October 2010

A great white egret came to visit. We ran into this bird on our driveway when we came home from church. It was hunting frogs.

Seth was a pumpkin for Halloween, just like Elaina was last year.

Elaina was Sleeping Beauty for Halloween. Now she wants to wear that dress all the time. Neil and I wore renaissance attire.

Elaina is our pumpkin patch model.

Watch out, Seth is going to get you!!

Here's our little family on our outing to the pumpkin patch at Bates Nut Farms.

My friend Christine came to visit with her mother in-law, Pamela Done. Lainie had a great time playing with her.

Seth's first birthday was October 9. He started off eating his first taste of cake with relish. One slice of cake, 2 cupcakes and a sucker later, not so much.

Yum! Seth's first taste of cake.

Look at the bounty of cupcakes at Seth's first birthday party.

Mt. Washington, NH Hiking Trip - October 2010

Neil went on his annual hiking trip with the guys in October. This year, it was the ascent of Mt. Washington, NH, the tallest mountain on the East Coast. He started out the trip with a quick jaunt to Vermont, where he got to visit the birthplace of the Prophet Joseph Smith, among other things. He got totally drenched in a rainstorm while he was there.

Before attempting to climb Mt. Washington, the guys took this cog railway to the top of the mountain. Here they are leaning forward in the train as it climbs a 30 percent grade.

The day after riding to the top in comfort, the guys ascended Mt. Washington on foot. Most of the trail was very steep, including this slope with hundreds of waterfalls. By the end, you're scrambling over boulders to get to the top. Fortunately, everyone made it to the summit. Okay, so it's only a 6000 foot mountain, pretty wimpy by western standards, but everyone still felt like it was a big accomplishment.

September 2010

September was all about getting the yard put in. We finally have a lawn, trees, and flowers!

The most important thing we have is a ground-level trampoline. That is the place the kids go whenever we go outside. It is the fulfillment of a life-long dream for me. I have wanted one since I was 11 years old.

We went walking on a trail in downtown Fallbrook for a family home evening activity. Seth loves riding with Dad in the baby back pack.

Lainy and I paused during a walk to look at the little stream under the bridge.

My sister Kelly and niece Rachel both have September birthdays, and of course, we got to celebrate both of them.

August 2010

On the last day of August, we visited Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure. We make it there quite often, since we are annual pass holders. Here Elaina is sliding down a slide in California Adventure. The crowds were small and it made for a wonderful day.

Mama and Lainie had a great time taking a bath together. Jacuzzi tubs are extra fun when you use bubble bath and turn on the jets.

Elaina and Seth look ready to hatch these ostrich eggs at the Wild Animal Park. Now if they were only real!

We visited the Embarcadero in San Diego and took a picture of the statue of the famous kiss given in Times Square at the end of World War II. My father described the jubilee in Rexburg, Idaho at the end of the War. He was only 10 years old, but he remembers a man riding down the street in a tin metal bath tub being towed by a car. He also remembers the grocery store scattering a 50 pound bag of peanuts in the street. After rationing that must have been a treat.

The next picture is of a sail boat in the San Diego Bay. It looks like the kind of boats they use in the America's Cup.

It was a cold day at the beach in August when I taught Elaina to run away from the waves. It has been a very cool summer in San Diego. I can't say that about the rest of the country. It has been the exact opposite.

Seth is well on his way to becoming a ladies' man. Here he is with our friends' daughers, Julianna, Danielle, and Karissa Thompson.

For family home evening, we went on a hike in Los Jilgueros Preserve in Fallbrook, CA. Here is Neil carrying Seth in the backpack. We probably hiked a total of 3 blocks, but it was still fun.

St. Augustine, Florida, August 2010

Our last stop on our East Coast trip was St. Augustine, Florida. We got bumped to a different flight, so we got to spend more time at the beach here. Good thing, because the ocean is about the only place you can escape the oppressive heat and humidity.

Here is the lighthouse at St. Augustine, which happens to be the oldest city in America. It was founded in 1565 by the Spanish.

Next is the old Alcazar hotel, which is now the city hall, among other things.

We really enjoyed the Colonial Spanish quarter in St. Augustine. It is too bad none of the buildings here are original, since the place was attacked and burned a few too many times.

Here is Neil with the kids at the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine. It was built in 1695 and was never penetrated, since it was made out of coral and was very hard to destroy.

Savannah, Georgia, August 2010

Our next stop on our East Coast trip was Savannah, Georgia. Here is a mansion used in the movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." That movie put Savannah on the map.

This Catholic cathedral was beautiful on the outside and the inside of the cathedral was surprisingly light and bright with pretty blue colors.

This old wood building was frequented by Robert Lewis Stevenson who wrote "Treasure Island." It does look like a pirates' hang out.

This monument to Revolutionary War hero Pulaski is in one of the 22 squares in Savannah. The city has been careful to preserve these squares, which add a distinctive character to the downtown area.

Next is me with the kids in front of a famous fountain in Forsyth Park. Fountains were my favorite part of this trip.

Next is another monument to a Confederate soldier in Forsyth Park.

Finally, you see a couple of pictures of me playing in fountains with Elaina. It was so hot and humid on this trip that fountains were a welcome break from the heat. I'm not sure who enjoyed playing in the fountains more, me or Elaina. I always wanted a daughter so I could relive my childhood, and I got my wish.

Charleston, South Carolina, August 2010

Our East Coast odyssey continued in Charleston, South Carolina, probably our favorite city of the whole trip. Here are Neil, Elaina & Seth on a bridge at the Magnolia Plantation.

Here's another shot of that bridge, one of the most scenic views on any southern plantation.

We got to do a river cruise at that plantation and saw lots of wildlife, including this great blue heron.

Elaina also got to chase a peacock at the plantation.

We got a gorgeous shot of the pier in Charleston, flanked by colorful sailboats with their jibs up.

Next are single houses with their harbor=facing balconies. These houses are characteristic of Charleston.

You see mule-drawn carriages everywhere in Charleston. We even got to ride in one.

Finally, we see some old tombstones in a graveyard. Cemeteries aren't in church yards, but graveyards are. That is the difference between the two.