Monday, we headed off to Riley's Farm to pick fresh raspberries off the bush. They are delectable! What's really nice about this working farm is... you can check the website to see what fruit they have available for picking - that day! This was the first time this summer we'd been able to get over there... but hopefully it's not the last. You can pile high a half-pint container of raspberries for only $2.50! The only downer was getting bitten by weird biting flies. It's fine if you're a fast picker (like me) but painful if you're waiting for others to finish because they keep eating off the bush...
Today, the girls opted to head off to Forest Falls, where the tallest waterfall in southern California is located. The girls have become stronger, so hiking to the falls didn't take longer than 10 minutes. Fording the stream was a different story... I ended up having to carry them both over and the water was cold enough that after carrying the second child, my feet started to go numb. After we hiked up to the vista point to see the tip of the waterfall (bottom left pix), the girls played around the stream area for a couple of hours. I love going here, because it's so quiet and peaceful.
The highlight for me, though, was getting these photos! The photo on the left was taken at 5.8x while the one on the right was a macro shot of the underside of a rock that had been submerged in water. If you click on the the picture, you'll see something in the very center that looks like a flat cricket (it's actually a larval stonefly; life cycle info can be found here) and to the right, you'll see this worm-like black thing - that's a larval black fly, which you can read about here. You'll note some pictures (like this) in which the larva appears to have these fan-like appendages on their head - they actually help catch food particles for the larva. I wish I could have found dragonfly nymphs or crane fly larvae for Marika to see, but I guess this stream didn't have the right conditions (water temperature and water speed are very important). Crane flies, by the way, are those weird fluttery things that look like giant mosquitoes.
We really had a great time - we were invited to go along with our next-door neighbors (who are really fun) and they happened to have a Sea Doo. Does anybody else think of James Bond? ;) DaddyDude and I got to drive it - but then I decided it was more fun to have DaddyDude drive, so all I had to worry about was hanging on for dear life as we bounced along the wakes. VERY FUN! The girls (especially Mika) had a blast, though half the time Marika wailed that she wanted to go back to me (on shore).
For the rest of DaddyDude's staycation, we went to the local waterpark (again)...
And the girls FINALLY went to the movie theater - for the first time ever! Yeah, I know... it's pretty late for them to get started. DaddyDude and I probably hadn't been to the movies in over 7 years. YES! SEVEN YEARS! The last movie we saw was Chicken Little (in our defense - I think our first choice had been sold out).
And finally, one of the perks of DaddyDude being on staycation is... he cooks! He made some yummy sliders today - aren't they cute? And can you guess where we got the mini burger press? Joann's! Yes, they were in the 70% off aisle, so for $7.49 + tax, we got ourselves some really cute burgers! Topped with cheese, carmelized onions and some herb salad, they were delectable on those Hawaiian sweet rolls! Yup - Joann's is NOT just for scrappers and sewers! :)
We've spent the past few days having loads of fun on the Colorado River - I'll post more pictures tomorrow...
In the meantime, I'll leave you with this picture of an adult caddisfly. I haven't seen these guys since I lived in Massachusetts, so I was pretty excited. This insect order (Trichoptera) contains some very interesting biological characteristics in the larval stages - not only do they live in water, but they often create elaborate "cases" for themselves (for protection and concealment). You can see some examples here, here, and here. You'll notice that the last link has some items that look like jewelry - and you'd be absolutely correct (I actually do own one such piece)! Here's one artist who, by exploiting the natural behavior of the larval caddisfly, has had his subjects create beautiful pieces of art. 
I'm not a big fan of our local Michaels store, after they raised all of their $1 bins to $1.50. It just really bugs me, since I know the Michaels in the next town over has not changed their prices. So, when we walked into the store recently, we were surprised by the change in decor. Perhaps best of all, though, was the appearance of "Grab Bags". GBs were enclosed in Michaels plastic bags and marked $2 - so there's my haul above! These are the BIG pails and yes, they were in perfect shape (so $15-30 full retail price, I believe). I have no idea what I'm going to use them for - yet - but I'm resisting the urge to run back and buy the rest of their GBs! 
More water fun... as the girls seem recovered from their Swimmer's Ear debacle... I've got a nice and toasty tan!
Look who's back! We just returned (today) from a week's vacation in Scottsdale, AZ. We've gone to this particular timeshare resort for the past several years, because it's very family-oriented and the girls have such a great time here. This was the first time we went in July and boy, was it hot! I think it was at least 108 degrees EVERY DAY.
So, every day (except one, when we heard it would be 111 degrees) was spent at the pool. Mika and Marika have very dark tans and even DaddyDude is darker than me. Why, you ask? I spent most of the time hiding under the shade of the cabana, dipping into the water every once in a great while. If I wasn't under the cabana, I was working out in the gym (no way was I exercising outside!).
Ah, here's that lovely cabana! It cost an arm and a leg to rent each day but it was worth it! Relatively speaking, too, it could have been worse - rentals at the hotel next door were almost double, so it almost felt like we were getting a bargain. Honestly, though - I don't know how anybody could tolerate a day at the pool, without some reliable shade. The girls did get sunburned still, despite repeated sunscreen application - more than once, somebody would start bawling about how their cheeks hurt. "Put more sunscreen on," we would say and then they would just wail some more, because touching their cheeks was painful.
A couple of times, the family participated in the cannonball contest. I'm pleased to report that Mika won on one day, while Marika won on another. I think they won based on form, because the bigger boys were certainly able to make a bigger splash! They won free Otter pops and Marika even got a tiny little plastic trophy, which she wanted to proudly display on her dresser back home...
On the last day, however, Mika had had enough. She actually developed an outer ear infection Wednesday night ("Swimmer's Ear") and refused to go into the water for most of the last day. Thursday night, she developed a fever, so she's not a very happy camper right now... but for the rest of us - it was a lovely vacation but it's nice to be back home, too. The local highs are near 100 but relatively to Arizona, it doesn't feel hot at all (to me!)...
Life had been pretty hectic before our vacation departure. Mika's All Stars softball season wound down right before we left (she missed the last two tournament games). What a season! Their (7U) team (composed of 7-8 year olds) were forced to play older (8U) teams (8-9 year olds) because no other teams their age signed up! For the older girls, they are used to kid-pitch and learning how to be selective about hitting. The learning curve was steep for our girls but during their last round of tournament games, they actually BEAT (crushed 'em!) two 8U teams! It was terribly exciting! What a great season for the girls!
Here's Mika batting... as I try to take a picture through gaps in the fence... she has skinny little stick arms, but she can hit the ball!
And in other news... my friend Holly joined the girls and I as we trekked over to our first Prima Warehouse sale. We got a little... lost... so it took 1.5 hours to get there (instead of the 45 min it took to return!). That turned out to be a good thing, because the sale was OUTDOORS and temperatures were near 100 degrees. The girls were great little helpers and were exceptionally patient.
Here I am in line, wilting away. Checking out took about 45 min or so - it felt like forever, in the blazing sun, but at least everybody around me was very kind and friendly.
Okay, here's my haul. Items ranged anywhere from $0.50 per sheet of paper (I skipped those) to $1 for a packet of embellishments or stamps (or digital scrapbooking DVD), $2 for jars/boxes of flowers or box of stationery, $5 for that big paint bucket of huge flowers and $10 for that rack of flowers (flowers included!!!). When I finally got to checkout, it seemed like the cashiers further discounted things... I had been expecting to pay over $55 but ended up spending just $36. Retail value of everything probably would have been close to $120. The "e" bag and brads in the upper right corner were freebies and the big package of stamps (bottom left) must have been a Doorbuster, because they were only $1.
Other than that, I've been trying to make sure the girls are reading a lot (they are involved in the reading programs at two local libraries) but having plenty of time for fun. Our school PTA sold season passes to the local water park and we've been getting our money's worth by going several times a week for a couple of hours a day. Here's Ms. Mika doing their aquatic obstacle course... crossing a long rope (about 40-feet long) without falling into the water.
This park is also know for their water slides - the girls usually like to go together, which makes me feel better, too.
There's also a huge wading pool area for little kids. The water is cold, which is great!
The girls can also play mini golf with their passes. They had a lot of fun... until I made DaddyDude come and teach the girls proper "putt putt rules".
And last but not least, the girls also can do the "bumper boats". I was surprised that even Marika had no difficulty driving a boat all by herself and squiring water at people. :)
And I'll leave you now, with a picture of the neighborhood gang on July 4th. It's so nice to have good neighbors and good friends to hang out with!
But look! It's so fun to play with! I finally cracked down and hunted down some ribbon streamers (for rhythmic gymnastics) for the girls on Ebay. At 12-feet long, it's a big of a challenge for them to handle, but they had so much fun (see, even DaddyDude had to have some fun - in his defense, I told him to show them how it was done... I figured since he was taller, maybe he'd be better at it - not sure that worked, but...!). Mika's already thrashed her ribbon (I had to trim the edges and then cover it with Ribbon Stiff). I have a feeling I'll be hunting around for ribbon replacement soon (not going to use *my* stash, of course!)...
I think the girls had a fun summer - they learned to swim...=)
And they learned how to do ballet and tap dance... well, kind of...
We're also finishing last-minute housekeeping details, like dental visits.. (look! bugs on the bib) although Miss Mika has her first referral to the orthodontist tomorow - ALREADY. Poor kid, she's got dental issues, just like her mom. Her teeth aren't coming in straight so the consultation is to see whether to yank teeth out (to make room for the adult ones) or do so bridging. This really depressed me, because while I knew she was doomed to get braces eventually, I didn't want her to see any orthodontist until she was 10! This should be no surprise, though.. they started yanking my teeth out at age 7, too... but it was nice to get braces by age 10 and be done by age 12. Mika's already lost 6 teeth, so she'll probably take the same road.
We were finally able to watch Daddy Dude play baseball, for the first time in a LONG time. I wish I had one of those fast click shutters that can take the "action shots". However, I'm much too lazy to lug around those huge cameras. =) 
Oh, how I love summer! The girls worked hard during their school year (especially Mika) so I just wanted them to relax and smell the roses. Isn't this a perfect example of childhood innocence?
We've been hanging out at different parks for the past 3 days. Wednesday was the first day Marika was able to reach and hang onto the "swing wheel" (whatever that contraption is). I really don't understand why children love that thing - all the older kids that came wanted to hang out on it (which, of course, made me anxious). You can imagine how thrilled I was when I saw the oldest one spit on her hands and rub them before grabbing onto the wheel. Can you say, "eewwwww?!" And the kids wonder why I keep rubbing Purell on them after a park visit... =P
We finally went to the library today - here are the girls next to one side of the Lincoln Shrine. It's one of the highlights of our city but I have yet to be inside of it. I guess that will have to wait until the girls are older and more responsible... (lots of important Lincoln memorabilia inside).
Has anyone else seen Mothra versus Godzilla? I swear this picture reminds me of the cover! You know, where Mothra is seen looming over and behind an unsuspecting Japanese gentleman...
Of course we had to visit the library bookstore downstairs. We couldn't stop by last week so I was very anxious to see what I could find. There were a lot of good things today (I'll have you know, that the girls picked out the "Little Miss Fickle" and "Arthur in a Pickle"!). All this for $3.20, can you believe it?!
And yesterday, we had stopped by the Goodwill bookstore to see what they had. I'm proud to say, I am now up to 5 (out of 9) "Little House on the Prairie" books and I have only spent $3.50 hunting them down. Not bad, eh? Scholastic was selling the box of 9 for $28, so I am pretty proud of myself!
And oh, by the way, I didn't make that design team I applied for, but I honestly didn't expect to - the girls on there were totally amazing (one, in fact, landed on Prima's design team - which is probably one of the top 3 most coveted design teams in the scrapbooking industry). There were also over 300 entries! So, I don't feel bad at all. =) Here are some cards I made for Daddy Dude's residents. Finally, there are some babies (yay!) and one resident is finishing up with the program.
Like I said, we've been relaxing and enjoying ourselves - finally! The girls easily find things to occupy themselves, like preparing performances. Do you see those little slips of paper in front of each animal? They say "TICKIT". I was asked to videotape them dancing with their bears.
And at the local Barnes & Noble story time - for the last time for a long time - since Marika starts preschool next Tuesday!
And finally, we went to the raspberry patch with some friends. The picking was fantastic and the kids had the extra fun of feeding carrots to some friendly burros (I had to look this up, but apparently burros are small donkeys) and romping around in the fields for a good hour or so. It's so nice to have kids running and playing outdoors - that's the way it should be!
Despite the heat, baseball goes on! Daddy Dude's team got some new uniforms, just in time for the 100+ degrees... we fans took shelter under some shade. And look! There's Grandma! Isn't she a good mother-in-law, coming to Daddy Dude's games? This was the second game she's gone to...
And speaking of Grandma, the girls were so excited she was back in town. Grandma had spent the last several weeks up north, helping my brother out with his family (those adorable girls!). The girls kept Grandma busy and they even got a session of yoga in!
On Saturday, Daddy Dude got a personal lesson on how to change brakes on our car, from our friend B., who is "Mechanic Extraordinaire". I know Daddy Dude had a great time being a "manly man" and playing with very cool power tools and gadgets. Thanks, B.! While the guys were working, I hung out with H. - and she introduced the girls to the wonders of sand art. The girls were so excited by their creations, that they kept carrying them around the house and continually showing Daisy (the guinea pig) their work. 
My sister-in-law once told me never to dress my children in matching clothes. I listened to her (since she had suffered as a child from that) and would you believe it, she has been the only person giving us matching clothes for the girls! She confessed that she just couldn't help it, which made me laugh. Oddly enough, the girls LOVE to match and often do so, of their own volition. Over the past week, here are some examples of their desire to match... they better not blame me when they get older! I swear, I didn't make them do it!
Mika misses her friends from school so yesterday, we met up with her good buddy, M. He is such a delightful little boy - with such a good heart! He once bought Marika a present with his own tooth fairy money, because he really wanted her to have it - is that unbelievably sweet, or what? Despite being at the park, with its wonderful climbing things, the kids seemed to spend most of their time making a bird nest. Gee... I wonder who would roost there...
As most of you know, I'm in the process of auctioning off the remainder of my Ebay store inventory. My goal was to finish by the end of the summer (which I still think is plausible), but in all honesty, I hadn't been prepared for how much STUFF I still had. I have about 90 auctions listed for next week (you can't see the Wednesday box behind all this!).
So in a nutshell, we've been busy! Here are some scenes from an excellent Fourth of July gathering... with delicious food and wonderful company... (thanks!) =)
After storytime at the library this morning, the girls opted for a quick picnic lunch before we headed off to the dentist - again. Marika was told she had EIGHT (yes, eight!) cavities so we've been going once a week for the past FOUR weeks to the dentist (two treated at a time). She's been such an incredible trooper - she willingly skipped the laughing gas and brought Geoffrey the Polar Bear instead (we forgot Geoffrey last week and that was NOT a good appointment). Geoffrey made his final appearance at the dentist today and did a great job keeping the patient calm. He only got bounced on the floor once, but his companion Berk was not so lucky - and had his paw dipped into my cup of coffee! Good thing he was already brown but... ick!
And for those of you who still don't believe that my side of the family has a gene allowing for sleep anywhere in almost any position... apparently she got tired playing Clifford computer games and decided to take a rest... and yes, she is totally asleep!
And finally, here are my little (noisy) troublemakers. We have been trying to enforce the "one toy at a time" rule and this is what my little rugrats have been up to while I was working to update the blog!!! I sure hope they've cleaned it up by now... ;)