Adventures!

It seems lately that I don't get here often enough, I have all these ideas for post swarm through my head. But by the time I get here I have so much to share that I just overflow with pictures and few words. Hmm, I guess I will have to re-think how I blog... Where else would we go on an adventure? The beach, and not just any beach "Grandma's Beach". These are the rocks I played on as a kid and I am glad that my kids can play here too!
It is really hard to get picture of the front side of these boys, they are always going! So here are their cute backsides! :)

Could there be a cuter backside!!!! I love these rash guards with SPF, that much less slathering that I have to do!!

Leili's first long walk to the water...

I wish I could read her mind!!

She liked the rocks... she is mine...

but she was a little surprised when the water came. It ended in tears, I think all of my kids first dips have.

Look how tall he is getting, Riley is not a little kid any more. Sigh, what is a mama ti do?

I could just live here...and I might just park us right here all summer. I'll have to get a cabana, I have already been sunburned too many times...

I know bad picture, but the flower fields are blooming and I LOVE when they do this. It is the American flag in flowers!! So cool! They did it the first time right after Sept. 11.

The kids got to ride the carousel for a FHE activity. Leili was not so sure of it at first but has decided she likes it! It is right outside from lenscrafters where I got new glasses, and unfortunately I have been back several times getting adjustments so every time we go Leili points at the carousel and throws herself towards it! She loves to point at things she wants... just watch out if she does not get it!!

Monkey see monkey do... especially if it has to do with mama holding someone else!!

Leili spends a good amount of time on my back (last night even while I ran the bases after a home run in kickball), and lately she is all about the baby doll. So of course she likes to mix the too!

So you know I have nothing to do so the girls and I went on a road trip. We went to Grandma J.'s to just escape life for a little bit.

After it was freezing and snowing the first couple of days it turned nice. Leili is happiest outside!

Eating dirt...

Fern had fun "hiding" behind this rug and then bursting out! Leili would laugh so hard!!

Leili is looking forward to running...

The girls enjoyed Grandma's GIANT tub! Leili thought all the baby ducks where for her.

On the way home we pit stoped in St. George. It is my favorite pit stop, they have clean bathrooms too!! The rest of the ride home was pretty abysmal... at best.

With moving troops last fall, moving troops this winter and all Riley finally got his Wolf patch! He finished it two troops ago and almost two years ago but at least he has it now. Now I guess I should get it on his shirt! :)

Look at my cute bear!! :)

And how could I resist!!!

Sweet Leili!!

Just thought you all needed a little sweet Leili for your day!! Nursing in the desert!
THE CUTEST egg hunter!!

Our baby doll in the doll stroller! Seriously she loves this!

She has also decided she likes the stroller, it really calms her down. (We go for lots of walks or bike rides, but that is a picture you'll have to look forward too!!)

And her first dip in the pool today!

The Happenings Around Here!

Famous - Me!! Who would have guessed right!? Here I am under my photograph that is hanging in an exhibit at the local library! :)

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We went over to the Elfin Forest reserve again, this time it was beautiful with all the wild flowers blooming!! This is a California Lilac tree/bush! I LOVE them!

This time we hiked up to the reservoir, it was a bit of a hike for little legs!! But we had a nice picnic up at the top.

Here we are at the top! Burrr! It was windy and chilly, but beautiful!

Happy Leili!!

Silly baby!!

Leili even got to take a ride on Dad for the trip back down!!

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Yep it is RACE time again!!!

Riley's is the yellow one!

3rd place is good!!

Riley and his fans!

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FAMILY ADVENTURE DAY!!!

I have always wanted to see the wildflowers bloom, so since Dan is on his "extended vacation" we thought we would throw all caution to the wind and drive out! It was not a bad drive, 2 hours out to the Anza Borrego Desert. They have a great visitors center and plenty of trails. It is so popular to go see the wildflowers that they even have a 24 hour wildflower hot line!!!

Our first walk was in Coyote Canyon, the ground was just covered in wild flowers. I'll post up close photos of the wild flowers on our nature blog.

Thank goodness for the tripod mom got me a couple years ago!!

We did a little off roading (yea in the van), Leili even got a turn driving!!

Next to hiking I think the only thing we did more of was nursed! Here we are in Palm Canyon!

Super hikers we a little pooped by now and so we did not hike all the way in to the palm grove, oh well. What we did see was beautiful!!

It was quite toasty, the warmest day they had had recently! But what do you expect in the desert!! :) Right before we took this family picture we saw a mama California Quail, the state bird! (Pictures will end up over on our nature blog!)

In the nature center we saw this cast of an actual fossil they found in the park! Hmmm, one really funny picture is missing, maybe it is on Dan's camera...

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Back home... Leili hit the 9 month mark!!! Crazy! Here she is in my old overalls!! (Or "Key bibs" as they would call them on Virginia)! Oh and she took her first steps on Sunday!!!

Last week after picking Dan up at the airport we stoped to check out the newly remodeled Mormon Battalion Center in Old Town San Diego! It was great, really really great. And they have some really fun hands on activities, panning for gold, pumping water, a tower with binoculars... LOTS of fun!! This is the picture they took of our family (Leili is that bump in the sling, nursing) they printed us out a copy and they even email it to you!! So cool! So if you come to visit us we will probably take you there... ITS FREE!!!

SLINGS!!!

Watch out this one has me riled!!

Ok, so mainstream news sources would have you think that EVERY sling is dangerous. NOT SO!! So here is a picture of sweet Leili when she was less than 2 months snugly in our Maya Wrap sling on mama enjoying the beach. Everyone of my babies have ridden in a sling, I have an Over The Shoulder Baby Holder, a Maya Wrap, and a pocket sling made by Marsupicool. (Yes Dan has put a moratorium on slings here). I use my sling tons, Leili nurses in it, sleeps in it, and of course just goes along for the ride too. But along with all these slings I use a good amount of common sense. When Jake was a tiny guy and having a few issues I did not put him in a sling (he had to be kept upright). So yes "bag slings" have been recalled, is that EVERY sling? NO! It is important to hold your baby close, and slings have been used for millions of years. I think "progress" just went a little too far with regard to sling construction.

So will I stop wearing a sling HECK NO!! Will I show you how to use one? SURE! Come on over!!

And here is the Mothering press release I received, thought it was great!!

SANTA FE, NM (March 18, 2010) — On March 12, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a Federal Agency, issued a warning in regard to the use of baby slings. The CPSC asserts that there is a risk of slings suffocating infants who are younger than four months old, and that caution should be used when carrying babies of this age group in slings.Mothering puts the CPSC warning in perspective: Babywearing is safe, but some slings and positions are not. While baby carriers are as old as civilization, modern babywearing has exploded in the last four years. Along with this rapid increase in use has come the creation of some unsafe carriers, in particular bag-style slings that have a deep pouch, excessive fabric, and an elasticized edge. These deep, bag-style slings can be especially dangerous for premature or small babies.Some general guidelines for safe babywearing:1. Only choose a sling that allows you to see your baby’s face.
2. Be sure baby is not curled up tightly, chin to chest. This position can restrict breathing, especially in newborns or in infants who cannot yet hold up their heads.
3. Make sure that the sling fabric is “breathable,” and keep baby’s face clear of fabric.
4. Do not press baby’s face tightly against the sling wearer’s body.
5. Position the baby’s face upward.
6. Reposition baby if there are any signs of respiratory difficulty: rapid or labored breathing, grunting or sighing with every breath, restlessness.For more information, see Mothering’s Special Report on Babywearing
For babywearing safety tips, see “Babywearing 101”Tune in to Mothering Radio at 11:30 PST on Monday, March 22, for an exclusive one-hour show featuring Glenda Criss-Forshey, president of Babywearing International; M’Liss Stelzer, author of “Babywearing 101”; Jane McClintock, of Quirky Baby, an online baby carrier distributor, and Alma Gordillo-Webb, moderator of Mothering.com’s babywearing community. Look for our feature article on slings in the July–August 2010 print edition.

YEAH!!! Novella is a BIG SISTER!!

So here is something new!! I am an Aunt again BUT I actually get to live near my new one and play!!! YEAH!!! LOOK at this awesome big sister!!! She is all ready to work here!
Here he is Koa, my new nephew!!

Can you say heavy load, Dan and I are his only Uncle and Aunt! We better step up and do a good job!!

He is SOOOO cute!!

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It has been great being closer so that I can actually help Mary, having a nursling of my own makes it a little trickier, but much more easily done than from Connecticut! :)

But as long as I have my trusty ergo (thanks Cynthia!!), then no problem!! Mary took this photo and named it "Baby Mule"!

So there I was walking a fussy Koa (Mary and Novella where getting a little time together), when Leili realised I was walking SOMEONE ELSE!!!! Oh the injustice!!! And then she just fell apart and wanted to nurse. So instead of disturbing Mary and Novella we plopped down and nursed and bounced these two cousins to sleep! :) Mary had another good laugh! :)

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We gave Mary a little recoup time before we brought the gang over to meet baby Koa!

Fern was so excited to hold a little baby (Leili is not so little anymore)! What a sweet little mommy we have!

Gosh Jake looks TOO old in this picture! He has been growing too much!! And Koa is wrapped up in the cowboy blanket Jake (and I) made for him. It is out of the same fabric Jake's "night-night" was made from.

Riley is so easy going, babies love him (as do animals, he's our Dr. Doolittle)! Koa may not have a brother but he has two boys who will just relish in being his "big brothers"!

Beware of the green monster lurking!!

Nursing, surprise surprise, there is alot of that going on theses days!! :)

So there we are sweet Koa pictures, don't worry there will be plenty more!! :)