Rock scrambling at Indian Cove

One of the biggest reasons the Morongo basin has grown on me is the fact that Joshua Tree is in our backyard. We may have to drive an hour to get to the nearest Target, but who else can be in national park in less than 10 minutes?

And after a wonderful spring in which we went on numerous trails to view the wildflower blooms, I am determined to take advantage of the mild fall weather with more hikes and short trips like the one we took this last Sunday to the Indian Cove area of the park. After Jake and Jadyn spent a good amount of time at the beach this summer climbing the rock jetties, we knew that taking the kids rock scrambling would be a big hit. They even confessed that they had more fun climbing up, over and through the rocks than if we took them to a playground or back to the carnival.

Before I get to the pictures, the following two observations:

1) Being surrounded by nature's unspoiled beauty, I couldn't help but think that this is all I need. For me personally, this is my church:

2) It's pretty ironic that I took the camera with me having every intention to get more candid photos of the kids, only to have them pose every time they climbed a new rock, even exclaiming "Look at me Mom, take my picture!"

On the way to take the kids to school this morning I heard a very interesting fact that makes today's post even more appropriate; this month marks the 15th anniversary since Joshua Tree National Park was created by the California Desert Protection Act passed by Congress in 1994.

And completely unrelated but I would remiss not to mention it; as of today the official countdown begins. Only 30 more days until The Twilight Saga: New Moon hits theaters on November 20th. Can you tell I am excited?

Pioneer Days

We finally decided to stop being snobs and participate in this year's local Pioneer Day festivities. I guess after living here for 6+ years, it's about time we start considering this our home. Last year the weekend of Pioneer Days, we went out of town to go apple picking. We did not have the greatest experience but I was initially willing to try one more time again this year because I think it could be a fun and educational experience. Mother nature had other plans however, as an early spring frost severely limited the apple picking season so it really wasn't a feasible option.

We kicked off Pioneer Days on Thursday by visiting the carnival for 25 cent ride night - the only night we were willing to go to the carnival because otherwise those rides are a complete ripoff. Jake was not only able to enjoy several rides but we ran into his buddy Sam from school, so he was able to enjoy them with a good friend. Unfortunately, Jadyn was only tall enough to go on the carousel. I would have to say she was a pretty good sport about it. Joe took her over to the playground so she could play while I helped Jake blow through his gaggle of ride tickets.

Here is Jake and I going down the slide. I had to go down with him TWICE before he would brave the slide without me:

Jake and Sam on the motorcycles. This was his favorite:

Jake and Sam on the dragon roller coaster. For some reason Jake wasn't the least bit scared to go on this one:

And Jadyn giving Daddy a pageant wave from her horsey:

On Saturday morning, we went out to support our local firefighters by attending their annual pancake breakfast at the firehouse. This was for me anyway, the highlight of the Pioneer Days weekend because it was kind of neat to eat at the firehouse for one, and two I never allow myself to eat pancakes with real butter and syrup. They were yummy and the kids and Joe enjoyed it as well. Here is Jake and Jadyn in front of the one of the firetrucks before leaving:

Finally we headed over to city hall to watch the parade. Hard to believe but this is the first time I have taken the kids to a parade. I have been a little spoiled in this department, having gone to the Rose Parade several times while growing up. So while our little town parade cannot quite compete with the Tournament of Roses, the kids seemed to enjoy the marching band, tanks from the base, horses and a few little floats. Here they are (again with Jake's buddy Sam) watching the parade:

Jadyn dancing to the music:

Kicking back for the show:

One of the floats:

Jake dancing around with Sam:

They are quite chummy and thankfully too since they go to school, play t-ball and soccer together:

So all in all it was a pretty good time and I am pretty sure that the 25 cent carnival ride night and pancake breakfast will become part of our fall traditions. Because after all, that is what Pioneer days is all about - celebrating those that came here before us and starting traditions. While many people may wonder what would possess someone to settle in such a hostile desert environment, after 6 years of living here, I am starting to get it. And one of the biggest reasons why this place has grown on me will be the subject of my next post.

Chase for the Cup

So as I have mentioned Joe won tickets for us to go see the practice and qualifying for the Pepsi 500 at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. It's so exciting to have the Chase for the Cup come here to the west coast! Our whole family is NASCAR fans but we have been reluctant to try and go to an actual race because a) the cost, especially since the kids each need their own ticket and b) we are not sure the kids (especially Jadyn, but even superfan Jake) would actually enjoy sitting through an entire race. However, going to see them practice is a whole other story.

The minute we pull into the parking lot and hear the telltale signs of cars racing around the track at high speeds, my adrenaline starts pumping. There is just nothing more exciting then that sound. When you actually get into the stands, the deafening buzz as the cars zoom past is second to none.

It is kind of ironic that Jake is so into this sport, being that he has an aversion to loud noises. But as soon as you put those ear plugs in, he is happy as a clam and good to go. The look on his face as he watches those cars and rattles off the name and number of all the more well-known drivers is simply priceless.

Here is Jake and the kids in the stands:

Some of Jake's favorites as they make their way to the pits -

Jake and I leaving the stands:

But as much as we enjoy it, after awhile it does get old. And that is when we take a stroll through the various vendors set up behind the stands at Opportunity California FanZone. This is every race fan's dream come true with NASCAR merchandise galore, freebies and contests, as well as some pretty cool little toys like these super fun remote control vehicles, which we spent a good amount of time watching:

Pretty cool that is until you start to look at their $1000+ price tags. Ouch!

Once we were done at the track, we hopped on over to Ontario Mills mall for some shopping, a delightful dinner at the Rainforest Cafe, which the kids really enjoyed and capped off with a trip to the Lego Factory Store. What happens when you set two children and one big-kid Daddy free in this store is a marathon build and shop-a-thon. I think Legos are such a wonderful toy. They inspire creativity and imagination as well as utilizing critical thinking skills and I am so glad that Joe's love of Legos has rubbed off on not only Jake, but Jadyn as well. As everyone saw from the Wordless Wednesday picture, we have quite the collection of Legos, especially when you combine Joe's sets from growing up, our existing sets and the purchases from our trip on Friday (which were Joe's, yes Joe's birthday gifts by HIS choice). Yes, our cup runneth over.

Working it Out Wednesday

An update on working out.

I was sick last week so I only walked once but the general consensus from the week priors post was that I need to add strength training. I had many good recommendations but then I remembered that I had purchased the "Abs Diet for Women" workout last winter and couldn't do it because it aggravated my back too much. I attempted it again last week with much more success and I would highly recommend this DVD. Here is what I love about it - the focus is on building a stronger core but it is a VERY well-rounded workout and you can pick and choose the segments you want when you are short on time. It has a warm up, two ab circuits, a cardio interval, total body strength training circuit, pilates a yoga cool down. While my main goal is to add 2 to 3 days of the abs and total body strength training (requiring a mat and 3 or 5 pound weights), the cardio interval is a great compliment for the days I don't do the walking/running intervals and she even says that you only have to do it a minimum of once a week IF you are doing other cardio on your own. The instructor is informative and not overly annoying the way most are - she reminds you to breath and focus on proper form and of course they have someone doing a modified beginner version if you need it. I am in love with circuit combo strength training! Talk about multi-tasking. Anyway, I don't know how this DVD workout compares to say Jillian Michael's 30 Day shred but I think this is exactly what I needed. It is challenging but very manageable and I know I have made progress because I do the entire workout with exception to the back extension twists and it doesn't aggravate my back. I also love that I can still do pilates and yoga (although admittedly I skipped the pilates because my muscles were pretty fatigued between the cardio and strength training.). One last comment - the yoga cool down does assume you are already familiar with basic yoga poses. She doesn't take the time to talk about positioning and proper form, which fortunately works for me since I have taken classes before.

As for my personal goal of losing a few more pounds, the scale finally became my friend when it showed me 2 pounds down AND all of my jeans from last fall/winter still fit (albeit some slightly more snug) EVEN my size 6 jeans from Old Navy so I think I was just stressing over nothing (gee, like I have never done that before).

The calorie counting was pretty eye-opening too as I found out that their are many days I eat just at or more than my allowance of calories even when you subtract the calories burned from working out. I think that part of that comes from South Beach, which does allow a lot of calorie dense foods like peanut butter and nuts, eggs and lean meats. I think I just need to find the right balance of eating the RIGHT carbs, cutting back on sugar and watching my overall calorie intake but I still refuse to count calories long term or diet.

So that's the latest on my quest to be the best me I can. While I definitely feel like I am headed in the right direction, I am certainly still trying to work it out.

Wordless Wednesday - Invasion of the Legos

Magoomba #21

I am not even going to pretend that I tried to do a blog post on Monday, especially considering it was a holiday Monday and Jake had the day off from school. Now, I am going to see exactly how random I can be:

1) What is everyone's problem with sweats? I know there is this stereotypical picture of the frazzled moms with baggy sweats and unkempt hair dropping their youngsters off at daycare or school but that doesn't mean sweats cannot be a sensible part of a stylish mom's wardrobe. I consider myself a fairly stylish mom but when I am headed straight to the park to sweat it out on the track for 3 miles then yes, you are going to find me in sweats or gaucho pants with a t-shirt when I drop off Jake at school. So what?

2) The cats are right now as we speak, at the vet's office getting their final set of shots and being fixed. I can't wait until this afternoon when we get to pick them up. Groggy and recovering kitties are always entertaining to watch. And no, I am not all evil. I do sympathize with them.

3) I dodged a bullet - for now. I woke up yesterday with pain and swelling in the back right side of my mouth. When I woke up this morning and it wasn't gone, all these worst case scenarios started swirling around (because that is what I do). I could just hear the oral surgeon who just 4 months ago could not give me a compelling reason to have my impacted wisdom teeth taken out saying, "I told you so". Luckily, a quick trip to the dentist confirmed that I simply chewed up my cheek and gum in my sleep (sorry for the TMI, I know it is gross). Unfortunately, it is most likely caused from the position of my wisdom teeth so I now have my compelling reason. This has always been a big fear of mine, hence why it has not already been taken care of. I am now looking at having it done after the first of the year. Fun times!

4) I cannot thank everyone enough for all the supportive comments and thought-provoking conversations that resulted from my post about faith and religion. I will be sure to keep everyone updated.

5) At the dinner table last week, Jake was skipping numbers (aka counting by 2s, 5s, 10s, etc). Joking around, Joe asked him if he could skip by 6s and to our utter astonishment Jake looked at us and without so much as a blink of his eye rattled off the numbers 6, 12, 18, 24 and 30. With a little more thought he continued to "skip" by 6's all the way to 100! Jake definitely has a way with numbers and we have to give credit to his Stars Wars Leapster game for helping us realize this.

7) Speaking of dinner, I am really trying to find some new quick and easy or make ahead/crockpot type recipes. Yesterday we made chicken and dumplings in the crockpot. It was okay, definitely needs some modification for next time. I would recommend less biscuit dough in smaller pieces, adding veggies and maybe a few more spices. it is SUPER simple though. Here is the recipe for those interested (read the comments for suggested modifications)

8) Jadyn's newest saying is "cute as pie". I think she means "cutie pie" but she will go up to the cats and squeeze and hug and love on them and say, "oh, you are as cute as pie".

9) Last week we were all down with a cold, but we were all feeling better enough to make it to Fontana for the Nascar practice/qualifying on Friday, Jake's picture day and soccer game Saturday and a trip to the Living Desert on Monday (pics to come). Right now I am trying to figure out when we can go apple picking and make a visit to the pumpkin patch. Until then, here is a sneak peek of the kids in their Halloween outfits:

I hope everyone is having a wonderful and productive week!

Gotta have Faith

Thanks to Lindsay's Crawford House for her post about faith. It finally gave me the courage to publish this post that I wrote 4 months ago.

This is a subject that has been on my mind a lot lately and there have been numerous occasions where I have contemplated blogging about it but since it is a touchy subject usually avoided in diverse arenas such as this, I have up until this point not talked about it. However, in the end I must remember that first and foremost this blog is for my children and I would want them to know exactly where I was at this point in my life and theirs. I also have faith that even though the subject is sensitive and people who read this will have a multitude of views regarding it, that in the end we can have a civil and respectful discussion about it without judging or critcizing others beliefs. The subject I am speaking of is religion. Now I am sure at some point or another during this post I will probably inadvertantly manage to offend each and every one of you and please do not try and take it personally. I don't mean to and you can chalk it up to my general ignorance from a lack of true personal experience with religion. That's right folks. You heard me correctly. I am not a religious person.

My Mom comes from a Luthern home, although I do not believe she grew up going to church every Sunday. My Dad comes from a Catholic home and although I do not know for certain how often he went to church, I do know that my Grandmother attends service regularly and always has as far as I can remember. That said, as a family we never attended church. Growing up I would go to catholic serve with my Grandmother and I loved it. I had a children's bible she gave me as a gift and I read the stories from there on a regular basis. As I got to be a pre-teen, the need for religion in my life waned until in junior high school I began attending a youth group and Sunday service at a Baptist church on my own, but to be honest my main motivation was to get closer to a boy I liked whose house was right next store to the church. That is not to say however, that I didn't take anything away from the time I spent at that church and to be honest what I remember most was how judgemental they were of people who did not beleive exactly the way they did. They carried an air about them that they were better than people of other relgiious beliefs and while I certainly understand that it very well may have been that particular church and NOT the Baptist denomination, it has definitely stuck with me.

Once I got my driver's license, I decided to try out a couple churches on my own, namely luthern since I was familiar with the catholic faith my father had been raised into, I felt it only fair to give my Mom's family religion a fair chance but I never really felt comfortable at any of the services I attended. In college I took a world religion course as well as a followup course focusing on Western religions. I found the study of religion academically to be fascinating and philisophically speaking I felt most comfortable with the Buddhist religion but I still never found a religion that fit with what I already believed nor did I find anything compelling enough to make me want to change those beliefs. I also studied atheism and found that just like I was not willing to take that leap of faith with any of the religions I studied, I was also not willing to believe with any certainity that God did not exist because that is exactly what atheists do. I therefore labeled myself agnostic, which is what I have considered myself from the time I was 21. I do not know if God exists and question whether or not there is any way to ever truly know. There, I said it. The one thing I am most afraid to tell people and now here it is on blog for friends, family and strangers alike to read. Makes me feel pretty vulnerable honestly because for those who hold so dearly to their faith, I honestly am afraid of how they will think of me now. Then again it is also pretty liberating to just come out and say it because this is who I am. Amongst my good friends I count a studying Jehovah's Witness, Mormons, Catholics and Non-Denominational Christians. I respect their beliefs and I would hope that others would not think less of me for what I believe.

Just because I am not religious does not make me a bad person. One of the most powerful statements the pastor made at my Dad's funeral was about the fact that he did not regularly attend church. He said, to paraphrase, that some people can attend church on Sunday and then think nothing of stabbing a co-worker on the back Monday morning. Going to church does not automatically make you a better or more religious (spiritual) person. And that is how I feel about my life. Even though I don't know what I believe, I still try to lead a moral and just life. I still make mistakes and I still fall but I also think if there is a God, would he approve of this or that. If there is a heaven, I want to know I led a life deserving of being there and also believe that God would not hold it against me that I may not have gone to church on Sundays or even that I questioned his existence. Because I try every day to be a good person. And just for clarification, I want to add that most of the family and friends I know take their religion very seriously and they carry it with them beyond Sunday service into their everyday life. The above example was speaking about someone who thinks that they can just do whatever they want with their lives and that attending a church service once a week makes it all okay.

Joe, who was also raised Catholic but did not attend church regularly as a teen or young adult, believes similarly to me but we also knew when we had kids that the subject would have to be reevaluated because we both want to expose our children to religion. And that brings me to the reason why the subject has been on my mind lately, because we are at that point in the children's lives were we think they are ready for that exposure. Not only that, they are craving it and starting to ask questions. Most notably, Jake had been taught to say a prayer before snack time at his public preschool. I have no qualms about this. In fact, I rather like that he was taught to be respectful, take pause and be thankful for all that he has. Well, about 3 or 4 months ago, he started wanting to say the prayer before dinner and before you know it, we as a family are all now praying before dinnertime. Again, this is not anything I am opposed to but it is obviously time to start making some decisions about exactly what religion/denomination we want to expose the children to, to what extent and what it means for our personal beliefs. This is a big decision with a lot of implications and I don't want to make a mistake.

And so I have been doing a lot of reading and talking to all of my friends about their various beliefs and I am about to start "church shopping" based on all of my research. My goal is to find a something that is a good match for our family. I need to feel completely comfortable with what I am going to expose my kids to with the understanding that they will be able to make up their own minds when they get older. Ultimately, it would be great if I found something that changed my mind, something that spoke to me in such a way that I was willing to give up my undecided and "we have no way of knowing" label but so far that search has honestly been disheartening and disappointing. I am trying with every fiber of my being to be open-minded.

And so in the end I have to have faith. Faith that that the right decision will make its way to me, no matter what that decision may entail - a life change? Maybe. Taking the road less traveled? Possibly.

You just never know. Spoken like a true agnostic.

Working it Out Wednesday - Fall TV

So it has been a few weeks since most of the fall TV shows have debuted and it is time to talk about what I thought about premieres, new shows and the outcome of my attempt to cut back on my overall TV viewing time (you can read my original post here). Spoilers for those of you who are either not caught up or Netflix certain series.

What didn't make the cut?

Dancing with the Stars. The first week it was really easy not to watch it because it was on for like 5 hours that week. I was tempted when I would hear little rumblings, like how cute Kelly Osbourne was but it helped that my friends Scottie and Ali also decided to forgo the season. Now that we passing week 3, I don't miss it at all.

My reality fix:

Which leaves the Amazing Race as the only reality show on my season pass and this show doesn't need to fabricate drama because it comes out naturally under the circumstances of the race. Watching the yoga couple get eliminated before they even left the starting line was sheer entertainment, although I did feel bad for them, I enjoyed how "zen" they were about it stating that they absorbed the shame of being the first eliminated for everyone else. I love, love, love the female poker players, and although I have my doubts as to whether they are a strong enough team to make it to the end, I would really like to see an all female team win for once.

Favorite premiere:

Would have to be the legendary season opener of How I Met Your Mother. I loved watching Barney and Robin together and can't wait to see future episodes of Barney in a relationship as well as hopefully, finally, a glimpse of the mother.

What about drama:

Kind of lukewarm when it came to returning favorites. I knew Grey's Anatomy was going to be mediocre as everyone of Seattle Grace deals with George's death. I could honestly see this whole season being kind of a downer what with the merger and Izzie living with cancer. Plus, everyone is coupled up and what is the fun in that. Fringe, Brothers and Sisters, Desperate Housewives, 90210 and Gossip Girl all also got off to a mediocre at best start, and yet none of them disappointed enough to make me stop watching. The one show that really caught me was one I was really considering dropping and that was Private Practice. Yes I expected high drama, even if predictable as everyone works to save Violet's life and find her missing baby but what I didn't expect was to finally get a better idea of Pete's past. I don't know if the show can continue to hold my interest but for now I think this season has a lot of potential.

The newbies rule:

I am very reluctant to get too attached to new series because networks don't give them much of a chance these days before they pull the rug out from underneath them but I have to say the debuting series are the ones that really caught my attention this fall. I am loving the Vampire Diaries. It is the perfect mix of teen angst with the additional danger and romanticism attached to mythical creatures. I love vampires who are conflicted about what they really are (think Louis, Angel and of course Edward). I am not familiar with the books this series is based on and I worry they put the two main characters together so quickly but it has definitely become a favorite of my week.

I also really like Ryan Murphy's Glee. While the pilot was wonderful, the following two shows that debuted this fall were a little over the top. But then Kurt was given the spotlight and not only was the episode immensely entertaining and touching, but now I can't stop singing Beyonce's "Single Ladies". Kurt is my hero, a perfect mix of an insecure high-schooler who despite that is not afraid to be exactly who he is. From that point on I was officially hooked!

FlashForward is great substitute for all of us Lost fans, who will have to wait until next winter to finally get some real answers. I thought it was a little cheesy the way they allowed FBI agent Benford to conveniently piece everything together so quickly but I guess the writers/producers/network felt they needed to unfold the story quickly. I just wish they would give viewers more credit sometime. Still the premise is fresh and thought-provoking: The entire world blacks out at the same time for 2 minutes and 17 seconds and sees a glimpse of their future on a very particular date and time. I hadn't thought about ALL the repercussions of the blackout and the premiere did an excellent job of visualizing it. I momentarily felt like I was watching a Jerry Bruckheimer end of the world action flick, but in a good way.

Finally, I also keeping my eye on two new ABC comedies: Modern Family and The Middle. Funny and especially for The Middle, very relateable We can all use a little comedy in our lives and it helps remind us that on days when it just seems like nothing can go right, we are not alone.

So as of right now that puts me at a total of 12 1/2 hours of TV. For now I am happy with this amount, although my goal was to be between 10-12 hours, this schedule gives me just enough down time each evening while still allowing me to be productive. Now it's your turn. I know their a lot of shows that are very popular that I don't watch (NCIS, Heroes, House) but what are you hooked on? What disappointed? What exceeded your expectations? Please indulge me and share your thoughts!

PS - I will update everyone on the working out/eating healthy front next week as I have caught my first cold of the season and it is honestly the last thing on my mind right now.

Magoomba #20

So um, yeah. It is obviously not Monday and yet here I am just now getting a chance to write out my Magooomba post. Mondays are not only a busy start to our week but it is also the only day I generally don't have work to procrastinate doing, which means I tend to stay off the computer translating into a blog post that never gets written and posted. I can't believe we are already in October but I have lots to talk about so let me dive right in:

1) The hospital called last week to schedule Jake's hernia repair surgery. Because of cancellations, they offered us this Friday but I felt that not only was that too soon, I didn't want him to have to miss any soccer since the season is so short anyway, so it is scheduled for Friday November 13th. Then I realized just today, he is having surgery on Friday the 13th. Isn't that bad luck? I mean I know it's not and that it is just a silly superstition but it just gives me one more thing to be overly neurotic about.

2) Jake was among 7 students in his class to be invited to begin an after school enrichment program once a week. The program allows his teacher to devote more attention to those students that are ready to start reading and building their writing skills. So every Tuesday, Jake will stay at school until 3:15pm when the big kids get out. While I don't really like that he has to stay in school longer once a week, I am thankful that his teacher is so passionate about creating a love for reading in her students. It is one of the main reasons I requested her for Jake. I am also very proud of Jake for being part of the first group to be chosen.

3) The most random thing happened to Joe last week. He was leaving for work and had the radio dial on his favorite country station (blech if you ask me but whatever) when they asked listeners to call as they were giving away tickets to the qualifying and Nationwide series race at Auto Club Speedway for the following weekend. Well, Joe called and won the tickets! We are giving away the tickets to the race on Saturday for various reasons but we are headed down to Fontana for the qualifying Friday. So exciting! We had so much fun when we went on my birthday.

4) We had been having trouble getting Jake motivated to get ready for school quickly in the morning so I instituted a sticker chart. For every morning that he uses the bathroom, dresses, brushes his hair and teeth and eats breakfast quickly and without complaint, he earns a sticker. If he is able to fill up a week's worth of stickers then he earns a trip to McDonald's for a happy meal and playtime in the indoor park. McDonald's is not my favorite neither for the food or the cleanliness of the play area but this is what he really wanted. Well, last Wednesday when he earned his trip the weather was so absolutely gorgeous that I talked him to letting me take him through the drive-through and going as a family for a picnic in the park. We had such a nice evening. It is times like this that I remember why I love, love, love fall in the desert.

6) One word - GYMBUCKS! I am not a regular Gymboree shopper. In fact, what Jadyn does have from Gymboree is a few items I found on the clearance rack from the outlet store. But it was enough during our back to school shopping that I earned $25 in gymbucks, only they are not redeemable at the outlet so Friday night we went to this fancy outdoor mall by Joe's parents house and I got to buy Jadyn a couple super cute Gymboree items like this adorable "Little Sister" shirt with matching hair curlies.

You see "big sister" stuff all the time but I thought this t-shirt was cute and unique and what I love about Gymboree is how matchy-matchy their stuff is because I am big on coordinating colors (if you hadn't noticed). Anyway, I took this picture of the kids before we headed out to their cousin Madison's 6th birthday party. While there I really tried to get some pictures of the kids with their cousins but Madison is at an age where the boys and girls were segregated the whole time, which was pretty funny to watch. Jake had a blast with some of her guy pals playing shoot-em up games and wrestling in the bouncer. Madison was too cute looking out for Jadyn amongst all her classmates. So while we had fun, this was the only picture I got after Madison licked the frosting off her birthday cake. They are all getting so big!

7) And speaking of birthdays, Joe turned 33 yesterday. Now for the next 5 months I am the older woman by only two years instead of 3. We celebrated in the evening with spaghetti dinner (the only dish of mine that is considered a favorite) and chocolate cupcakes that Jake and Jadyn helped me make. Despite having crazy hectic schedules right now, Scottie and Ali were able to come over as a surprise to sing Joe Happy Birthday and I hope he had a nice day. The kids, who also colored and glued homemade cards for him, were so confused as to why he was not having a party with tons of people and gifts. They didn't quite get that birthdays are a little different once you are older. LOL!

8) Tomorrow for working it out Wednesday I am going to update everyone on my workout progress (for anyone who cares) and update everyone on the TiVo front. Until then hope everyone is having a productive week and enjoying fall.

Splashing through the Sand Bar

As I mentioned, we went to the river last week. I tried to take enough pictures that one could get a feel for one of our day trips. Here we are arriving at the park where we launch the boat:


Driving up river to our favorite spot:

Joe is quite talented as he took this picture of the kids and I in the backseat of the boat while simultaneously driving it. Good thing there was no one else on the water:

Our little slice of heaven. The sand bar:

We love this spot because it offers the kids a sandy place to dig holes and build mountains, splash around without their life jackets if they choose, or swim in a decent area without the current. We spend a majority of our time at this spot. However, as the day progresses, the water rises and slowly but surely our sand bar starts to disappear. Here is Jake and I in a picture taken upon arriving:

And here is Jadyn and I in a picture taken right before departing:

And here is some of the fun we have while we are there swimming, burying Jake's legs in the sand, being thrown up in the air, digging canals, etc. etc:

Here is a shot I took of the sand bar from the shore. You can see Joe and the kids swimming off in the distance. This was taken fairly close to the time we left:

So what do we do when we lose our precious sand bar? We drive further up river and sometimes we spend time at a little cove above the bridge but this trip I really didn't take any pictures of the cove:

Or we float down river at which time the kids love to jump off the boat, swim around and then get back in the boat repeating the cycle over and over again. The other thing that is fairly common during our day trip is Jadyn falling asleep while we are actually driving in the boat. Once we stopped, I just set her down across the seat and let her rest up for dinner and the drive home:

We have made quite a few day trips to the river this summer and now that the weather is going to cool down, I have mixed feelings. I will miss our river trips during the off season but I am also quite glad we took such great advantage this year. And with fall we have so much to look forward to; apple picking, pumpkin patch, hikes up the national park and preserve, more time outside playing, the upcoming holidays and everything else that just can't be done in the heat of the summer. So although most people think of September as the change of the season, for us here in the desert it doesn't quite feel like fall until October. While I can't believe September is already behind us, I look forward to what this fall will bring.