Camping

We embarked on a new adventure last Friday. We went camping. Jeff and I both enjoy camping, but that was the first time we had done it since the girls were born. The campsite was not far away, so we figured worse case scenario we could leave if it didn't go well. Plus, it was just one night, so it wouldn't be too much.

We cooked hot dogs over the campfire, we hiked around a little, we unexpectedly came across the tamest deer I have ever seen in the "wild." Rachel kept moving closer and closer with no regard for the potential danger. I kept calling to her to be careful and not get too close, but the deer did not react at all. Finally we all took pictures around it.

 

 

I was pleasantly surprised at how well the girls slept. The both went to sleep later than normal (to be expected), and Rachel woke up much earlier than expected, but Gabi slept well into the morning. We got up and had breakfast, took down our tent and packed the car, then enjoyed a little more nature. Gabi and I made our way to a frog pond. I was trying to show Gabi a turtle, and as I got closer and closer, almost touching it, I slipped and fell and landed in the frog pond. Fortunately the only person to see me was Gabi, and she is still young enough to be concerned at my distress, not amused by it. The battery in my phone was completely worn down by this time, so we couldn't even capture the results on film. Sorry for  your loss. But trust me, I was soaked. And muddy. To make it even better I lost my shoe when I fell in, so I had to go back in again to retrieve it.

Fortunately it was time to go home anyway.

All in all, it was a good trip, and a learning experience, so hopefully we will go camping again soon.

Rock On Rachel

Here's a little Rock and Roll courtesy of Rachel. I think we've got a rock star on our hands!

Working in the Garden

For Christmas, Rachel and Gabi got kits to work outside in the garden, including a bag, work gloves, a little trowel and a rake. Since we are enjoying unseasonably warm weather right now, the girls wanted to do some work in the flower garden.

After a while they moved their work project over to the driveway, and did some remarkable landscaping with the gravel.

Absolutely Priceless!

A Beautiful Day

We have had a very unseasonably warm winter. We have therefore been able to enjoy some nice time outside in the sun. This past Monday was one of those days. We went for a bike ride, and finished off the day at the park, which included a hike in the woods.

Gabi loves to sing

Jeff got us these awesome new phones for Christmas. One of my biggest complaints about my blackberry was the horrible quality of pictures its camera took, so when we were shopping for new phones, a quality camera was one thing I was looking for. This phone has a very nice camera.

So I was taking advantage of its quality camera by capturing a moment with Rachel and Gabi making ice cream. That turned into a solo recital for Gabi, performing all of her favorite numbers.



Enjoy Gabi's first solo recital (with occasional accompaniment by Scout).



























The ice cream turned out pretty good too. Here's Rachel enjoying her handiwork.

A Fun Treat

A very long time ago, I acquired a calendar that had recipes using jell-o. I hung on to it because several of the recipes were awfully good, and pretty easy (two very important criteria). Rachel has on many occasions admired the delicious treats pictured there, and as she is growing up, she really likes doing stuff in the kitchen. So today we made dirt cups together.

Rachel is the kind of cook that likes to taste all of the ingredients. That is especially true when the ingredients consist of things like oreo cookies (although I'm cheap so I bought the off brand - Great Value), chocolate pudding, cool whip (again, Great Value whipped topping), and gummy worms. So if you are ever interested in sampling our fare, be warned that Rachel probably licked the spoon, and possibly her hands too, and I can't promise that it is the most sanitary dish ever prepared. But my philosophy is, it's all good, just a little extra protein.

It has been too long!

Today we did something that I have not done in way too long! I got to ride a horse. It all started when I called a friend of mine who works with a charity called Hearts In Motion. (I was passing down some clothes that Gabi has outgrown.) I brought the clothes to her house, and she happened to be in her barn, saddling up her horses for a ride with her daughter. So we walked down to the barn to say hi and to pet the horses. While there we let both Rachel and Gabi sit up on the horse's back.
Having nothing better to do, we stuck around to watch them ride. Before long she offered to let me ride too. Unfortunately I was not prepared, and was wearing sandals. Fortunately our feet are the same size, so she let me borrow her hiking boots, so I got to ride for a while. It was GREAT. It has been much too long since I have ridden.

While I was riding Blondie, she and her husband helped Rachel and Gabi take a ride on Honey. They both really liked it! Now I can't wait to do it again.

Halloween 2011

After 4 separate and distinct Trick or Treat outings, I think we have plenty of candy.

Outing #1 - The Worlds Largest Halloween Party at the Louisville Zoo.
Outing #2 - Our ward's trick or treat. This year we did it a little different. Instead of "trunk or treat" in the parking lot going to the different cars, people decorated the classrooms and handed out treats at each different classroom.

Outing #3 - We crashed Jeff's mom's ward's trunk or treat.

Outing #4 - Halloween night we went to Jeff's mom's house and went trick or treating in her neighborhood. She lives in a more rural area, so we walked a little bit further between houses. It was good for 2 reasons - 1. Since those houses don't usually get as many trick or treaters, each house gave out quite a bit of candy. The last house dumped several handfuls in each girl's bag. 2. The girls had to walk further, and that night they crashed! Didn't hear from either of them until 9:00 the next morning.

At the Pumpkin Patch

Today Jeff's office had its party for the employees. It was at Huber Farm. It was an absolutely beautiful day, so it was a lot of fun to wander around the farm and get pumpkins from the pumpkin patch.

First was lunch (hot dogs, fried chicken, mac and cheese, cole slaw, lemonade, chicken and dumplings, etc.)


Then we found a koi pond, and we fed the fish (and the ducks, geese and swans). These fish are obviously well fed. They were HUGE!
Next we wandered through the Farmer's Market. We got to check out the different kinds of pumpkins, squash and gourds, not to mention the cool tractor.
Finally we went to the pumpkin patch and checked out all of the pumpkins. The girls had a great time, and we found some excellent pumpkins to decorate, and maybe, if I get ambitious, I might even make a pumpkin pie from scratch. (Not the crust, though.)

Finally we took a hay ride back from the pumpkin patch. (It was actually a wagon behind a tractor, no hay involved.)
It was a wonderful afternoon, and we had a great time. And best of all, the girls came home nice and tired, and went to bed with no fuss. That's a success by any definition!