September 2023 - Just Life and the Heart Rock Trail

Our goings-on, by the photos, in September 2023:

The class Ever had the most homework in was art. It drove me crazy.

I probably took this picture because the girls were cute playing a game together, but also - the mess. Always, the mess. 

We ran into the Gustafsons and the Longs at Annie's Canyon.  

The defrost in the new Chrysler Pacifica doesn't work. Over and over again, it fogged up, and I could not get it unfogged. But the dealership couldn't find anything wrong with it (being unable to test it when it was actually foggy, of course) and seemed to think I just don't understand how defrosting works and didn't give it enough time or something. I took a picture at one point to try to prove to them that it wasn't working. 

I gave up trying to get it fixed, though. It has occasionally worked since. 

My sweet Bear, inexplicably sleeping in sunglasses. 

Lucy and Lola Bowen (friends of Ever and Wren, respectively, from school) came over for a bake-off play date. Lucy and Ever went head-to-head with Wren and Lola on cupcakes with Nutella frosting. Tiny was the judge - a job she relished. 

I found one of our Girls Who Choose God books like this on the living room floor, and I loved that someone was reading it in her spare time.  

Ever's soccer team went for burgers at In-N-Out after a game. (Blurry photo.)

 The Littles killed time being funny together.

Ever's team also had a pool party for her teammate Kaia's birthday. (Ever's on the far left.)

Tiny had a chocolate chip pancake in her lunch box for some reason and ate it after she got home from school. She picked out all the chocolate chips and placed them around the lunchbox to eat at the end. 

We took a quick Thursday/Friday trip to Big Bear and took Ella Rondo with us. We had wanted to go for general conference weekend, but Saturday soccer games required an early return. We hiked the Heart Rock Trail (just 1.8 miles) near Crestline on the way up. Fun Daddy decided to crawl through a hollow tree. It proved much more difficult and painful that one would imagine. 

Smaller people fared a lot better. 

This graffitied pipe was very fun to cross. Tiny inched her way across. 

Berry crawled. 

And then walked.

So Tiny walked. 

Then Ella and Ever wanted to recreate The Beatles' Abbey Road photo. Ever felt that the Littles underperformed. 

Jim climbed this tree, and then the girls took it over and refused to leave. 

Ella and Ever took the tree climbing to another level when they climbed this thing. 

It got a little frightening; a fall wouldn't have been pretty. 

Finally we pulled the children out of the trees and completed the hike to the heart rock. 

Jim showed some leg as he tested the waters.

There was a little more tree climbing on our way out. 

Ever and Ella were supposed to do some sort of service (a YW challenge), so the girls picked up a bunch of garbage as we hiked back. 

We ate lunch at a Mexican place in Lake Arrowhead I had heard was good. It wasn't amazing.  

At the cabin, Tiny disappeared for a while. I found her here.

I love neighborhood walks in the Bear. The children do not. But we got one in. 

Pic of Tiny's class, with Tiny looking mischievous in the back. 

Another pic of Tiny with classmates.

L to R: Kaia Johnson, Ryan D., Tiny, and Savannah

Tiny at her Girl Scout troop's bridging ceremony.

Tiny had a glorious time at a playdate at Maya's house.

Playing at the park at the end of a field trip:

L to R: Ryan D., Vanessa, Kaia Johnson, and Tiny (who is, truly, tinier than everyone)

The stake hosted a manners night for the youth. Our girls' video won a prize.

August 2023 - End of Summer, Beginning of School

The girls and I went to Charlotte Bishop's birthday pool party. The Littles had a lot of fun jumping/diving from the rocks. 

Tiny's non-plate-holding hand was occupied with her towel, so she went to town on the birthday cake hands-free.

Al Long was there with his kids; Maggie was out of town for a girls' weekend/Taylor Swift concert. Right before the girls and I left, Al told me that he thought Leo (their baby) may have aspirated a piece of popcorn, and he was trying to decide if he needed to take him in. I called Jim, who talked to Al and confirmed that Leo needed to be seen. I told Al to let me know if he needed any help with the kids or anything. He waited until the next morning and then, when he still heard the wheezing, called and asked if we could take the other kids while he took Leo into the doctor's office. Jim and I were on a run when he called but said he could drop them off with Ever and we'd be home soon. He ended up having to take Leo to Rady's in San Diego, so we got Afton, Rowen, and Ames for most of the day. Maggie had gotten wind of what was happening because of an appointment confirmation that went to her, so she came back early and picked the kids up in the late afternoon. 

Everybody had a grand time together. First, we ate pancakes. 

Then the kids played outside. Scott offered up their pool (and swimsuits the boys could borrow), and that was amazing. I like Berry's white face. 

The whole gang, including Nathan and Noah, did some drawing tutorials. 

It was great for my kids, and Maggie said her kids talked about how fun it was a long time afterward. Leo had to get a procedure done to remove a piece of popcorn, but he was A-OK. Maggie came back from her trip early, after getting wind of the whole thing when an appointment confirmation went to her instead of Al. She picked up the kids from our house in the late afternoon/evening while Al was still down in San Diego with Leo. 

Found another writing by Bear.

Berry hit a milestone, getting comfortable on a bike. 

Berry and Tiny made more Lego creations.

School started at JCS Mountain Oaks on August 21. Tiny was in second grade with Mrs. Haseyama.

Goosey was in sixth grade with Ms. Nichols (homeroom and art), Mrs. Jun (ELA/humanities), and Mr. Blough (math). 

Berry was in third grade with Mrs. Shimizu.

Ever closed her eyes in her first-day pic with friends in the school parking lot.

Lucy, Ever, Hana and Ryo (not sure which is which), and Leela

The carpool crew (Rafi and Leela and my people):

Tiny got a first-day pic in class with Kaia Johnson (her bestie from first grade). 

Seated at Tiny's table was a new girl, Maya Phillips. I met her parents (Melissa and Greg) and introduced Maya to Tiny. They were both shy and didn't have much to say to each other. Within a few days, though, Tiny's reports about school made it clear that Maya, Kaia, and Tiny had become the three musketeers. They LOVE one another and are adorable together. 

Mrs. Haseyama took first-day class photos. Tiny and Kaia are second and third from the left, in front. Maya is in the black and white shirt in the back.

I don't know where Ever learned this artsy way of writing, but she does it a lot and it's fancy.

She prepared a timeline of her life for school. I loved seeing her sisters' births and her baptism included. 

I don't know why I have this picture of Tiny. Maybe I took it to upload for her fall soccer profile.

She practiced her Let's Play Music songs. 

Berry had to pick a word - something that is important to her - and make display piece and write a paragraph about it. She picked "nature" and made a cool thing that she later hung up in her room. 

End of July 2023 at Home

 The day following our return from Utah, we went on a Sunday afternoon stroll in Carlsbad after church.

Ever worked on her acro skills using the pull-up bar.

Tiny had her own fun on the apparatus, swinging upside-down.

Ever went to a horse camp at Ivey Ranch the next week.

Jim went wild at the new French bakery down by the Vons on El Camino. He got lots of things, including this giant cupcake. 

A homemade fruit pizza added to the sugar fest. 

Wrenzy and Tiny worked hard on a giant Lego creation. 

Ever had girls' camp with the ward Young Women at John and Chantalle Bishop's Lake Arrowhead house (so it was more luxury and less camp). The theme was Rosie the Riveter-inspired.

Shanna Warr, one of the YW counselors, told me afterward that she had no idea how competitive Ever is. Cutthroat. She did quite well in the games and got lots of medals. 

While Ever was gone, I left the Littles home alone for a while. I had this Facebook Messenger exchange with Bear. I just loved the "I love you so much" at the end. When she is affectionate, it is the absolute best. 

Ever went to a birthday party for Ailana Halper from school - dinner, SkyZone, and frozen yogurt.

Ella Herrell, Lucy Bowen, Leela Subrebost, Ever, and Ailana Halper