Long Overdue Post

I've been dropping the ball with blogging lately, so I thought I would just do a quick update on what's been happening over here the last week or two.

 The weather has been glorious lately!  Well, with the exception of a few rain storms over the weekend and new snow in the mountains...but the majority of the time, it's lovely!  We just recently got new neighbors right next door, and they just so happened to have children about the same ages as ours!  So all the children have become quick friends and I kid you not, they play every day!  Some days I'm not even sure where my children are...their house, my house, the water ditch, backyards, and front yards...who knows!  They are busy little children!!  But by evening their heads hit their pillows and they are OUT.  I love that!

Saturday morning breakfast...blueberry waffles.

Morgan HAS to get her waffle/pancake fix at least once a week!  A girl after my own heart!

And do you all own the double decker waffle maker??  This device has changed my life in the whole waffle making experience!!  It's probably my most favorite kitchen tool ever...although I do love my hand blender too. 

 Haley, busy with her rainbow loom and enjoying the sunny weather.

 Kids on my counter...what's new there?

 This last Saturday Haley woke up and decided she wanted to cut her hair.  So I made an appointment with our hairdresser friend in the neighborhood on the spot!

She took off over 10 inches and decided to donate it again...what a girl!

Rory with Belle.

 This week the dogs are getting a much needed make over!

First, I'm taking them in to get them caught up on all their shots...I'm embarrassed to say that it has been way overdue...whoops.  And then they are getting GROOMED!  Like by a professional groomer!  I'll admit, I've never had them groomed before.  We have always given them baths and cut their hair ourselves...but, I think it's time a professional takes over.  They need help...plus they stink.

Rory with Etta...and no, Rory is not sleeping.

I asked her what she was doing and she said she was playing family with Etta...okay.

In other news, I have enrolled ALL the kids in swim lessons...different classes, but all at the same time too!  They are actually half way through them already.

It's going pretty well...I think.  Time will tell, I suppose.

So that's what's been happening in these parts!

Happy Monday ya'll!!

Morgan's New Room

I finally made the switch-a-roo with the little ones and Morgan.  Morgan moved into the room the little ones were in and the little ones moved into the room Haley and Morgan were in with the bunk bed...if that's understandable at all.  I took down the crib and toddler bed...it was a bit heartbreaking for me as I don't know if I'll be setting those up ever again....sniff, sniff.  

Morgan's new room!

That, my friends, is my childhood bed!

It has been in my parents' spare room (my old room) all these years and Jeff was able to bring it in his truck when he came back from Spring Break.

I love that bed!  It's fun to have it again!

And more importantly, Morgan loves her new room!

Spring Break Part II: Anza Borrego

Tuesday morning we caravaned with my parents from Lake Arrowhead to Anza Borrego...about a three hour drive...to camp for the rest of the week.  I grew up camping there...it was tradition to spend New Year's there every year, so as you can imagine I've built up a lot memories there!  Anyway, the last time we camped there was when Haley and Morgan were very little, in fact, they had no memory of it.  So it was time we introduced them to one of my childhood stomping grounds!

This camp trip we had Haley and Morgan sleep in their own tent...which they were surprisingly excited about!  It was fun to pull out our old tent...the "jockey helmet"...seriously though, we can spot that tent miles away!

 My parents had their set up right across from us.

The first day we hiked to the Palm Oasis...this is a three mile hike (round trip) right there in the camp ground.  The kids went crazy for this hike!  At the end there is a little water fall and you are surrounded by palms in a shady little "oasis".  What the kids don't know, is how massive this oasis used to be!  But unfortunately flooding washed it all away and since then it's been slowly growing back.  But it's still beautiful and of course it didn't take long for my kids to throw off their shoes and get drenched in the water.  Luckily the weather was quite warm!  I didn't bring my camera on this hike so unfortunately I don't have a single picture from it.

We also hiked to the Visitor Center.  There is a little paved path (.6 miles one way) that leads to the visitor center from our camp spot.  So once Haley and Morgan discovered how easy it was to get there they went there often on their own for the rest of the week.  They would wait for the flag to raise in the morning showing they were opened for the day and off they went.  

Thursday was Piper's 5th Birthday!!  

When we all crawled out of our tents my mom had decorated the awning with banners and a Happy Birthday sign for her!  What a treat!  She blew out a birthday candle on a blueberry muffin that morning!  And then it was off to Slot Canyon...this is always a favorite!  It's a short hike that winds through the canyon and in some cases you have to climb and squeeze through really small spaces.

These are four tired girls!!

 And then after Slot Canyon we drove to Font's Point.  This is a lookout onto the Badlands of Borrego,  and they say you can even see into Mexico from this spot!

 That evening my mom handed out some party stuff for the kids to celebrate Piper's birthday.

A Desert Pirate Party...what's not to love?!

We made a peach dump cake in the Dutch Oven in the coals that night for her, and she opened her presents around the campfire.  Not too shabby!

Our last morning we cooked up our Mountain Man Breakfast.  It was tradition to cook this meal on the last morning whenever we camped in Borrego.  Mountain Man breakfast is potatoes, onions, peppers, bacon, eggs and cheese....good, good and good!

Then we packed up and headed back to Lake Arrowhead.  We had Saturday to veg out at the cabin before we got back on the road for home on Sunday.

I have to say, this was one of our best trips!

Except for the part when my back was killing me every night sleeping on that ground (am I getting old?).

Or the part that my parents both had bad colds...total bummer!

Or the part that Rory decided to poop in the bushes near our tent without us noticing and got poop all over her clothes and hands (yeah that wasn't so fun).

Or the part that my mom and I had to clean up that poop in the bushes since it was basically in someone else's camp site (thanks mom for helping me).

Hey, just making it real people.

But seriously, one of our best trips!

Spring Break Part I: Easter

 Road Trip!

This year for Spring Break we drove to CA...Lake Arrowhead to be exact.  We met up with my parents and my brothers Jeffy and Andrew to celebrate Easter the day after we arrived.  The drive went very well on the way there...very little fighting between the girls, Rory took a two hour nap, and there were quiet segments when all the girls were reading or coloring...it was quite nice!  

We arrived Saturday evening and the next morning the girls hunted for their Easter baskets!

Pretty much all I remember Sunday is eating a massive breakfast, an epic Easter Egg hunt in the woods and an outstanding dinner!  The egg hunt was pretty top notch as my parents set up a separate egg hunt for just us adult kids...gift cards and straight up cash for those who found the special sparkle eggs!  Oh yeah, it got competitive!  But even with my hip checks to the guys, and diving into the bushes for all my eggs, alas,  I did not find one sparkle egg...sad face.  Next year, I'll be stepping up my game!

 That evening after dinner the girls opened their traditional Easter balls that my mom makes for them.

 I think I've explained it before, but basically it's crepe paper wrapped with little trinkets and toys spread throughout, and then in the center a huge egg with a surprise inside.  So they have to be careful when unwrapping...if they go too fast they may miss something!  They look forward to these every year!

Monday we hiked to the Village and then prepped for camping for the following day.
Camping in Anza Borrego to come!