Christmas in California 2009

The San Diego Harbor boat parade, viewed from Coronado Island.

We visited Christmas card lane for family home evening.

Elaina learns how to hug someone her own age. The question, is he ready for such affection.

Yes the two of them also like to practice the piano together.

Our family Christmas card photo for the year 2009.

Elaina loves Christmas lights. We visited the Belardo lights display several times.

Seth's baby blessing day in his white outfit. He was blessed to be obedient and learn from his elders.

Kendell hosted a Christmas party and we won this lovely "white elephant" gift. Oh well Elaina likes it.

Lisa Boswell is holding Seth in his Santa outfit with the reindeer hat.

Seth is sort of smiling. He is good at smiling when you hold him and smile at him.

December nights and the singing Chrstmas tree. Elaina jumped up and down and yelled, "happy, happy, happy" when she saw the lights.

Shawn holds Elaina in her Christmas pajamas.

November 2009

Thanks Giving day started off with Father Joe's 5K race for the hungry at Balboa park. Neil, Pamela, Elaina, and Seth participated in the race along with about 9,000 others.

Keith, Kelly, Greg, and Haylee ran in the race too.

For a family home evening activity we went hiking to the place of a former fort where there was a monument to the Mormon Batalion. Then we went to old town and watched a concert.

Elaina discovers her head in the kitchen in the Tierra Santa house.

Our first visit to Scripps aquarium. Elaina looks through the glass at the kelp beds.

We are now a family of four, now if we can just win a family four pack of something.

We went out for the first time since Seth's birth. Fortunately, we had Rachel to depend on our trusty baby sitter.

Early in November we went to the parade of tall ships in Oceanside.

Halloween 2009

Here is Pamela as a witch, Elaina as a pumpkin, Neil as a Star Trek character, and 3 week old Seth as a giraffe.

This is a real skeleton. My mom asked for it for Mothers Day. My brother took it with him to dental school, so he could study it. I would love to know what the cop thought when he pulled him over for speeding and saw it sitting next to him in the front seat.

Grandma found Seth his costume and it fit him.

Doesn't Lainy make a scary jack 'o lantern?

Elaina belongs in the San Diego Zoo as a giraffe.

Elaina is looking for the Great Pumpkin at the Victoria Gardens pumpkin patch in Lakeside, CA.

October 9, 2009 Seth is Born

Neil and Pamela at the Marry Birch hospital 11:00 pm on Thursday night. Pamela is still happy her water has broken and she feels no contractions.
This delivery was much better than the last. It only took 5 or 6 pushes instead of 2 hours to get Seth out. Pamela loves epidurals.

One proud Grandpa. This is grandchild number 23.

Seth Aiden Carter was born on Friday, October 9, 2009 at 8:41 am. He weighed 7 lb 4 oz and was 19 inches long. On Friday afternoon his cousins Rachel and Haylee and his aunts Denise and Kelly came to visit. Elaina is curious about this new little person.

Next is Seth, right after he was born, relaxing on Mama.

Grandma brought Seth's big sister to the hospital. She was a little shell shocked by the new arrival.

Elaina doesn't want to grow up. She likes sitting in the bouncer too.

Seth is in the bouncer.

Seth is 9 days old when we visit Kelly and celebrate Haylee's 13th birthday.

September 2009

We went to Zion National Park with Jessica, my niece. She did a great job reading to Elaina. We liked the Canyon Ranch Motel.

Neil, Pamela, Elaina, and Neil's brother Paul and sister-in-law Lisa hiked the narrows and let the young ones go ahead. It was a tough hike and we hung onto our sticks for dear life to keep from falling.

The Carter family went to our first work picnic at Felicita Park. Unfortunately, Elaina didn't like the llama ride.

We are keeping adventure alive in San Diego by visiting the Sunset Cliffs. We watched a bunch of teenagers cliff jump. I was sad to realize my cliff jumping days are over, being 7 months pregnant gives me a new perspective.

We went with Elaina to Disneyland and she got to meet Chip and Dale.

August 2009

Here Pamela is 7 months pregnant going to the Newport Beach temple.

Anna visited us and we went to her favorite beach in Coronado. We couldn't keep Elaina out of the water.

Elaina has learned how to rock her giraffe.

Jacob's 18th birthday. Melvin Ricks, Kendell Ricks, and Jacob Ricks 3 generations of our family.

The Hermansons come to the Silver strand. John, Katie, Anna, and Elaina. There she goes again, don't keep her out of the water.

Mammoth July 2009

We ran into a thunderstorm on the way to Mammoth.

Mom came with us on the hike to the Devil's Postpile.

Here are Neil, Pamela and Elaina in front of the Devil's Postpile.

Next is my brother-in-law Ross and his son Jared as victors in the local canoe races.

Then we have Neil and Elaina at Lake McLeod.

The Ricks family made for quite a crowd at church at the local LDS branch. Here you see us after church with a family photo on a nearby rock. Four out of seven Ricks kids were there with their families.

Mom and Dad were quite the rebels, riding on the tailgate of someone's truck at the local fireman's picnic. My nephews Adam, Jared and Geoff made it to the top of the greased pole, beating out the firemen.

The last 2 pictures are of Convict Lake, which I've really wanted to visit since it appeared in a Nature Valley granola bar commercial. The favorite activity at the Lake, of course, was skipping rocks.