Then everyone started heading home.

A great time was had by all and I really want to do it all again next month. Maybe pot luck!!

I wasn't very good at taking pictures. I was too busy playing!

The Showdeo!

I know you are wondering "What in the world is a 'Showdeo'?" Well, the Calvary Chapel out here has an Equestrian Ministry and they host a big horse show and BBQ every year on a members property. We had been looking forward to this for a couple weeks and we were not disappointed!

It was a total blast. There were lots of people there, but it was so quiet. There were all kinds of horses to ride. The kid enjoyed watching the guy do a horses hooves. Tom was fascinated.

Jake was a natural at roping.

Tom got to ride a horse that is trained without a bit. He was able to get her to turn and back up.

Jake got to ride a huge draft horse named Zeus. He is a natural rider. The horses love them.

Nikki really enjoyed being able to ride a bit and pet and hug all the horses.

The BBQ was good. And there was a raffle that we didn't win. :( The finale was a "barrel race". The boys were standing on barrels and trying to walk on them. Now we need to get a couple of barrels to practice on!

Oh Man It's Late!

Ten years ago, 10:30pm would have been lunch time for me, but now...well, I just want to be getting in bed around 8pm! Yikes!

Today was beautiful! Anna and her family came to visit us. It was so fun. The boys had a great time and I enjoyed having my friends around. We definitely need to have a camping trip soon.

Why do I love this place?

Ahh! It's a morning blog!! That doesn't happen very often, but let me tell you how I start my day.

I get up because my dog sits at my door and whines in a very weird way until I come out. She used to do that at the top of the stairs at our old place. I mosey on down to the kitchen and start the coffee, open the blinds and see the sun peeking up over the mountains in the east. I get my laptop from the boys room (I read there until they go to sleep, nice to have a couch in there now!) and postion myself on the couch in the livingroom. I open the blinds and stare out at the west side of our property. I say property, because "yard" just doesn't cut it any more. I watch the birds scoot around, the pinto across the way find some breakfast, the jackrabbits run from creosote to creosote, and then go get my coffee. I come back and get on my laptop, wonder what went on all night on Facebook. I turn on KFI or KRLA on the internet, drink my coffe, read my email, and play solitaire until I hear "Mom!!" from the boys room. Then I have to go harass the boys until they are both ready to get out of bed. And the day begins.

I love it out here because there is a farmers market that people are nice to you at. They want to talk and know who you are. You can park your car anywhere you like on your property. There are small animals everywhere. Everyone has at least two dogs, usually fairly large. The neighbors will talk to you if you see them outside. And everyone waves as they drive by. The people at the grocery store are polite. The guy at Home Depot knows the answer to your question and will find out if he doesn't. And I don't have wade my way through day laborers to get inside. I can go for a walk and expect to find something interesting. I have to go "into town" to go shopping. And most of all, I feel like I'm on a permanent camping trip without all the hassels of the tent trailer!

In other words, I believe I am in heaven...and I don't want to hear about the heat coming over the summer!

It's Jake's Birthday!

I can't believe my littlest baby is already seven years old!! Yikes! I guess time really does fly when you are having fun.

We didn't do much different today. Grandma Ann brought Jake a big Bionicle ship thing. He recently became very interested in these things and is having a blast collecting them and challenging his brother to duels. Tom helped him build this big ship thing because it was a little too much for him. Not that it was too hard, but took too long and Tom can't stand to see something not put together!

Grandpa Bob called and harassed Jake with a new version of Happy Birthday.

Jake chose Carrow's for his birthday dinner. He loves that place. There were lots of people there this afternoon. The Calvary church in town has a school and the kids were raising money for some science thing. They were greeting people and seating and serving drinks. They were all so much fun. When Grandma started to sing happy birthday, the whole restaurant joined in and Jake was much embarassed. :)

And Jake worried about getting a birthday spanking all day. Dad finally caught him off gaurd just before bedtime!!

We just realized that it is 9:30!! This time change thing never adjusts for us, since no one in the house has to be somewhere in the morning. Lucky us!

I'm not going to try to catch up!

I'm just going to jump right in here and start where I am instead of trying to bore everyone with details. Basically, we moved! :) We are now happily living in the desert and so far it is everything I dreamed of.

Dan is working. I can hear him talking on the phone. Nikki worked all day on her placement tests for Laurel Springs and is now playing her guitar. Tom and Jake are setting up Medieval warriors all over the living room and singing "Ultimate Showdown". I'm writing this while my cool new washer and dryer work overtime. MIL is in her room watching the news.

I love it out here!