Bears

This was our first camping trip for all of us! We were very excited about our trip. We spent 4 nights in the beautiful mountains of the Sequoia National Forest. We saw a lot of wild life and many beautiful waterfalls and trees. We went on many hikes and had a great time. The children had so much fun and loved every minute! It was absolutely breathe taking. But I must say the highlight of our trip was being chased by a black bear! Here goes the tale . . .

We were told by the park rangers that there has been active bear activity by Crescent and Round Meadow if we were interested in seeing bears.Well, who isn't interested in seeing beautiful black bears in their natural environment? So we take a drive to this most gorgeous meadow. When we arrive there are a group of girls who are so excited to tell us that they just saw 11 bears! Of course we are all excited and giddy to see.

As we arrive we see mama bears with their babies and a park ranger standing guard. We stand behind the park ranger and admire the cute cub who is frolicking on the log, climbing a tree, and playing on the park bench. We stand and admire - oohh and ahhh - and then the park ranger tells us 5 more minutes. So after our 5 minutes you would think we would leave - well, we all get this brilliant idea to walk along the other side of the meadow where we see more people admiring bears!

As we walk along the trail we run into this nice lady who shows us all these wonderful pictures she has taken of the bears. She even lets us look at the bears through this wonderful telescopic lens she has. Once again we oohh and ahhh and what do we do? We continue onto the path getting closer to bears in the distance.

As we are walking I decide I do not want to get any closer and I get the kids and my hubby and we turn around and start walking AWAY from the bears. (Afterall there is a sign posted that states do not get too close to the bears!) They were getting a little too close for my comfort! We are strolling along when I hear one of our friends scream "RUN!!!!"! I do not run because we are told that it is the worst thing you could ever do until . . .I turn around and see this big black bear running in my direction. It was close enough for me to hear the sound of its claws hit the pavement - and then I began to panic! I yell at Will to scoop up Dylan and I grab Mackenzie and we RUN! I have NEVER ran so fast in my life!

Luckily the bear stopped chasing us for whatever reason. I have never been so scared in my entire life!!!! Once we were safe I ask what the heck happened? I guess as our family turned around and walked away there was a brown bear in the meadow who got up on its hind legs because a black bear was coming down the hill. I don't know if the 2 were planning on dueling it out, but that scared our friend because she was caught between them and she panicked and screamed and started running. Well, that set the black bear off! Instead of worrying about the brown bear, he saw her as prey!

We later learned that black bears are very docile and do not like the odors humans carry. We could even be holding food and it wouldnot attack us. However, the minute you run, there is something instinctual in them to chase after something that is running. So, if you ever run into a black bear - stop - stand your ground - and SLOWLY walk backwards. If it continues to come your way - look big and make loud noises - DO NOT RUN!!!!!

I must say since that first encounter with the bear I was very nervous about the rest of our hikes. I kept my eye out for anything that moved and NEVER ran! I must say it is much easier said than done to stay calm when a 250 pound bear is within 10 feet of you. When I saw a bear I stopped and did not forge on - I did not need to continue on the trail. I was ok with going back the way we came and not seeing the rest of the path. For me - the bears always had the right of way and I would gladly turn around and leave. One close encounter with a running bear was all I needed!

Substitue Tooth Fairy

I apologize for the delay in this post . . . this event occurred in May and I am just now getting around to posting it! YIKES!

Mackenzie lost her second tooth this week! Both of her canines are gone and she has a silly grin now. Anyway, she has a tooth pillow that has two pockets on it. One on the front where you put the tooth in - with a little plastic tooth shaped container - and a larger pocket on the backside of the pillow for the tooth fairy to leave money or whatever else might appear.

It has always been my job to be the tooth fairy. Before I go to bed I sneak in and do the deed. Luckily the pillow sits on her shelf and I do not have to maneuver getting it from under her pillow. Well, last night I completely FORGOT! Luckily when Will was getting ready for work at 4a.m., he remembered to ask me about the tooth. Thank you Will for saving me. I asked him to take care of it since he was already up.

So in the morning after I wake her up I am making breakfast and I hear, "Mom! The tooth fairy put the money in the wrong pocket. That's weird." Then a few moments later I hear, "Mom!!!! The tooth fairy took my little white container! Why did she do that? How am I going to get it back? Will you help me look for it? Maybe it dropped somewhere when she was taking my tooth."

Luckily we had just rented the movie Tooth Fairy with Dwayne Johnson and I very easily explained that there must have been a substitute tooth fairy or maybe a tooth fairy in training. I reminded her how Dwayne Johnson had to learn the ropes and made some silly mistakes until he got the hang of it! Watching the movie she had also learned that there are many tooth fairies (both male and female) who have the important job of retrieving the tooth - that it was not just one fairy doing the job alone. So this easily explained why things could be done a little differently at times. She completely understood and it all made sense.

But now the little white plastic container . . . She wanted me to immediately start a search of her room. Luckily it was a weekday and she knows we are on a time schedule to get to school so I could convince her that I will look as soon as we got home. She really wanted her container back and was concerned that the same fairy may not come next time and worse yet she did not have any other wiggly teeth! She said, "it will be a while and I will be in second grade before I loose another tooth. What if the tooth fairy misplaces my container!" Good point.

So quick thinking on my part - I distract her and tell her to put her shoes on, get her jacket on, put her lunchbox in her backpack, blah blah blah as I race to our room to retrieve the container and stuff it into my pocket. I sneak into her room and shove it behind the bookcase that her tooth pillow sits on. She sees me coming out of her room and questions why am I in there. I just explained that I saw her jammies on the floor and was kind enough to pick them off the floor for her and how many times had I told her that jammies need to be put on her bed after getting dressed! LOL.

After we get home from school she starts and immediate search for the container and low and behold she found her little white container and all is well. She hopes next time she doesn't get a substitute tooth fairy or one that is in training. I guess I better do my job! Or train daddy to do it "right"!

Centennial Farm

Whenever we go to visit my Aunt Susan in Garden Grove, we always stop at the OC swap meet and Centennial Farm.

One of our yummy treats we always get is a Lemon Pie carmel apple. Sounds weird but is to die for. This lady makes the most awesome apples.

Then the next yummy treat is a stop to buy Arizona Jack's Jerky. This Jerky melts in your mouth and is so tasty. We love the hot jerky but their teriyaki jerky is good too.

Once we have our loot, we walk over to the farm to see all the animals. It is an incredible farm. Admission is free and there is so much to see. They have pigs, cows, geese, sheep, roosters, hens, rabbits, goats, peacocks, ducks, and horses.

The kids love spending time there just visiting with the animals. This last weekend Daisy the pig just had 10 piglets on April 11th. They were so adorable. Mackenzie LOVES the piglets. She stands along the railing and the little piglets suck/nibble on the tips of her shoes. It's quite endearing!

Daisy with the piglets

Piglets trying to find Kenzie's shoe to suck on

They also had 2 baby calves who had just been bottle fed and would try to continue to "nurse" on your hand when you pet them. That was quite a slobbery experience. Dylan did not like all the slobber at all!

He is sucking on one hand as I use my other to snap his picture!

The farm also has a HUGE crop area. I also learned so much about how vegetables grow. Maybe it's the teacher in me, but I was so fascinated by all the crops. I did not know that artichokes (which I have never tried) grow on a plant that looks like a bush. I thought they would grow close to the ground like cabbage. I also learned that brussel sprouts grown on the stem of the plant. I thought they would grow much like cabbages do. It was fun to see the first shoots of asparagus and the rows of ripe strawberries. How rewarding it must be to see the fruits of one's labor.

artichokes

brussel sprouts

Dylan by the cornstalkDylan with cabbages

Maybe in my next life I will live on a farm and take care of livestock and grow some veggies! It would be fun . . . . . .for a day!

Mackenzie and Samara

Look at these giddy girls. They had so much fun with each other at their sleep over.

Mackenzie said it was a great day! She got to eat her favorite food (pizza) for dinner. Then they made cupcakes and ate some. They were then indulged with ice cream and a cool purse filled with all kinds of goodies. She stayed up late watching movies, playing on the wii, and chatting with Samara.

In the morning her mom made pancakes which had an "M" on it and had her hair done! She was in seventh heaven!

Brotherly Love

Mackenzie went on her first official sleep over last night at her best friend's house. As you can imagine she was so excited and was counting down the hours until she could be dropped off. The girls had their whole night planned and were super excited.

Now Dylan on the other hand . . . he was so super sad that his sister was going somewhere he was not. He understood why he couldn't go, but it didn't help the situation. He pouted and whined when we dropped her off and the entire night kept asking when she would be home. Enough to drive me crazy and I decided that Mackenzie may never go on another sleep over unless her brother goes too - ok - I guess that's not fair to her. But seriously I wanted to scream by the 23rd time he asked how much longer till his sister comes home. C'mon dude - you should enjoy the "only child" time with your mommy and daddy! We took him out to dinner, he got to go to his favorite store Target and buy a toy, and I let him stay up late and play video games with his dad! He enjoyed all these activities but he always remembered someone was missing!

Then, at 6:10 the next morning I hear sobbing coming from his room. I open the door to ask why he was crying big crocodile tears and his response? "I miss my sister!" Seriously? I explained she would be back that afternoon and that he would be ok. Later that day I asked why he was crying so much and he said, "She's my sister and I just love her so much!"

So sweet. I have to type these posts so that I can remember how much he loves her because I know there will come a day when he won't want anything to do with her! I hope that's not for a long time.

The Ranch

This is an absolutely stunning ranch located within the Cleveland National Forest. There are 10 families that reside on the 4,500 acre ranch. Eight of the 10 homes date back to the 1920 and 1930's. There are long horn steer, deer, and wild turkeys roaming the ranch. There are also many horses on the property that roam free in the valley. Such a breathe taking place.

We saw some deer.

Old stables

Old School House

Relaxing in the hammock in the backyard of the Meyers.

It was a beautiful day at the Corte Madera Ranch. The kids got to go for a little horseback ride as well.

Such a confident first time rider!

Big Bear

For Spring Break we decided to head up to Big Bear and enjoy the snow one last time. I couldn't believe how much snow was still left on the ground from the last snow storm. As we were driving up the mountain it was spectacular. The kids were so excited to see all the snow just on the side of the road! The weather was great during our stay too. It was about 60 degrees in the day so the kids could just run around with a long sleeve shirt and didn't have to be all bundled up and could move about freely! They were really happy about that!

We rented the cutest little cabin at Pine Knot Ranch. It was a great place with a huge yard with a hill for sledding. They also had a little barn with 2 llamas and 2 bunnies that kids enjoyed feeding. The kids had so much fun just romping around in the snow and exploring/experimenting with the snow. They stayed outside for such a long time! For those of you who Kenzie and Dylan - they love the outdoors anyway - so to add snow to that mix was just heavenly for them. Especially because there were patches on the ground that were melting and quickly turning the ground into this slushy muddy mess. Will and I just watched them and were betting who would fall face first into the mud puddle!

The kids were tickled pink to take a bath in this luxurious tub. We lit the candles, turned on the jets and they got to watch Disney channel at the same time. They thought this was SO cool. Dylan asked if we could take the tub home with us!

Our future home in Big Bear - LOL! Not on a teacher's salary!

The kids tormenting - I mean petting the bunnies.

Mackenzie feeding Dolly.

We also took the kids to a tubing park and they had a blast. Thank goodness for the belt that you can ride on to take you back up the hill. Can't imagine walking up the hill to the top for 3 hours straight.

Going up the hill with Daddy.

Time for a quick rest before heading back up.

I think we will make this a yearly event! Next year we are hoping the Sippels will join us!