Train clips

I've posted these mainly for Jack's benefit.

I love capturing Paige in her own little world :)

Roaring Camp, Felton, CA

An old burned out bridge...

The kids had no idea why I asked them to do this...

Jack- being a such a boy...why do they always turn everything into a weapon?

Apparently, a lot of these trees do not come from seeds. There is one tree that simply grows other trees from their roots surrounding them and giving them a stable base. And the ground is not "earth" exactly...just thousands of years of tree litter built up.

We actually got to see the engine get filled with 600 gallons of water from this water tower.

The girls thought these hills looked like mashed potatoes. (I think that was just Emily and wishful thinking.)

One of the highlights of our trip was this stop at Roaring Camp in Felton. We got to ride on a train through a redwood forest. We marveled at the 3000 year old trees and got to experience our first steam engine ride. Jack, of course, had a great time...I had forgotten how serious he gets on train rides. It was a little pricey, but we would definitely recommend checking it out if you're in the area.

From the website: In the 1880s, narrow-gauge steam locomotives were used to haul giant redwood logs out of the mountains. Roaring Camp's steam engines date from 1890 and are among the oldest and most authentically preserved narrow-gauge steam engines providing regularly scheduled passenger service in America.In the 1880s, narrow-gauge steam locomotives were used to haul giant redwood logs out of the mountains. Roaring Camp's steam engines date from 1890 and are among the oldest and most authentically preserved narrow-gauge steam engines providing regularly scheduled passenger service in America.

We're Back!

We had a really good Thanksgiving vacation this past week. I took over 250 photos, so I will try to get a few of them up over the next few days. We started our journey Friday night after Emily's soccer practice and stopped in Paso Robles. Not much to show this day except the lovely hotel room at the Courtyard Marriott.

Y'all Ready For This?

This is why I'm tired at the end of the day... :)

Chili Pepper Soccer Party & Tourny

The girls had an end of season soccer tournament followed by a pizza party for Emily's team. Emily's team was part of the "England" group that won the tournament for their division. So we had soccer from 9 in morning til 6 at night followed by Round Table pizza and a cake I made- the girls got to smear some of it on the coaches face. Emily's award said "Most Aggressive/Great All-Around Player".

November Birthdays

Had a family get together for the birthdays in November...my mom, Emily, and Sarah. Emily got everything she wanted and more! Big thanks to everyone!

Emily Donates Her Hair Again

Ulta very skillfully chopped off about a foot! It's all for a good cause. Emily donated her hair to Locks of Love which makes real hair wigs for cancer patients. Emily loves her new hair-do because of how easy it is to brush and take care of. Someone said that she looked like an American Girl doll...so I looked it up and coincidentally, the doll's name is Emily!

The Charmer

Add Glitter to Pictures
Jack wanted to pick a flower for me on one of our walks...

Pre-School

Some of you have asked about Jack's preschool following the fires. Well, he has been back at school for a few weeks now. I took these pictures sitting in a parking space at the school to show just how close the fires got. Those are just a few of the outside play structures. I was just reading about the fires in Montecito and it reminded me that I had taken these photos. Hope the people up there are managing :(

Stingray's End of Season Party

Chris and Paige had a great season. There is still a tournament on Sat., but they had the party last weekend at Round Table Pizza. My mom and grandma were able to come. All the girls loved getting their trophies and most parents wanted to know if Chris was going to coach again next year. They thanked him for volunteering his time and providing their girls with a good experience. They didn't win as many games as we would have liked, but overall the team learned some skills and had a good time. (And Chris and Paige had some great bonding time.)