Summer vacation 2010 in Parts...Part 1, The Resort

I brought my camera, but it is HUGE and not very good for things like water parks, beaches, and amusement parks.  So I apologize for the few pics and the low quality...we made many memories, we just didn't capture them!

First, we arrived at our resort...a FABULOUS place called Terranea in Rancho Palos Verdes.  

Can we all say WOW!

 

There was a fabulous pool...

 

 

With a waterslide...

Which had lots of steps...

And a lovely hot tub...

(yes, this IS the hot tub!)

There were beautiful views of the ocean in the back...

 

 

And we all slept like kings and queens...

...especially JMonster, who probably had the comfiest bed in the whole villa!

Garden Bountiful

Since I told you yesterday I was checking the garden to see what was growing after our trip, 

I thought I'd share a picture of a portion of what I found.  

(A portion since some of the kiddos got to my pile before I was able to take the picture!) 

Notice the ShamWOW! 

That's Life, But...

Tonight we arrived home after being gone for 2 weeks.  

Legoland, Disneyland, and the beach...followed by my 20 year high school reunion.  

I'll do many a post about our vacation in the next few days, I promise!

I went to check on the garden after we finished dinner.   See if we had any cukes or tomatoes out there.

As I was picking through the vines I saw a female cardinal flying around in the periphery of my eye.

After a few minutes I realized it was trapped in our compost bin.

(It is a large enclosure of pvc pipe and chicken wire with a green plastic barrier fencing as the lid.)

I went inside to get my sister so she could help me "free" the bird.  

I was afraid of literally scaring it to death by an attempt at freeing it by myself.

We opened both sides of the bin and held it open so she could fly out.

She wouldn't.  She kept flying around inside the enclosure for several minutes.

Finally, she flew close to the top and then flew away.

It was when we were closing the lid back that we realized something we hadn't...the female's mate was in the bin.  

Dead.

They must have been trapped in there together and couldn't get out.

Only the female survived.

I know that's life, but it still makes me sad.

Fourth of July & Fourth Celebration

This year we celebrated the Fourth of July in a very unusual way.  

We didn't cook out.  

We didn't go to the pool.  

We didn't watch fireworks.  

We went to the movies.

(horrible pic, I know!  Took it of the screen.  Tee hee!)

And out to eat.

Yep, that's how we celebrated the actual 4th.

Now on the 5th...

We ate yummy foods...

We went swimming...

(JMonster and Flower)

Cousin "A"

We had a parade...

(see JMonster in his motorcycle helmet?  I'm a stickler for safety!)

And fun was had by ALL!!!

God has truly blessed America...and me.

The world through JMonster's eyes

JMonster got his camera out today.  You know the one...his adorable Diego camera he got from his grandmothers for his 3rd birthday.  He had me put new batteries in it.  Then he had me download all of the pictures off of it so he could start afresh.

Here are a few of the pictures he took today.

He actually was trying to pose us...too adorable!  "Daddy, you do this..." and he'd strike some pose that looked like a model.

Maybe we have a fledgling photographer on our hands!

If so, we'll need to get him a MUCH better camera.

Cousin "A"

 Auntie M (Not sure WHAT she was doing!)

 

A picture of me taken unaware!

 A basketball!?!

His camera has a timer on it.  These last few were taken with him setting the camera up, setting the timer, and then "arranging" us!