4 Busy Whites

We packed another picnic, loaded up our bikes and fishing gear (thanks Papa Mark!) and headed over to the lake for another attempt at fishing. No such luck! Not a darn fish was up for the task of being called dinner! The girls actually put their own bait on, except for the nightcrawlers which Doug would put on. They actually got pretty good at casting too. Doug is absolutely the best dad I have ever known. He is so patient with them (and their tangled lines) and really takes the time to teach them new things. They are blessed girls to have such a man in their life! He is a wonderful example to them of a godly father and husband. My prayer is that they will have such a man as I have to share their life with someday! This was a great last day of our vacation week as we packed up and headed home the following day.

We decided to check out the new lake cruise. We spent about an hour and a half on a tour of the lake on a new boat that had arrived back in May. It was pretty cool to check out the points of interest. Our captain was full of stories and he knew where all of the celebrities had lake homes. When we first arrived at the dock the catfish were swarming. Then we realized that there was food pellets for sale and the girls fed the fish. No wonder the fish weren't biting any time we tried to fish....they get a free meal over at the docks! More on that later. During our cruise the captain let Madison actually steer the ship, she loved it! He even let her wear a captain's hat. There is a picture of the solar observatory that is being refurbished and will house the best solar telescope in the world.

On Sunday, we all headed over to the Moonridge Animal Park. This is a preserve for rescued animals. We were able to see (and smell---The porcupines were the worst!) all kinds of animals that are from around this area. There is even a 3 legged bear a friend of ours told us to look for --- he named him "Tripod"! It was a fun morning and the kids enjoyed the slow pace and having so much to see. From there, Mark and Sandy headed for home. Jody and the babies stayed one more night. Since it was "our" birthday, Doug cooked a wonderful spaghtetti dinner for us complete with a Happy Birthday serenade from all the kids and ice cream sandwiches for dessert. Thanks Babe for a wonderful birthday getaway!

We packed a picnic and all headed for the lake! There is a great picnic area and "swim beach" that we found last year for a softball tournament....remember Kym's broken foot episode? Well, this is the place. Anyway, Doug and Mark had fun playing "Hooterville Horseshoes" and the kids had a great time fishing and going to the swim beach. It was a great day!

It was a great way to celebrate Doug & Kym's birthday....a get away to the mountain town of Big Bear. It is easily 30 degrees cooler there and we were greatly appreciative of the time away. We rented a great cabin from a friend of ours and stayed for a whole week! We invited Mark, Sandy, Jody and the babies up for the weekend too. The weekend was spent playing Rummy Tiles, hanging out and really enjoying some great family time. It was Jody's birthday too so there was a lot of celebrating to do.

After we finished the San Diego tournament and checked out of our hotel, we wondered why we should rush back to the 115 degree desert. We were staying at Cardiff by the Sea (near Del Mar) so we headed to the beach to enjoy a couple hours of the ocean breeze! It was so nice after the busy tournament weekend to just grab some Subway sandwiches and cop a squat at a small beach along the highway. We had a great time watching all the surfers. The girls had fun playing in the water, digging holes and searching for beautiful seashells. About 4 o'clock, we realized we'd better head for home. On the drive home, we talked about God's amazing creation of the ocean and how a whole other world exists below the surface and how He created a perfect enviroment for those creatures as well. I hope our girls will always "still feel small when they stand beside the ocean" and give praise to their Creator.

Chelcie's All Star Softball team qualified to go to the California Regional Tournament in San Diego. This is their 3rd year qualifying for that tournament. We started the weekend off by an Opening Ceremony at Qualcomm Stadium followed by a weekend of great softball. The girls made it through to Sunday, which was farther than they ever have. Two more games on Sunday was all the action we saw and placed 6th in the tournament. Chelcie loves this sport and we are her biggest fans!

We headed to LA for a Father's Day gift of a Dodger game! It was a great way to beat the heat of the desert. It was a beautiful summer evening of America's game...baseball! We cheered our Dodgers on to victory over the Atlanta Braves. Chelcie was shocked to see that even the pros make mistakes. Madison cheered on her new favorite...Gonzales #26 in left field. Why is he her favorite? He was playing near the left field bleachers where we were at and "he seems nice"!