Easter

Easter pics

We FINALLY made it up to one of our favorite spots in the city to take the kids Easter pictures. First the weather didn't cooperate then when we did make it up there, a festival was occurring at the park and it was super crowded. It was worth the wait. We are so pleased with the pictures! Carson looks like a little man in his tie. So handsome. I can't believe he isn't a baby anymore. Madison looks so pretty in her dress. My precious baby girl is growing too fast!

We had a wonderful Easter. John was scheduled to work that day but received an early call telling him to stay home. So he helped Carson dye eggs and we had a relaxing day with a lovely Easter dinner.

Egg Hunt and Misc.

We had a great Easter. I had a hard time remembering what I had made in the past for Easter dinner when I finally realized that I had never made an Easter dinner! We've always been at John's family's for Easter. We had a total of 3 egg hunts. The first one was hosted by the Youth Center that is around the corner. John was working so it was just the kids and me. I forgot the camera and it is a good thing I didn't go back to get it or we would have missed the hunt!! It had already started by the time we got there but there were still plenty of eggs (and candy!) for Carson to find. They also had bounce houses which Carson LOVED!!

Our second hunt was here at the house with our friends Sarah, Matthew, Abby, and their grandma Ms Judy. Matthew and Carson had such a great time! It was such a beautiful day to be outside! Matthew was so funny. If the egg did not rattle, he would throw it back down. He was in search of eggs with prizes!! Madison mostly just sat in the grass and watched the boys run all over the yard, but she loves anything that involves being outside. 

I'll post the pics from our family egg hunt soon. We will be going to a park in the next few days to get pics of the kids in their Easter outfits. We tried right before church but we were in a rush as always!

Quack, Quack

Madison is in love with ducks (real or otherwise) right now. Her new thing is to quack at them. At first I just thought that she had learned a new sound, gaa gaa. I finally figured out that she always said that sound when Carson quacked at her. Now she quacks at every duck she sees! 

Death Valley Trip

Death Valley

We were able to do a little more exploring this week. We took the camper out to Death Valley for a couple of days. We were both surprised by everything that we found there. There was so much more than what I expected. On the first night we hiked a short trail near our campsite that took us up to a lookout point. Carson kept calling it a tractor every time he saw it. The next day we drove all over the park. We went to Bad Water Basin which boasts the lowest point in North America. Then we went north to see Scotty's Castle. This home was built in the 1940s and cost approximately $2 million then. It still has original furnishings and hand carved Spanish tile. On our last day we stopped by the gift shop to look around. Carson easily found the kids area and found this stuffed horse with these huge endearing eyes. He picked it up and said, "Mommy, I like this giraffe." I said OK and continues to look around. A little while later he said the same thing but with a little more emphasis on the 'like'. My response was the same. The next time he got my attention he said, "Mommy, I LOVE this giraffe!". He wouldn't put it down for anything! Needless to say we brought it home with us. He still says that it is a giraffe and her name is now Brownie. 

Another highlight occured as we were driving into the park. On the side of the road, we saw a wild donkey. Carson loved that and only wanted to go see and feed the donkey for the next several days!

We really had a great time getting away for a few days. I do not see how in the world we lived in the camper for 8 weeks!!

PS- Click on the picture to view the entire album.

Best Friends

Carson and Madison are becoming such good friends. I love it!! They have so much fun together and they just absolutely adore each other. I don't think you could convince either of them that the other didn't hang the moon. Madison is beginning to imitate Carson and Carson thinks it is hilarious to mimick Madison. So the two of them will sit there and do the same thing over and over and have the best time doing it. 

Carson has seen me check for teeth a few too many times.

Mommy's Lil Mess Maker

If it is possible to make a mess of anything, Madison can and will do it! In these pictures, Madison has virtually emptied John's underwear drawer. She has such a great time!

Mojave NP hike

We went for a hike on Saturday. As always we were on the receiving end of strange looks since we were carrying small children. Anyway...This is the peak. I don't know if you can see the 'bushes' in the background but they are actually Joshua trees and Juniper trees. We were quite a ways up. This pic was taken by a Japanese couple that was hiking ahead of us. They were very nice and friendly but spoke very little English.

This is the biggest Joshua tree that we have ever seen, which I guess isn't saying much since I had never seen one until we moved west.

Do you see the rocks on top of the 'hill'? That is where the trail ended. We are about a mile out at this point.

These two Joshua trees formed an arch over the trail. It was really neat.

Carson getting some hiking in.

This area was a big pile of boulders. John thinks they are lava rocks. They were everywhere but this one was of particular interest due to the little cave area.

The same lava rock area. Carson enjoyed climbing on top of this rock. The leap down into the tree on the right: not so much fun.

This was a neat area to see. I certainly would not call it a 'must see' of the area. The highlight of the day for Carson was peeing on a rock. It was actually a massive boulder and Carson practiacally hugged the thing to make sure he peed on it. It was too funny! Madison slept for a large portion of the hike but enjoyed it while awake.