Los Valles

A few days after Christmas we started getting a little stir crazy, and decided it was time for an adventure. We drove 2 hours south to check out Rancho Cucamunga. We’d heard the Bass Pro Shop was tons of fun for kids, and I wanted to check out the mall. So off we went. The Bass Pro Shop is on of my boys new favorite things. The love checking out all the trophy fish, and tacking the glass elevator under water. In fact they cried when we said it was time to leave. I think they would have stayed there all day.

Helaman now says that is where we need to move now. Before that it was always L.A., but I think we just haven’t been there in a while. Could the giant fish be better than the beach? I am excited to save up and take them to a real aquarium now. (Just not this month when I have to pay my gigantic ticket! )

We also ate some delicious fudge, and very briefly checked out the rest of the store. They really wanted to try shooting the guns in the big hunting game, but we didn’t have any quarters. Next time.

The mall was HUGE and overwhelming, and all we really did there was walk around for a little bit and use the bathrooms. I think that I was with the wrong crowd for that to be a fun part of the trip. After that we hit up Costco and had some great sample and bought some delicious uncooked flour tortillas that we just can’t get enough of. Then we took the kids out to dinner at Chili’s, which they didn’t love, but we always do!

Chili’s was right next door to a Krispy Kreme, and the hot light was on when we came out, so we took the boys to another one of their favorite activities, watching the donuts be made. They sat there through the whole big long cycle watching this little baby donut get stuck and then make it’s way through. The guy at Krispy Kreme though they were so cute he gave it to them, plus some free mini-donuts (they got to pick any kind the wanted!) Needless to say, they though that was great!

For New Years Eve we splurged and took the boys to a Japanese restaurant here in town where they cook the food on your table and do tricks. They were excited to get shrimp and rice for dinner, but were not very impressed with the cooking. In fact they were a little terrified of the firey parts (Isaiah was in tears at one point). Helaman likes to tell me now that he loves eating rice with chopsticks. Who doesn’t like shoveling the food straight into their mouth?

Then we watched the ball drop at 9, and put the kids to bed. Omar and I end up staying up until midnight almost every night anyway, so we did our usual and then kissed at 12. Then the crazy illegal fireworks started going off all over Ridgecrest, including right down our block. So we enjoyed the show in the freezing cold for a while and then ran for our warm bed. It was a fun night.

The next day Omar didn’t feel very good so the only exciting thing we did was go to McDonald’s that night. Helaman was very proud of himself because he went and ordered his own kid’s cone after he was done with his dinner. He is much braver about “people” things than I am. I still get nervous ordering sometimes. I don’t think we are going to have to worry about him being shy! I love this picture of Helaman, too. Such a handsome little guy!

The ONLY thing Helaman wanted to do to celebrate New Years was go to Fossil Falls. So, we took them next day when Omar was feeling a little better. We ran errands all morning, at lunch at Taco Bell and then headed up the mountains with some friends. The boys LOVED it. In fact, Omar gave a Family Home Evening lesson on goals that Monday, and Helaman’s goal for the year was to go to fossil falls a lot. We couldn’t talk him into anything else!

Omar had never been to Fossil Falls with us before, and he thought it was really cool, too. Helaman always cries when it’s time to go. They are both little mountain goats out there, crawling around. Omar had heard it was scary with little kids, but we always have lots of fun. I don’t think I would do it by myself, though. It’s nice to have extra hands.

After we left we drove up to the Little Lake overlook and learned about all the volcanos in the area. In fact, for those of you who have gone with us, that weird red mountain where you turn to Fossil Falls that looks like a mining pile is actually the most recently active volcano in that area. I still miss lots of green and I really miss the water, but the desert is definitely cool in it’s own unique ways.

I am so grateful for my family and all the fun we have together!

My parents and Greta came to spend Easter weekend with us. We were happy to see them, and had lots of fun, until poor Dad and Greta and Helaman got sick. Easter was kind of a dreary day at our house. But it was still really nice to be together.

On Friday my Aunt Ann and her husband and a few of her kids came to play with us. We started the day at the Armament Museum on base. It was kind of cool, and kind of disappointing because there was no one there to do a tour, so we just kind of wandered around and were overwhelmed by all the technical mumbo jumbo.

But we did see some missiles and bombs and airplanes. And it is always fun to hang out together.

Helaman and I think we’re so funny!

After the museum we drove out to Fossil Falls. The kids had tons of fun climbing on the rocks before we even started hiking to the falls, and all the way there. It was really good for Helaman watching all the other kids be brave and strong, and by the end of the day he wanted to go where ever anyone else did.

I carried Isaiah in the my hiking backpack down the trail. It was so much fun. Omar doesn’t enjoy hiking and it was nice to have people who wanted to do it with me. Especially considering hiking is what there is to do around here…

The hike to fossil falls is really short and easy and really worth it! It was even cooler than I had imagined. Grandpa was great taking care of Helaman. At first they just stayed on top and then sat on a hole. The longer we were there the braver Helaman got, and he even let Grandpa take him down in the bottom of the ravines. I was so proud of him!

And if Helaman is doing it, Isaiah must do it to. He is fearless under normal circumstances, and had no problem at all in the rocks. He was very calm for him, gratefully!

After that we went to the gardens at the Maturango Museum and then we tried to go to Ransburg, but everything there closes at 4 or the stragglers at 5. Since that didn’t work out we drove to Victorville and went out to dinner at Olive Garden. We all had a great time!