Vasquez Rocks

Jacob had an adventure this week and went to Vasquez Rocks with a friend.  These are the same friends that we went to Mount Pinos with.  Clearly they like outside adventure which I think is great and Dad remembers his camera and takes great pictures!

The last time we went to Vasquez Rocks was 2009, at least that is what my blog tells me.  Thank goodness for blogs or I wouldn't remember this stuff.  Happy New Year.

Merry Christmas from Las Vegas

Happy Holidays.  This was our first trip to sin city during the Christmas holiday season.  I made it my mission to take as many photos as possible in front of Christmas decorations.  Whenever possible I asked someone to take a picture of Michael and I.

The Rio Hotel.

Gingerbread Wynn and Encore Towers.  Crafted from 3,500 gingerbread titles, rolled fondant and sugar.  The confection weighs over 295 pounds and took 21 days to construct.

In front of the buffet at the Wynn Hotel where most of the sin took place, overeating.

New York, New York Hotel.

The Wynn Hotel.

I think this was the Palazzo Hotel.

Polished brass of Popeye at the Wynn Hotel.

The Wynn Hotel.

Downtown Las Vegas.

Downtown Las Vegas.

Our big night out included tickets to Penn and Teller at the Rio Hotel.  It was a great show and these two are uber nice.  Penn is 6 feet 7 inches.

Merry Christmas from Las Vegas!

Part 2 Mount Pinos

Our friends sent us some pictures of our hike, he used a GoPro with a wide angle lens.

Jacob smiles when other people take pictures:)

Nice clouds.

Nice 'smore.

Yum.

Picture taking of picture taking.

Mount Pinos Frazier National Park

We were invited by some friends to go hiking, so off we went to the mountains in Frazier National Park.

Getting started.

Reluctant Jacob stopped to pose for a picture.

Rock climbing.

The kids found the only patch of ice around.

Top of Mount Pinos.  Great view.

Rare family photo.  It was nice to have a friend to help with pictures.

'Smores sans fire.  We didn't notice the no fire signs coming in and all the fire pits were taped up.  Dry weather has banned camp fires.  The kids didn't seem to mind.

Pizza after the hike.  It was nice to get into a warm place as the temperature started dropping quickly as evening approached.  We really enjoyed the fall weather, hike and time with friends.

Thanksgiving 2014

Thanks to Hank for being our camera man this year.

Thea won the award for dressing seasonally.  

The cooks.

The turkey.  We cooked it flat this year, seemed to work.

Jacob and Berta waiting for the fun to begin.

Jacob would not pose for a picture this year.  We ate, got full and had a good time.  I found this article on Thanksgiving that I thought you would all like, it is very funny. http://www.dinneralovestory.com/10-laws-of-thanksgiving-dinner/.  

Where's Waldo?

Can you find the dog?  She always blends in.  Jacob decided that he wanted a new blanket.  Hope had adopted his old one and started chewing on the corners.  You can see that the distinction between mine versus yours does not work with Hope.  I think she is cute when she sleeps so I take a lot of pictures of her sleeping.  Plus when she is awake she is quite the moving target.

The Halloween Costume

Jacob and Micheal decided on a Halloween costume this year that included LED lights.  Michael sewed on strings of LED lights to a black hoodie and black sweat pants.  He then programmed the light show using an arduino.  Jacob was his own electrical parade.  We tried to get him to wear speakers with the music from the famed parade at Disneyland but he wouldn't do it.  He said the only people that would get it were the adults. He was right but I still think it would have been fun.  Here is a little movie that Michael made.

Happy Halloween.  Better late than never.

Hope and the Couch

Hope loves the couch.  Hope loves the pillows on the couch.  Hope loves to nap.  The only time I can take pictures of Hope is when she is napping otherwise I would need a high-speed lens.  Jacob put this collage together for me, he is so talented.

First Day of Middle School

First day of middle school was a big transition for all of us.  Michael and Jacob were out the door by 7:15 AM.  The house was too quiet for me and I did not know what to do with myself.

This was the best I could do with my iPhone.  Hopefully we can take some better pictures in the future. It is a nice school and everything is so new.  Jacob survived his first day just fine.  The ice cream sundae he got after dinner helped too.

August Round-Up

August is by far the busiest month of the year for us and with the remodel and a new puppy it has been doubly busy this year.

This cute couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year.

We all went out to dinner to celebrate the anniversary and Hank's birthday.

I made a Red Wine Velvet Cake from my Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.  It was decadent and delicious.

Michael's birthday is the next celebration of the month.  We all thought we took a picture this year but no one can find the picture.  This is from last year.  Funny thing is that Michael asked for a cake again this year with coconut.  If I find the picture I will post it later.

Jacob is the last celebration of the month.  He enjoyed his 11th birthday party and a rousing game of Apples to Apples.

You can see what I want to do now and Hope too.  Happy August and here is to school starting soon!

My Life in a Zip-Top Bag

The flooring company is doing their utmost best to keep dust at bay.  I feel like the boy in the bubble or living in a zip-top bag.

On Wednesday when all this went up, I was caught off guard.  I told them I needed access to food as Jacob and I were home.  They left a zipper access to the kitchen but the island was sealed off on both sides before I could get any utensils.  I gave up eating from home and ordered pizza, we ate in Jacob's bedroom.  Thursday we all had a respite as I went to work and Jacob and Hope went to Brentwood for the day.  Silly me I thought they would be done by Thursday.  When I came home from work and it wasn't done I wanted to cry.  Friday I was more prepared for life in a bubble.  I packed up a cooler full of food and drinks knowing we would be trapped until their lunch break.  Taking the dog out for a break was the only reason we needed to leave the bubble.  I am crossing my fingers that they finish today.