San Clemente Beach

We spent a week in San Clemente this summer with the Wagner family. We spent a few days soaking in the sun and enjoying the cooler weather. It is so very hot in Bakersfield July and August. We took the time to go to Sea World and Lego Land. It was so much fun! Great times!

I just love this picture of Max watching the beluga whales through the window!

Chloe and Max are exploring the tide pool sea life at Sea World.

May the force be with you Max!!!

Even teenagers can have fun in Lego land. It's just a little disappointing the rides can't go a little faster huh Cole?

Now this ride is definitely for the big guys. It's called the King's Tournament. Cole and Jack call it the "Nut Cracker"

Chloe's 4th Birthday

Chloe celebrated her 4th Birthday this summer. She had a flower party with all of her little friends. We painted faces, planted flowers, made flower necklaces and played pin the spot on the lady bug. We had a blast! It was girls camp this week so I didn't have my usual helpers for the party. Instead I enlisted Cole, Jack, and Riley to help. We had 8 kids including Chloe and Max and we were hoppin! A couple of little girls were quite smitten with my helpers too!

Summer Vacation

If it looks like they are up to no good, your right. Cole and Jack bought all their fireworks at Valley of Fire in Nevada. You know, the kind that are illeagal in California and just about everywhere else. But since we are at the ranch out in the middle of the country we let them have their fun. Just one word of warning, if they catch the haystack on fire, they will be dead!

This is the first time I have ever had to bundle up on the fourth of July! It's always so hot in Bakersfield!

We went to Sun Valley for Independence Day celebrations. We watched a parade and went to a kids carnival. Mom went to an antique show. We didn't stay for the fireworks because Cole and Jack had their own firework show planned.

This was Chloe's favorite part of the parade. Pretty girls on horses.

Checking out the carnival games

Of course we take our dogs on vacation with us!!! Idaho is doggie Heaven. We even rented a trailer to pull our luggage behind the Yukon so that Snickers could have the back of the car all to herself. This is a bird that Snickers hunted and killed all by herself. I wish I had filmed Fritzi-girl killing the squirrels as Jack and Cole flushed them out of their holes with the hose. It was hilarious. Fritzi-girl has a new nick name, "Killer".

We visited a new fishing spot this year. It was Bayhorse Lake. It is a peaceful lake up in the Sawtooth Mountains. We explored a the mining ghost town of Bayhorse on the way up to the lake. We took note that there are lots of ATV trails around the mountain ghost mines. We may have to explore this next year.

This is Cole, Chloe and Max enjoying a snack at Bayhorse Lake.

Chloe caught this good size fish. I had to hold it for her because she didn't like the way it wiggled on the hook. Notice the pink Barbie fishing pole. We caught lots of fish on this pole.

Max catches his first fish.

Nice fish Cole but...........................................

Now that's a BIG fish. Jack caught this huge fish at the fish hatchery pond and it was a beauty. Too bad Cole wasn't there to see it. He was hunting squirrels. The funny thing is we had just run out of worms and Jack pulled this old and I mean really old stink bait out of the tackle box and baited his hook with huge wad of it and caught this huge trout on it! It was unbelievable!!! We did release it so hopefully it will still be there next year.

Jack has been riding quads for quite a few years but this year Grandpa Reno taught Jack to drive his tractor and pick up truck. Jack was loving it! But after Rob, Cole and I rode with him on two separate occasions we decided that there is a good reason 13 year olds don't drive. THEY CAN'T SEE STOP SIGNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We spent the rest of our vacation at the Reno Ranch in Idaho. This is Chloe and Max riding "Flash".

This is a picture of the grandchildren and great grand children singing for Grandpa Harding. Chloe is in there wearing the purple lei. She loved running around with all the kids.

We started our vacation in Utah to surprise Rob's dad with a surprise party for his 80th Birthday. It was so fun to see the whole family and meet all the new additions. Our kids met lots of cousins they didn't know they had.

Swim Lessons

Chloe just finished swim lessons and she is really learning to swim! With a little more practice she will be on her own! Big difference from last year when she cried every day! Now She loves swim lessons so much she pretends to be "Allie" her instructor. She will pretend to give her friends swim lessons in the pool and in the bath tub. She will even ask me to be "Allie" and tells me to talk to her the way Allie does. Now Max is another story. He dropped out after the first day. We decided to focus on potty training which is proving to be more difficult that I expected of him.

Cole's 17th Birthday

Here is Cole on his 17th Birthday! In this picture i love how everyone is smiling because... just after I shot this picture Jack blew out all of the candles... and lets just say Cole was NOT happy. For his Birthday he got a new phone and we went to dinner at Akiras, his favorite.

Dance Recital

This is our little "Baby Doll". Last night Chloe had her dance recital. The theme was "Toys in Toyland". Her dance class were the Baby Dolls and danced to the song "Baby Face." They did a fantastic job! They were adorable!

Mama Mia

Moments like these are priceless. Chloe and Mom love the movie Mama Mia. This is one of Chloe's most requested movies to watch. Cole and Jack hate it because they are surely to get one of these songs stuck in their mind and they are likely to get caught singing or humming a Mama Mia song. Ha Ha!!