Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Playing with kittens


Our friend, Sandy, watched our pets while we were camping. She is fostering a mother cat and her seven kittens. I took the kids with me to pick up our pets and let them play with the kittens. Alex wants a kitten to replace the bunny. (We gave the rabbit back to Sandy because he wasn't a good fit for us.) We haven't decided about that yet.


Marie-Anne

Camping in Dixie National Forest


This past weekend we went camping in Dixie National Forest! Navajo Lake is so pretty and peaceful! Our camp site had the lake on one side and the forested mountains on the other side.


 


After we got our campsite set up, we went for a hike in the forest. We were in a much higher altitude and we could tell. The kids didn't seem to be affected, but Frank and I were breathing differently. Despite that we had an enjoyable hike.


We saw two deer. We watched them for a while. The kids quickly lost interest, but we grownups we impressed at being this close to deer in the wild. They kept an eye on us, but didn't seem to think we were a threat.


The kids were thrilled to find patches of snow! They played in it for quite a while. When their fingers got too cold they took a break and went back to it. Alex especially liked the snow.


Later we walked to the lake. The kids had a good time throwing rocks into the water. The wind was chilly so we didn't stay long.


Roasting hotdogs and marshmallows was a real treat. The kids played near the campsite for a long time. Sabrina loved the tents; she was constantly in and out of them. Alex got his first pocket knife and spent quite a while examining all the components.

 

In the late afternoon I took the kids on an adventure. (Frank had a headache and stayed at the camp site.) We walked along the beach and they had missions to complete. They climbed every boulder, stump, and log.

Somewhere along the way Alex lost his pocket knife. At first he just shrugged and said Papa would buy him another one. I didn't like that attitude at all. I told him that it wasn't fair to expect Papa to buy another one without even looking for it. We prayed then went back over our trail. We didn't find it and it was getting dark so we headed back to camp.


The sleepless night. We went to bed when it got dark. It was cold. We were all wearing multiple layers and the kids were snuggled in their sleeping bags. We were unable to blow up our air mattress, so we laid down the tarp folded over several times, the air mattress, and towels for padding. They didn't help much. Frank and I had one blanket between us. It was cold. We laughed about it then snuggled and went to sleep.

When we woke up it was so bright I said it must be near dawn. Frank looked at the time- it wasn't even midnight! It was cold. Later we woke up again. We took turns walking to the bathroom without needing the flashlight- the moon was that bright. We brought the kids into our tent and all shared their sleeping bags and our blanket. We woke up multiple times giggling about how cramped and cold we were.



The next morning the kids wanted another adventure. Alex insisted Papa had to come along this time. Alex was the commander this time and he expected Frank to climb every boulder, stump, and log. Frank climbed some, but not all. I found Alex's pocket knife where we had turned around the day before.


We hiked back to where the deer were. It was near another campsite that wasn't open; Frank and I sat at a picnic table and talked while the kids played. Alex played in the snow almost the whole time. Sabrina picked flowers (dandelions) to her heart's content.

After that we packed up and headed for home. We decided not to spend another sleepless night and we were sunburned. We had a wonderful time! We are looking forward to our next camping trip. We learned a lot from our mistakes on this one.

Marie-Anne






Maslow Park



We combined family-time and soul-winning. I took the kids to the play ground while Frank and some other members of our church shared the Gospel with people.


Alex is being silly.

Marie-Anne

Winterwood Park




For family time we went to Winterwood Park.

Marie-Anne

Red Lobster for Mother's Day

On Mother's Day, the kids gave me cards they made. Frank took me out to Red Lobster. I am blessed to have such a wonderful family!


The kids' love touching a lobster after we eat.

Marie-Anne

Mesquite, Nv

Members of our church traveled to Mesquite, Nv to help the church there advertise for their free concert. We left after the kids' classes. We arrivied in Mesquite just as the church was taking a break for lunch.


We went to the art museum, which was showcasing students' art. I really like the paper mache frogs- maybe we will try to make some smaller ones sometime.




We walked next door to the Mesquite History Museum.



We also visited a play ground, but it was hot. We only stayed there a few minutes.


The library was next to the park. We spent a while in the library.

Then we met the group back at the church. The kids got to stay at the church and play with other kids. Frank and I left with a group to go door-to-door to let people know about the concert. We stayed for the concert. It was in a theater of the local college.

Marie-Anne  

 

Mission Hill Park- Splash Pad



The day we went for the walk in the desert we also took the kids to Mission Hill Park's Splash Pad. They were the only kids at the Splash Pad.

 
 
Marie-Anne

A walk in the desert

 

One day we were early to pick Frank up so we walked the hiking trail near his workplace.


We saw a snake under a bush in the wash. We weren't close enough to tell what kind of snake it was. It doen't look big in the picture, but the zoom is all the way on the camera.

Marie-Anne

Rain!


We don't get much rain here, so it is a big deal to the kids when it does rain.


The kids stood in the doorway and watched the storm. They were fascinated by the downpour and the thunder. After the storm moved on we went out to play. We also walked to the wash to see the raging water where the day before had been only a trickle. We talked about flash floods and safety.


Sabrina finally got to use her umberella that her Grandpa got her!



We also had a watergun fight.

Marie-Anne

Lewis Family Park

 

One day the kids and I walked to Lewis Family Park with a ball to kick around. They loved it that I played with them. I'm trying to play more with them; I want them to remember me as participating in their fun not as a spectator.

It was a cloudy day. Thankfully we left when the high school students started showing up- we barely beat the rain!

Marie-Anne

Butterfly Nets


One day we were a little early to pick Frank up so the kids got to hunt for butterflies and grasshoppers.


Alex caught a grasshopper. They had a great time.

Marie-Anne

Science story-time


After visiting the park, eating at McDonalds, and visiting the Nature Center we went to the library. Frank had to work late and I wanted to take the kids to the Science Story-time. Alex loves science. It was a busy day! The story-time was also combined with neat demonstrations.


Sabrina also got her next certificate for the Growing a Reader program. She also got to pose with one of our favorite librarians.

Marie-Anne

Nature Center


The same day we went to Stewart Place Park and to McDonalds we also visited the Nature Center.



We love the Nature Center! It is a wonderful hands-on place of learning.


 

After visiting the Nature Center we went for a hike. The kids complained about the weather, but we had fun trying to spot birds, bugs, and bunnies. 

Marie-Anne