Accidental Hiking

On Saturday we were out and about, and impulsively decided to head back to The Biggest Loser Ranch for some hiking.  When we got there, we learned that it is part of the National Park Service and was closed due to the government shutdown.  Fail. 

 

As we were leaving the area, we accidentally stumbled upon Malibu Creek State Park, which just so happens to be included with the State Park Pass we bought at the beginning of the year.  On the fly, we stopped in the park to see what it was.

 

 

It turned out to be miles and miles of hiking trails!  We headed out on a short path to the Visitor's Center to try and get a map or some information.  The nature views just heading to the Visitor's Center were so beautiful!

Just outside the Visitor's Center we found a cool cactus bush type thing, which the girls insisted on touching to see how sharp it was...

Inside the Visitor's Center we found a ton of information and exhibits, and the girls had a blast checking out the interactive exhibits.  The docents were so knowledgeable and friendly, and we learned a ton about the park.

We learned that it is used by film and TV studios as a set for everything from the Midwest to the Wild West to Korea to Afghanistan.  We watched a short film clip that showed pieces of movies and shows that had been filmed there, such as Pleasantville, Planet of the Apes, Anchorman, and M.A.S.H.  It was so neat to see the trail we had just walked down, within the set of a movie!  One of the settings we saw over and over again in the short film clip was of a rock pool.  The docent informed us that the rock pool was only a short 8 minute hike away, so naturally we had to go check it out.

There were a lot of people jumping in off the rocks and swimming, so of course Austyn had to get her feet wet.

After that we headed back toward the car, because we hadn't prepared for any long hikes.

We can't wait to head back and explore further.  We still have yet to find the M.A.S.H. site, and the Reagan Ranch, where Reagan lived for about 15 years.  We will be back in the very near future!

Basketball Season

Basketball season started last night for the girls. Neither of them have ever played before so we aren't quite sure what to expect. Austyn is in the Itty Bitty league, so they do some basketball drills and then a really formal "scrimmage" where they can work on their skills.

Austyn did really great! She has an awesome jump shot! She was one of the tallest kids out there so that may give her an advantage if she sticks it out with basketball.

Taylor is in Division 1 so they actually play games. She also had skills practice before the game started. They used the outdoor courts and I thought it was so cool to be outside shooting hoops with the mountain in the background. You just don't get that particular experience in the Midwest.

They use the scoreboard to keep time but they don't keep score yet at this age. Taylor asked me to bring a notebook next time and keep score because she really wants to know who the winner is...

One kid had to sit out each quarter because they had 6 kids at the game...but Taylor got to play the entire game!

Both kids had a blast and are already looking forward to their practices and games next week. Basketball is going to keep us busy 3 nights a week for the next couple of months but it will be worth it!

We have the smartest kids in the world!

At least I think we do.

The 2nd trimester of school just ended for the girls. I got a text from Austyn's teacher on Monday saying that Austyn was going to be receiving an award at the award ceremony on Tuesday morning. Later in the day I got a call saying that Taylor too would be getting an award.

Dave and I were fortunate enough to both be able to attend the award ceremony Tuesday morning. Only 8 students in Austyn's class were chosen to receive an award (out of 30 kids!) so it was a really proud moment for her and for us parents too.

She received the Academic Achievement Award in math! I was so proud of my girl that I teared up while cheering her on!

Taylor was presented one of three awards in her class for Accelerated Reader. We don't know which place she finished in but she is one of the top 3 readers in her class (also 30 kids)!! She is 2/3 through second grade and is already reading at the fourth grade level! Again, so proud of my girl!

We hadn't been to Yogurtland in a very long time, so we splurged and went there after dinner to reward the girls for their awesome academic performance. They loved the fro yo AND the extra attention they got from us. We are so so proud of our girls!

That Just Might Have Been the Best Weekend of my Life!

Friday I got done working early afternoon, so we decided to make an impromptu beach visit. We headed to a local place just to sit in the sand and take in the sights, sounds, and smell of the ocean. The kids packed just a shovel and bucket. It was a really laid back afternoon. I even left the camera and phone at home, just trying to unplug. The day was a little grey, but it was still the perfect temperature and scenery.

And then we saw dolphins. Not too far from shore, tons of them, and we ALL 4 were squealing with delight. And then I mentally kicked myself for leaving the camera behind. It was so beautiful!

We had such a great time that Saturday we decided to beach it again. We bought a California state park annual pass so we decided to cross a new state beach off the list and so we headed to Carpenteria.

Even the drive was gorgeous!

This time we packed up the baseball/gloves and volleyball and made a full afternoon of it. We started with a beach walk, where we quickly learned that the water was actually warm enough to get in. We all took off our shoes and walked the north side of the beach in the water the whole way. It was awesome!

We came across a tide pool (more of a tide river?) and stopped to play in it awhile. Austyn was doing cannon balls...

After our walk we played some volleyball and catch in the sand. It was way more fun than playing the same things in the grass :)

Since we learned that the water was finally warming up, Sunday we put on our swimsuits and headed up to Carpinteria (aka my new favorite beach) again. This time we started with a beach walk down the south part of the beach that we hadn't seen yet. This time we saw more tide pools, complete with tons of ocean life. Taylor was terrified by the hermit crabs, but other than that we were all mesmerized.

I found the best looking sand dollar I've ever found "in the wild".

We saw mussels, starfish, shrimp, hermit crabs, sea anemone, and ladybugs. Yep, ladybugs. They can swim!

After that we set up camp on the beach and spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the sand and finally getting in the ocean!

And other than my raging sunburn, we had a really awesome weekend!

Indiana Part 2

We left off on Saturday afternoon. Saturday night we had a huge and awesome bonfire, with s'mores of course. Unfortunately no pictures...I was too busy shoving s'mores in my face hole.

Sunday we went to church with my mom and then headed to her house for Easter lunch and an Easter egg hunt.

I have no idea how I managed to get NO PICTURES of the girls in their Easter dresses.

We got to catch up with almost everyone from that side of the fam and it was awesome!

Monday we met up with Auntie Jen and had a play date at the park. The kids had such a blast!

By Tuesday we were headed back to the airport, having seen almost everyone we hoped to. It was a lot of fun to go back home and see everyone but it was also great to get back home and back into our regular routine.

And out of the cold!

From Cali to Indy

The girls were on Spring Break for the last 2 weeks so we decided to head back to the Midwest for a few days to visit with as many friends and family as we could squeeze in.

We flew into Chicago and it was the girls' first time on an airplane. Taylor was appropriately impressed with all of it. Taking off, watching the world get smaller, flying inside the clouds, and so on. She was a little disappointed though, that we weren't flying very fast. To her, the plane felt "way slower than a roller coaster".

Austyn was impressed by flying in theory. She liked the idea of flying up in the sky and being in the clouds and all that, but when she realized that each seat had its very own TV she didn't have eyes for anything else. She watched The Disney Channel the entire flight.

We were able to squeeze in a short visit at Great Grandma's house. It was fun to have her all to ourselves for a little while!

Next we headed to Grandma's house for 2 days of playing at the park, loving on the cats and bear (er, dog), taking walks outside in the crisp almost-spring weather, eating lots of yummy food that we don't get in Cali, and awesome nightly fires to thaw us out.

Friday night the girls spent the night with Mama and Papa while Dave and I went out with friends (separately). It was so much fun to catch up with old friends, I haven't laughed so hard in a very long time! Of course after 4 months of being with the kids nonstop, I missed them terribly after only one night away!

Saturday we spent the day at Great Grandpa and Grandma (part deux)'s house. The whole family came out for an Easter Egg hunt and the world's most awesome biscuits and gravy.

There was lots of quality cousin time, screaming, laughing, singing, and screaming some more.

Someone stole my phone and photo trickery ensued.

More cousin time when baby Lily arrived. She is so cute!

The guy holding her isn't half bad either...

Part 2 coming up in the next post!