Camping!

We went on the Maples 1st Inaugural camping trip to the high Sierras this weekend! We rented a camper from the base Outdoor Rec facility and we were off. The remote campsite was private, and we joined 5 other military families from our street to enjoy it. The kids did great, although the campsite was flush with very fine 'moon dirt', so it got into/on everything! We almost ran out of wipes trying to clean the kids, but they were dirty again within 5 min. We hiked the 'Trail of 100 Giants', caught little frogs in the meadow, watched the free range cattle and of course cooked smores! It was a lot of fun, and we'll certainly do it again. Enjoy!

Maddie would be so proud!

Who's the real spectator here??

Standing inside a giant sequoia!

Token family pic. :)

Classic example of the moon dirt!

Around the house

Maddie's creativity has increased of late, due in part to the preschool she's been attending. She's made a number of art projects at school and they're proudly displayed in the kitchen for all to see. She helps around the house (with prompting) and today she wanted to put a diaper on her bunny. She was so proud! Hunter's vocabulary is expanding daily, with new words "help, wow, yeah, and book." He's building w/his blocks and running everywhere! The two of them are playing together which is so fun to watch. Enjoy.

Good thing Hunter has on his hat!

What fun!

One of momma's flowers in her garden.

In the process.

I did it!

Projects & Parties

This weekend proved to be a busy one, with several projects around the house and a 4th of July party hosted at our house. Below are some pics of Shannon's goodies, Bill's bench project and of course, the kids. They are having fun playing together as you can tell. Hunter's new words include "Maddie, down, water, beep-beep" and he has started to nod/shake his head when asked a question. Maddie has enjoyed 2 weeks of preschool at the Montessori School and brings home art projects almost everyday. We took them on a trip to Manhattan Beach outside LA last weekend, which was a fun trip and Maddie's 1st to the beach! Enjoy!

Flag & 'Firecrackers' courtesy of Shannon!

The before.....

....and the after!

Hunter often walks around w/his hands like this...its the funniest thing!

Maddie & Hunter enjoying the car toy.

Maddie's 1st beach trip!

He hangs on even in his sleep when Momma's driving! ;)