80 quarters and kayaks

this week was very fun. one day we went to yucaipa regional park. they have a really cool swimming lagoon and two water slides. it was very clean and the kids had a blast making sand castles. this is a picture of jj and ellie in the van while i was packing for the trip. we packed lunch and drinks. this was the day of the earthquake, me and the kids didn't feel anything. i heard people talking about it later, but i had no idea anything had happened. this is kind of gross, but i thought it was quirky. ellie has a toe fetish. since its summer and she is either barefoot or in flip flops, her toes are exposed. this has happened twice so far. if she is eating crackers or chips she puts them between her toes before she eats them. ewww gross, i know!! i dont even realize it until i go to clean her dorito stained hands and her toes look exactly the same. cant wait until fall and winter to hopefully brake this gross habit.

this week was so productive in swimming lessons. he learned how to swim by himself with a kickboard. he kept practicing his kicks and swim strokes. after he almost jumped off the diving board last week, we told him if he jumped we would give him 5 dollars. well, all three aunts agreed to the same. so we told him if he jumped he could earn 20 dollars. he was really excited but when we told him how many quarters that is, he was very determined, no matter how scared he was.

here he is earning his 80 quarters!! he was so excited and scared all mixed together. we told him that if he is scared, he should pray to Jesus to help him. he was so cute. he walked to edge of the board and put his hands together and prayed. finally he jumped. he ended up jumping twice that day. so we are planning a trip to spend his money. he wants to get some stuffed animals and books from kohls. the cute eric carle books and characters. we also need to get last minute school stuff. he starts kindergarten in 2 weeks! we just got new shoes today. very "rock n roll". ellie also got a pair of new sandals. they are plastic princess flip flops that light up. they almost look like heels. she loves them of course. i told her to try them on and she kept walking around looking at herself in the mirror and smiling. she is a total girlie girl.

on thursday morning, jesse, myself, his sister amy and her husband albert flew up to northern calif. to visit friends. they live about an hour and a half northeast of sacramento. we had a ton of fun. they live right in the forest. they have deer and wild turkeys roaming the area. we saw a mama deer and her baby eating in their front yard. i went out to take a picture and the mama just looked at me and kept eating. very bizarre that they wouldnt run away. our friends said that they had a small rose bush in a planter on their deck and the deer would climb the stairs to their deck and munch on the rose bush.

we only stayed 3 days there, but saw and did so much. we went to their local lake and went kayaking. for those of you who really know jesse. he is NOT an outdoorsy kind of guy. he doesnt like the sun and would rather it be overcast forever. jesse actually got on the kayak!!! he was doing really well, but then he flipped over. a couple of times. it was hilarious. i did get some pics of him on the kayak. he looks like a natural.

we also drove by donner's pass, stopped in reno for awhile, drove through carson city, and eventually made our way to lake tahoe. we had never been there before and it was so beautiful. the lake is so clean. we walked around south lake tahoe and shopped a bit, then we ate at the buffet at harrahs. oh my. they had snow crab legs, shrimp, sushi, bacon wrapped filet mignon, salmon, ribs, prime rib, and the best dessert bar you could imagine. it was wonderful. we all left with full bellies. overall we had a great time. jj and ellie stayed with both grandparents while we were away. they had a really good time. ice cream treats and shopping sprees at toys r us kept them very busy. when we got back at the airport, southwest lost our luggage. it came on the next flight and was delivered later that night to our house. we had a great time, but we're glad to be home too. here is a picture of jesse and i at the yuba river.

while we were in northern calif. jesse got the results of his school's state test. they did awesome!! they were at a 630 api score and they jumped to 717 in one school year. i am so proud of him and all the hardwork his teachers and students did. he was thrilled. his school had the highest jump of the district. they start school in 2 weeks and cant wait to start raising the bar again for next year.