pamela-neil-carter

November 2011

2012-02-10T19:11:00.000-08:00

AUBREY ELLE CARTER:

She is 11 days old in this picture. She may have come nearly a month early, but she is not behind developmentally.

HOTEL DEL CORONADO:

We made it to the Hotel Del Coronado to see the grand Christmas tree. Seth made the trip challenging, because he kept running away thinking, now is a perfect time to play chase.

SAN DIEGO TEMPLE:

We have figured out a way to keep my once a month goal of making it to the temple. I go in and Neil watches the kids outside while I am inside.

THANKSGIVING IN LA:

We were glad to be able to go to Thanksgiving with my sister Marilee. Aubrey was old enough to make the

trip. Here is Lainy in Aunt Marilee's back yard. They even had a few fall leaves on the ground.

THE TUNNELS:

Our kids love playing in the tunnels by the pond near our house. Here they are with our neighbor's daughter.

PREEMIE JAMMIES:

At 4 days old, Aubrey fit just fine in these preemie jammies. Now, they fit our baby doll.

GETTING WEIGHED:

Minutes after birth, Aubrey weighed 6 lbs 5.5 oz. She was healthy and could eat and breathe on her own. Yay!

October 2011

2012-02-05T22:20:00.001-08:00

HALLOWEEN:

For Halloween I was on bed rest, but I got to attend our neighbors' Halloween party. Here I am, sitting in the chair by the garage. In addition to the party, the kids got to trick or treat in the local area. I don't know if Seth likes that skeleton.

TRUNK OR TREAT:

Though I was on bed rest, I cheated and went to Trunk or Treat at the church. Elaina was Tinkerbell and Seth was Superman. Daddy was Elvis and I was a cowgirl.

BED REST:

Yes, this couch is where I spent most of my time

while I was on bed rest. In some ways, my kids got more of my attention because I wasn't going anywhere.

DRESSED UP FOR CHURCH:

Don't Elaina and Seth look dapper in their Sunday best?

PUMPKIN PATCH:

We finally found the Lavender Farms' pumpkin patch in Fallbrook. We went there after the ward pancake breakfast and brought Minna and Cynthia Mills.

JULIAN:

We love the quaint town of Julian, an hour east of San Diego. We decided to go in October since the baby was due in December. Good thing we did because I went on bed rest 4 days later.

CARLSBAD BEACH:

Yes we went to the beach in October with my friend Carolina and her daughter Natalie. I like the beach best when it isn't summer. Fewer crowds and clearer skies.

PAPER DRESS:

We like to read the fairy tale "Three Dwarfs in a Wood", where the mean stepmother makes her stepdaughter wear a paper dress in the snow. Lainy is just wearing a paper dress in the doctor's office.

SETH'S BIRTHDAY PARTY:

We invited our neighbors, the Parkinsons, and our friends, the Mendeses, over to decorate creepy cupcakes and candy corn (like the Corduroy Halloween book) for Seth's Birthday. It takes a lot of black food coloring to turn frosting black.

September 2011

2012-01-26T20:41:00.000-08:00

LA JOLLA SEA CAVE:

I have approached this cave from the sea, but never from the land. The tunnel was the most impressive part. We also went to the Brockton Villa for breakfast and went snorkeling that day. Gosh was that water cold.

THE MIRAMAR AIR SHOW:

We have watched it before, from our hillside in Tierasanta, but this was the first time we got to watch it on the tarmac. I was really impressed with the Harrier plane, it is much more impressive in real life than it was in the movie True Lies.

DAD READING STORIES:

Neil loves reading stories to Lainie and Seth, and they love hearing them.

DATE DAYS WITH THE KIDS:

Neil got to do a father-son "date" with Seth, taking him on a hike to Guajome Park. Pam took Lainie out for hot chocolate and had to go to three places to find one that was open on a Saturday in Fallbrook. Finally, we settled for frozen yogurt.

TALL SHIPS FESTIVAL:

We took the train down to San Diego for the Tall Ships Festival. Here is one of the boats we saw.

FAMILY PHOTO ON THE BOAT:

We got our picture taken on one of the boats at the San Diego Maritime Museum.

SETH ON THE TRAIN

He sure loves trains!

OCEANSIDE PIER

Here is Neil with the kids, walking to the end of the Oceanside Pier to Ruby's restaurant.

August 2011

2012-01-21T10:33:00.000-08:00

HOTEL DEL CORONADO WITH THE COOKS:

We got to have a few visitors in August. Patti Cook, my old roommate, came visiting with her family. They stayed near the Hotel Del Coronado.

WADING IN THE SURF:

Lainy liked to pull the Cooks' son Riley around. She might turn out to be a bossy one. Of course she has been to the beach before.

BIGFOOT:

Seth likes trying on people's shoes. He could almost manage these.

SOAKED AT SEA WORLD:

Our friends, the Nelsons, came down from Portland Oregon to visit us and go to Sea World. They sat in the front and got wet . We sat above and stayed dry.

FASHION FAUX PAS:

Seth shows us there is a reason why guys in the military shouldn't wear pink, or for that matter, his friend Natalie's old shoes.

SUMMER WORK PICNIC:

Here we are at Neil's work picnic near Point Loma, right next to the ocean. I always wanted to go to a company picnic. Teachers don't get to have those.

COME TO CALIFORNIA!

Elaina looks like a travel poster, beckoning you come to California and enjoy the beach. We did beach bonfires in Oceanside with our ward for family home evening.

Yellowstone Trip 2011

2012-01-14T13:50:00.000-08:00

Our big trip this summer was the Ricks family vacation to Yellowstone, which included stops at Vegas and family in Utah.

This is my new most favorite thing at the Bellagio in Vegas, the world's largest chocolate fountain.

We stayed at the Monte Carlo, which had a great pool. That is how you deal with Nevada heat.

Kolob Canyon is a great stop off of the 15 after Cedar City. I am 5 months pregnant.

Seth and daddy riding on the boat across lake Jenny in the Grand Tetons.

The view of the Tetons from the Lodge where they were about to hold a Federal Reserve summit.

Here are Laina, and Seth with their cousin Dana, getting close to a bear in Yellowstone.

Pamela and Neil in front of Upper Yellowstone Falls.

Grandpa enjoyed sitting with 6 of his then 23 grandchildren. We had 29 people on this trip, including 4 of Pam's six siblings and Neil's brother Paul. My favorite activity was going out to dinner with the 14 adults and leaving he kids at the condo.

Here is Lainy at the Norris Geyser Basin, where we went with Pam's sister Liz and family.

Grandma and the girls: Katie, Dana, Laina, and Pam. We are standing in front of Upper Yellowstone Falls on the north side of the canyon.

We saw many elk on this trip. This elk was enjoying the flowers off the Upper Fall trail.

Laina with cousins Bryce and Dana in a Teepee at the Wolf center.

The alpha wolf. Even in captivity, the wolves have a cast system.

The North East entrance to Yellowstone. Oddly enough the northern part of the park gets the least amount of snow.

Pam and sister Liz sitting with our 2 two year olds that are 2 months apart. I got pregnant when I found out Liz was pregnant so we have at least one set of first cousins the same age.

Seth standing on the shores of Lake Yellowstone.

We saw lots of buffalo on this trip. This one was nice enough to pose for us.

Neil at Old Faithful Lodge with Elaina and Seth.

Seth and his cousin Ethan taking a Bath at my niece Elisha's house in Logan, UT.

While leaving our hotel in Saint George Seth insisted on pulling the luggage himself.

We stopped at the Americana shopping center in Glendale, CA to see my friend Ann.

July 2011

2012-01-14T13:38:00.000-08:00

July was filled with fun summer activities.

Monday nights in the summer mean ward family home evening bonfires at the beach. STAY AWAY FROM SETH! He has melted-marshmallow, sand-covered, sticky hands, and he gets into everyone's food with them.

CELEBRATING JULY 24TH at the stake Pioneer Day celebration.

Elaina enjoyed a ride in a handcart, while cousin Katie follows behind.

They had an impressive model of the Nauvoo temple.

Seth loves his baths.

We went to antique car shows in downtown Fallbrook.

We went to Screen on the Green in Grape Day Park in Escondido with my friends Katie Cruise and her kids, Cabot, and Eliana. Neil and Seth enjoyed sliding down the grape slide.

We went and saw the sidewalk art in old town Temecula.

We went to Moonlight Beach to see the annual Swithchfoot concert. We caught the last song as usual. Neil, Seth, and Elaina loved playing in the waves.

June 2011

2011-08-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

Our 4 year anniversary at Dana Point which had the same view of the place we stayed on our honey moon.

Pasadena city Hall, a place I use to go jogging around, when I lived in La Canada.

Elaina loves fountains

Seth loves fountains and he even fell in this one.

A view of city hall and the fountains.

Elaina at the Chinese garden at the Huntington Art Gallery.

The Japanese Garden at the Huntington Art Gallery.

The Rose arbor at the Huntington Art Gallery.
The statue walk often scene in movies filmed at the Huntington Art Gallery.

We went to the Carlsbad beach fest.

May 2011 Neil's Birthday

2011-08-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

Corona Del Mar, a place I use play in when I lived in Orange County.

Neil's room mate Brian finally got married in La Jolla. I guess the fact he caught the bouteneer at our wedding did him some good.

Neil at the Wedge in New Port Beach, walking with Seth and Elaina in the waves.

The fairy ride across New Port bay from Balboa Island to the Fun Zone.

We started off the day at the New Port beach temple. Neil watched the kids while I was inside.

Laguna beach, the best place I could think of to take Neil to on a Sunday, and on his 50th Birthday.

We ate Monte Cristo sandwiches while an 85 year old man talked to us for an hour and his Corgie dog yapped in the background.

The family celebrated a big birthday party with a swim party at Denise's house.

Seth got plenty of attention from Ryder the doxon.

May 2011 Elaina's Birthday Celebrations

2011-08-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

It was one long celebration for Elaina's 3rd Birthday. She got to attend a princess tea party. Elaina is the one in blue.

Neil got back from his guy's trip to Capitol Reef National park. We picked him up from the airport and went to Balboa park. Here we are in Dr. Seus land ( the cactus garden in the park).

This is the Botanical garden in Balboa Park. Here you see the biblical use for fig leaves. No wonder Adam and Eve used these leaves to cover up with.

We also visited my favorite restaurant, the Cheese Cake Factory for Elaina's Birthday. We have to go at least once a year for some ones Birthday.

We went swimming in the wading pool for Elaina's Birthday party.

We also decorated cupcakes.

On the first Monday of the month we had family home evening at the old bridge off the 76.

Easter Pageant 2011

2011-08-29T11:38:00.000-07:00

In April we made our way to Arizona for the Easter Pageant. Of course on the way back we had to visit our friends in Blythe, the Hermansons.

We had to visit with Wendy who lives a couple hours outside of Phoenix. Here we are in a nature preserve.

Rapunzel Rapunzel let down your long hair. This tower at the shopping center near our hotel became our Rapunzel tower.

I went to the Mesa, Arizona temple while Neil watched the kids outside.

The Easter pageant was spectacular. I loved seeing the angels on the roof. Elaina still remembers the pageant even now, 4 months later.

They had hammocks to rest in at the hotel where we stayed. I looked at this picture and thought those 2 babies came out of my belly and there is another one in my belly waiting to come out.

April 2011

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Here is Seth at the Getty Villa in Malibu, California. We brought our niece Maddie to see the replica Roman Villa and enjoyed some time at the Santa Monica Pier.

We had our first Easter Egg hunt at our house. I think Lainy really got into it.

Cousins Rachel and Shawn helped hide the eggs. They didn't make it too difficult.

Maddie came to visit us for Spring break. We had to take her to the Yogurt Palace and then to our little Fallbrook town square.

My friend Jenelle Cardon from Australia came to visit us in April with her mother from Texas. It was fun to have house guests and Elaina loved having her son Kai, a friend her own age, to play with.

Seth is in heaven on this beach in San Clemente. There are rocks everywhere for him to throw and eat.

Elaina is just happy to be at the beach.

March 2011

2011-04-26T21:17:00.000-07:00

March was an eventful month. I got to go on a trip to DC. It was nice visiting my friend Anita. This is a picture of Anita and her son Aaron dressed up for church.

I went out to DC to go to my friend Rebecca's wedding. After 11 years of dating, it finally happened! It was reassuring to see her husband's enthusiasm at the ceremony.

While I was gone, Neil ran our favorite 10K race around Fiesta Island in San Diego. Last year, Neil beat my brother-in-law Ross. This year, Ross (after running a marathon last year) beat Neil. In the picture you see: Neil, Ross, my niece Becky, my sister Kelly, and my niece Haylee.

Yes it is OK for a boy to wear beads, as long as they are KING OF THE MARDI GRAS BEADS. As non-Catholics, we celebrated Fat Tuesday by wearing beads and masks.

Our year-round passes to Disneyland expired in March, so this was a our last visit to Disneyland and California Adventure. We went on the Monsters Inc. ride. Unfortunately Elaina had not seen the movie and the Monsters succeeded in scaring her. She did let Sully take a picture with us, however.

February 2011

2011-04-26T20:52:00.001-07:00

We had snow in the mountains outside our house in February, a rare occurrence for San Diego.

Dad decided to celebrate his birthday with everyone at Rubio's. Seth appreciated the soda.

Mom and Dad both celebrated their February birthdays at my sister Kelly's house with her famous yellow cake with cocoa frosting.

La Jolla Shores kayakers and paddle boarders on a calm warm ocean day.

Seth and Elaina playing in the sand at La Jolla Shores.

Chinese New year celebrations in the Gaslamp Quarter of downtown San Diego.

January 2011

2011-04-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

January is the anniversary of the Mormon Battalion's entry into San Diego. Seth celebrated by panning for gold at the Mormon Battalion visitor's center.

We also celebrated the anniversery by watching the Mormon Battalion parade.

We took the train to Old Town San Diego for the Mormon Battalion festivities. Elaina would not be separated from her Strawberry Shortcake doll.

Neil and I celebrated my birthday at El Bizcocho a fancy restaurant. It was fun eating as slowly as possible to savor all of the flavors.

An unseasonably warm day at the beach made for a fun Martin Luther King holiday at the beach with the Mendeses, and cousin Katie.

The pond near our house is a favorite place for family home evenings.

Christmas in Utah 2010

2011-02-17T09:39:00.001-08:00

We got to celebrate Christmas a second time with the Sandy, Utah Carters: Maddie, Lisa, Paul, and Lauren.

Our annual trip to Temple square, the place I went to on my mission. It was also the place I felt the Christmas spirit most. You see Seth, Neil, Pamela, Maddie, and Elaina in this picture.

"I CAN'T MOVE MY ARMS!" Yes, that is what I thought of when dressing Seth in 4 layers of clothing. He could hardly move his arms.

We got to visit with our Alaskan cousins who were fortunately in Provo, Utah visiting their Astle cousins. Here you see Bryce and Dana.

Christmas in California 2010

2011-01-05T15:17:00.001-08:00

We love Christmastime in San Diego and we try to partake of as many Christmas activities as possible. So what if we live in sunny Southern California, where we never see a white Christmas!

We went a couple of times to see the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA. Their Christmas decorations are amazing, especially the light displays.

On Christmas Day, 2010, Seth's favorite toy was his spinning top.

We hosted Christmas Eve at our house for 2010. Elaina loved wearing her new nightgown.

Grandpa did the traditional reading of the Christmas story on Christmas Eve, this time from his iPad. The times, they are a changing.

Of course, we had to make a trip to Disneyland to see the Christmas decorations. The lights on "It's a Small World" are especially beautiful at Christmas time.

Here are Neil, Seth, and Elaina in front of the Disneyland Christmas tree.

One of our favorite activities was visiting Christmas Card Lane in San Diego. Yes we all elfed ourselves.

Here is Elaina standing in front of the "Finding Nemo" themed house. How interesting that the shark should represent peace!

We had a wonderful time at the Christmas boat parade in San Diego Harbor. It was a great night with unseasonably warm weather.

Elaina got to sit on Santa's lap at our ward Christmas party.

We had a great time at December Nights, a Christmas festival at Balboa Park. Part of December Nights is free admission to the park's museums. Elaina and her cousin Katie especially enjoyed the Model Railroad Museum.

Daddy and Seth had a great time at the Model Railroad Museum as well.

There were also carnival rides at December Nights. Elaina was happy to go on the dragon ride, until the ride started moving. After that she couldn't see her daddy, and cried through the whole ride.

We got a family picture with the Grinch this year. His home is in San Diego, you know, as that is where Dr. Seuss used to live.

November 2010

2011-01-05T13:58:00.000-08:00

We started celebrating Christmas right after Thanksgiving. Here we are in front of the tree at the Hotel Del Coronado.

Elaina and I are looking through a store front window in Julian after their tree lighting ceremony. Julian is up in the mountains, and it was very cold that night.

On Thanksgiving Day we went on a walk to see our neighbor's collection of animals. Seth got a good view from Daddy's shoulders.

In sunny Southern California, one tree is changing colors along Sleeping Indian Road, as I walk along it on Thanksgiving Day, pushing the double stroller.

Here is our neighborhood pond, with our house's roof in the distance.

Seth thinks he's my little gardener in training. He loves playing in the dirt and sitting between my plants.

October 2010

2010-11-23T14:41:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-22T21:16:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-22T13:16:00.000-08:00

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

2010-09-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-04T22:08:00.001-07:00

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

2010-09-02T22:21:00.001-07:00

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

2010-09-02T21:21:00.001-07:00

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.

Outer Banks, North Carolina, August 2010

2010-09-02T21:08:00.001-07:00

On our way down the East Coast, we stopped at the Outer Banks, North Carolina. Here are some typical beach houses at Nag's Head.

We went to Kill Devil Hills and saw the place where Wilbur and Orvillle Wright flew for the first time. Neil and Seth got to pose in front of the monument there.

Here's another shot of the Outer Banks coastline with the big beach houses. Too bad Lainie was sick that day and we didn't really get to enjoy the beach very much.

We enjoyed this beautiful sunset on a canal in North Carolina on the way to Nag's Head.

Williamsburg, Virginia, August 2010

2010-09-02T07:54:00.000-07:00

Our East Coast trip continued in Williamsburg, VA, where we visited my friend Johnell, who has been out of the country for many years with the state department. Here you see Elaina, Johnell's daughter and son, Seth, Pamela, and Neil.

The next picture shows Johnell, Seth, and me.

The next picture shows a lady dressed in a riding habit sitting side saddle. She told us that men, at first, did not like women in riding habits, because it was too much like men's clothing.

A coach with the armory in the background.

The main street of Williamsburg.

Anna's wedding in DC, July 2010

2010-09-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

Right after we got back from the Mammoth trip, we went to Washington, D.C. for my friend Anna's wedding. We stayed with my friend Anita. We are both moms now. It was so nice to have someone to talk to about being a new mother at a later age.

Anna got married to Omar Ochoa in the Washington D.C. LDS temple July 31, 2010. She chose not to wear a wedding dress, but wore a pretty purple dress instead.

We had to visit Old Town Alexandria while we were out there. It was great to see the old Colonial architecture and go to La Madeline, one of my favorite restaurants.

This mall in Georgetown was very beautiful.

We went walking along the Potomac River in front of the Key Bridge. I used to go jogging here. This is also where I used to row.

Mammoth and Yosemite July 2010

2010-08-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

In July, we did our annual Ricks family trip to Mammoth Lakes, CA. Here is a great shot of a sunrise from our condo.

Next is the other Carter family from Utah: Lisa, Maddie, Lauren, and Paul (Neil's brother). They joined the Ricks clan for this trip.

Next, it's the famous Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. Neil climbed this a few years back.

Elaina is a tree hugger too.

Seth was exhausted after we carried him on a 2 mile hike in 95 degree weather.

Next is the Merced River and Yosemite Falls with the tounguester, Seth, on my shoulders.

Mom and Elaina enjoyed this view point of Half Dome from the back side.

Here are the two brothers, Neil and Paul, hiking down from Mammoth Mountain on the Dragon Back trail. The lake views were stunning.

Yes you can find snow in July at the top of an 11,000 ft mountain. And snow just begs for a snowball fight.

Here is Lake McLeod with Seth, Pam, Paul, and Elaina. This is always a fun little hike.

July 2010

2010-08-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

Here we are at Old Town San Diego. It was on these steps that Neil sang to me "I love my Pamela Dean. She can't spell worth beans, but I sure do love my Pamela Dean." He sang this on the night we got engaged.

We got to spend a couple of days in San Diego with Paul, Lisa, Lauren, and Maddie before we went to DC. Here is Maddie with Seth, the hoodlum.

July was a month filled with trips and summer fun. We did a weekend outing to the Oceanside pier. Laina loved watching the waves from the pier.

In the next picture, Seth gives us an angelic grin from his stroller.

My Grandpa Hales passed away this month and we drove to Utah for his funeral. On our way back from this trip, we stopped at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and went swimming in their lazy river. Laina and Seth didn't like the waterfalls where you got really wet, but we loved it.

On our way back, we also stopped at Cedar Breaks and barely missed a huge thunderstorm.

Funerals bring families together. Most of our extended family made it to Grandpa Hales' funeral. My sister Liz sang, just like she did for Grandma's funeral.

As a 99 year old great grandpa dies, his young great-granddaughter Elaina lives on with his legacy.

We stayed at my friend Patti's house the first night of this trip. Patti is my old roommate from DC. She got married to Jed and has a 4 year old named Riley and a 2 year old named Serah.

We also got to see Uncle Paul and cousin Maddie. Seth has a goofy, squinty smile, just like his Uncle Paul, and looks a lot like him when he was a baby.

Here we are dressed up for the 4th of July. We went to Pepper Tree Park to watch the fireworks. Elaina loved doing roll overs in the soft grass there.

June 2010

2010-08-11T11:31:00.000-07:00

By June, we had mostly moved into our new house. Here are our first house guests other than family, our good friends, the Thompsons. They came over for their daughter Juliana's 2nd Birthday.

Next is a picture of me and Lainie at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, after a Switchfoot concert.

We made it to the Switchfoot concert just in time to hear my favorite song, "Dare You To Move."

Next is Fathers Day, with Grandpa holding a very smiley Seth. We had our first big family dinner that day. It was a bit stressful, because we originally thought only Mom and Dad were coming, but then the rest of the family decided to come at the last minute, a total of 17 guests! Somehow it all worked out, though.

Next, we see us with the Hermansons, our friends from Blythe, CA, at the Silver Strand in Coronado. Their visits have started to become an annual tradition.

We celebrated our 3 year anniversarry at the Beach House, a nice restaurant in Cardiff by the Sea. It was fun going for a walk on the beach after dinner. All you had to do is jump over the rocks at the restaurant and you were on the beach.

We did a hike at Lake Hodges for family home evening one week. The kids loved it. I have been wanting to walk over that pedestrian bridge for a while.

Next is my niece Becky Mitchell at her mission homecoming. She returned from her 18 month mission to Kirtland, Ohio a very confident young lady.

Five of the seven children in my family were there for Becky's homecoming, so we took this nice picture with Mom and Dad.

Omar, my friend Anna's fiancee, finally went through the San Diego temple for his endowment. Here is the happy couple with me and a couple of Anna's girlfriends. They finally set their wedding day after 2 years of working things out.

May 2010

2010-07-13T13:06:00.001-07:00

May was an eventful month. It ended with us giving in and going on a road trip. After all, it had been nearly 4 months since our last trip. That is a record for us. We usually only go 2 months between trips. Neil and I can only go so long without travel.

This is a picture of Seth and me at Harrah's hotel in Laughlin, NV, right along the Colorado River. Seth swims well in this inflatable water taxi, which doubles as a chew toy.

We drove along route 40 which has replaced the old route 66. These are cars at Delgadillo's drive in, Seligman, AZ. Don't they look like the ones in the movie "Cars"?

We finally made it to The Grand Canyon before the sun went down. Maybe that's why Neil and Seth are scowling in this picture, because they are staring into the sun.

After leaving our friends, the Hermansons in Blythe, CA, we visited Lake Havasu and walked across the original London Bridge, carefully transported years ago to the Arizona desert.

In the next picture, you see Pamela, Elaina, and Seth in a phone booth. Then you see Mom and Dad playing "London Bridge is falling down" with Elaina on the London Bridge. I felt like part of the party crowd for a moment, as I watched all the swimsuit-clad boaters going underneath the bridge.

Here we all sit on the couch with the Hermansons in Blythe, California. Elaina warmed up to John after he read her "King Bidgood's in the Bathtub". I got to see a solar oven for the first time. It cooked our chicken enchiladas for dinner that night. Angie helped out with Seth, who still isn't consistantly sleeping through night.

We earned the right to that trip after moving into our new house in rural Fallbrook, CA on Friday May 8, 2010. Moving was overwhelming. We were so exhausted. I missed my view from the old Tierrasanta house at first, but I am learning to like our new view of the "jungle" as I call it.

We kept our tradition of traveling somewhere for Neil's birthday. We had to settle somewhere close (in this case, Newport Beach), as we were still moving into our new house. On Neil's birthday, the present from my brother Kendell and my dad was helping us install our TV over the fireplace.

It was a busy Mother's Day. We had just moved on Friday and Elaina's birthday and Mother's day were both on Sunday. Elaina turned 2 and ate her cake in the same way she ate her cake on her first birthday, with the frosting doubling as face paint. She also got her first tricycle.

Next is Neil with Seth in the backpack. This was our last hike in Mission Trails Park before we moved. It was a fun family home evening activity.

Next is a picture of Seth just being cute. He does that a lot, so it's easy to photograph.

We finally went on the train ride at Balboa park near the San Diego Zoo. We had meant to do it for a long time. It was a nice break from packing and fixing up the house. Neil and Lainie got to ride with an elephant.

April 2010

2010-05-22T07:29:00.000-07:00

April was a crazy month for us, packing and getting ready to move to our new house and working hard to get our old house ready to rent. We finally closed escrow on our new house! It's in the lovely rural community of Fallbrook, CA, close to grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. We even live next door to a girl I grew up with, and their family goes to church with us. Life is good!

Elaina has become a real cutie, especially now that her hair is long enough to put in to pigtails, or "puppy ears", as I like to call them.

Lainie is already into doing dress up with Mama's clothes. She loves wearing swim suits, even when we are nowhere near water.

We had the family over to our new house when we got our keys. Here is cousin Thomas holding Seth. It seems that all the cousins now want to hold our cute baby.

Elaina had a great time hunting for Easter eggs at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Of course, she had a little help finding all those eggs.

Seth and his grandpa make a cute pair in matching stripes.

We had to take few pictures of the view at our old house before moving out. I'm really going to miss that panoramic view!

March 2010

2010-04-24T08:07:00.001-07:00

You've gotta love living in San Diego, where you can just hop down to the beach for a quick Sunday trip. Here's Neil and Lainie, enjoying the Sunset Cliffs at sunset, of course.

We had an early Easter party at our ward and the kids all got to get their pictures taken with the Easter Bunny. I think this bunny looks a little scary, but Lainie loved him.

The bank finally got their act together and accepted our offer on our new house in Fallbrook! Here's a front view of the house. By the way, short sales aren't short. This one took 9 months!

We got to go to Disneyland with our family. The big thing for the nieces was getting their picture taken with the Disney princesses. They had to wait an hour for the privilege, though.

Lainie loved trying to climb the rope at Tarzan's Treehouse at Disneyland.

Seth has become quite the charmer with that smile of his. He loves flirting with the girls whenever he sees them.

We ran the St. Patrick's Day 10K run at Mission Bay with my sister Liz and brother-in-law Ross. This was Ross's first 10K ever.

March was a rainy month for us in San Diego, and we got a great rainbow out of it when we were visiting my parents' house. We also got a leaky roof at our house, lucky us.

Lainie loved playing with her cousins who were visiting from Alaska, especially her cousin Dana in this picture. The butterfly wings were a big hit.

Of course, no visit by my sister Liz would be complete without a round in the jacuzzi at Grandpa's house.

Lainie and her cousin Maren were twins in their cute flowered jammies.

February 2010

2010-03-31T17:01:00.001-07:00

We didn't really travel anywhere in February, but we did enjoy the benefits of living in one of America's premier vacation destinations. We started running to train for a 10K race, and those runs included running on the beach and other scenic destinations. Here is a flock of ducks that we saw while running at Mission Bay Park.

Both my mom and dad have birthdays in February, hence the twin birthday cakes. With 22 of our family members living in Southern California, we have birthday celebrations nearly every month.

Elaina got to ride the statue of a giant bird at the prehistoric animal exhibit at the San Diego Zoo. That's really how big these birds were, apparently.

Seth enjoyed riding the zoo's sky tram ride with Mama. Can you tell we have zoo passes?

Lainie has always enjoyed having Daddy read books to her, and fortunately, Seth is starting to get into it too.

We had to get our Sunday picture with Daddy and Lainie dressed up in her pretty "princess" dress. She'd probably wear a dress every day if we let her. She's definitely a girly girl when it comes to clothes.

Neil and I got to spend Valentine's Day at Mr. A's restaurant, one of the fanciest, schmanziest restaurants in San Diego. Actually, it was the Monday after Valentine's Day, which was on Sunday this year. We didn't want to break the Sabbath , even to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Lainie loves Balboa Park, especially this fountain. We had to fight hard to keep her from jumping right into the water, though.

My nephew Geoff finally got his eagle scout award this month, and none too soon. His parents had a deal that he couldn't drive until he got his eagle. His mom looks pretty proud, doesn't she? Not sure what Seth thinks about it. Hopefully he's thinking "I want to be an eagle scout when I grow up".

Seth got his first carousel ride on the merry-go-round at Seaport Village. We did this as a family home evening activity. I'm not sure who's having more fun, Seth or his mom!

Cabo San Lucas January 2010

2010-02-18T11:09:00.000-08:00

In January, we finally got around to using our timeshare at the Hacienda Encantada resort, Punta Ballena, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. It was an awesome trip! This resort is about the nicest place we've ever stayed anywhere. Here is a shot of the little beach at our resort. These cactus are everywhere in this part of Mexico.

Here is Elaina at our little beach.

The pool at sunset. We had a nightly ritual of swimming till the sun set.

Here we are on our snorkeling/whale-watching boat ride. Doesn't Seth have a cute smile?

Elaina meets the soda-drinking donkey. She loved this show, which also featured dances from every state in Mexico.

Here is Elaina showing off her new bathing suit at Lovers' beach near El Arco. We should have stayed longer. Unlike most beaches in Mexico, there are no sales people on this beach.

Pamela, Seth, and Elaina at the pool right after sunset. This is the life!

Neil and Seth at the pool. Thank you, Wendy McHood, for giving us the little hat for Seth.

Elaina playing at the playground at the resort. Isn't her hat cute?

The view from our balcony. This was my favorite feature of the Hacienda Encantada Resort.

Going to church in Mexico. It was great to practice my Spanish and I had to pay close attention to understand what was being said and how to comment back in Spanish. I learned a new word: "Satanas" (Satan). It seems wrong because it sounds so much like Santa Ana. However, those from the Alamo would probably agree on the similarity. I also wanted to go to Priesthood meeting because they got to have class outside in the courtyard, as seen behind us in the picture.

The view from our hotel looking toward San Jose Del Cabo.

The view from our balcony looking down at the pool. There were clouds the first day after we got here. It had been raining all week in San Diego and we could see snow on the mountains when we flew out of California.

January 2010

2010-02-11T13:01:00.000-08:00

Seth is a flirty babe. Look at that smile! He has given me many hours of entertainment and joy with that smile. By the way, Grandpa likes him too.

My 41st birthday dinner at the Rancho Valencia Restaurant in Rancho Santa Fe. Fortunately, my birthday falls on Restaurant Week. Unfortunately, this means bye-bye to the Cheesecake Factory tradition.

The January birthday bash for Shawn, Kendell, Denise and I. Here you see 16 year old Shawn holding his buddy Seth, who likes Eskimo kisses, according to Shawn.

Elaina likes playing with the big girls, Haylee, Rachel, and Katie on the trampoline. The dachshunds, Ryder and Freckles, came along too.

January is the month we committed with my sister Liz to run 3 times a week. Two short runs on Monday and Wednesday and one long run on the weekend. Liz is training for a marathon. I just want to fulfill my birthday wish of getting back in shape. I get my birthday wishes. Seth is evidence of that. Here you see me pushing the double wide stroller along the bayside of Coronado Island with the bridge in the background. I am waiting for Neil to take the 2nd shift with the stroller. I enjoy running on Monday and Wednesday mornings without the kids.

This is why they call this place Sunset Cliffs, because of the awesome sunsets.

WHEN TODDLERS ATTACK!!! Elaina was not in a good mood that day. However, I did find out that it can actually feel good to have your hair pulled.

Looking at that early morning sunrise out of our bedroom window before that morning run. You can see the Redonda Mesa, a mountain in Mexico, in the background.

Seth taking a bath in a sink at the Circus Circus hotel in Las Vegas.

New Years Day at the Gateway mall in Salt Lake City with Pam, Seth, Lauren Anderle, Maddie, Lisa, Paul and Lauren and Elaina. We had corned beef and cabbage that night for dinner. This is supposed to bring the good luck of the Irish. I had rutabagas for the first time, and all I can say is, corned beef makes vegetables taste good.

2nd Christmas in Utah 2009

2010-01-12T13:05:00.000-08:00

Gardner Village and the snow.

Neil is standing next to the elves and holding Seth in the back pack.

Elaina's big present from her aunt and uncle in Sandy.

"What's all that white stuff?" Elaina enjoyed touching the snow, but immediately tried to shake it off when she found out how cold it was.

Temple square my mission has changed so much.

Elaina finds it is much more fun to have Uncle Paul and cousin Lauren carry her around temple square.

Seth the red teddy bear.

Elaina at my neice Elisha's house under construction in Logan. It was in the single digits there.

Elaina sitting with her aunt Leslie in Ogden.

Christmas village in down town Ogden. Elaina didn't understand how useful mittens are in cold weather. We put them on her anyway. She did seem to cry when she got cold.

Walking to church in the snow, good thing it was only 2 blocks away from aunt Leslie's house.

Christmas Day 2009

2010-01-12T12:52:00.000-08:00

Christmas day at Grandpa's house.

La la la, la la la la Elmo's world. Elmo loves babies.

Seth gets a toy for his car seat. Grandpa got him a remote control car that scared Elaina to tears.

Grandma and Grandpa have the neatest merry -go-round.

Christmas Eve 2009

2010-01-12T11:58:00.000-08:00

Angels in lab coats, acting out the nativity.

The 2nd cousins came to visit: Falene, Gavan, Aiden, And Denise.

Grandpa holds Seth, the Ho Ho Santa. We celebrate Christmas Eve by eating Sandwiches and junk food. This was a real treat growing up, because we never got to eat junk food. Of course we credit this tradition to Grandpa who was given the task of buying food, one Christmas Eve.

Rachel holds Elaina wearing the scarf from Rachel's Aeropostal teddy bear.

Christmas in California 2009

2009-12-21T12:06:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-21T09:19:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-04T12:10:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-03T19:29:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-03T12:48:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-20T15:43:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-20T15:42:00.000-07:00

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.

July 2009

2009-10-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

We went to LA to visit my sister Marilee and my niece Falene. She had just had her 2nd son Gavin 13 months after her first son Aiden. Neil is holding Gavin on Marilee's back porch.

This is house my dad built. It is probably one of the ones he is most proud of, though it cost him 3 months in the hospital. He was carving a road out of the hillside when the tractor rolled over and took him with it. He suffered a dislocated hip and spent a lot of time in traction. I was in the 8th grade at the time.

Neil and Elaina are under the Berkshire bridge on the horse trail. This was one of my favorite places to go hiking and mountain biking.

Next is Venice Beach. The crazy scene isn't as appealing as it once was, now that I have a family.

Karissa Thompson's baptism. The Thompsons have been Neil's surrogate neices for years. We came directly from Venice Beach to the baptism and afterward we went out for Thai food.

The month of July was quite warm, especially for a woman 6 months pregnant in a house with no air conditioning. We went to Mission Beach one Saturday just to cool off. Here you see Neil and Elaina walking toward the surf.

A highlight of the month was going to see the Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach. I had heard about it for years, but have never been. The amphitheater was truly impressive and it was fun to be on a date and hang with the artsy crowd.

Alaska July 2009

2009-10-20T14:38:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Alaska to be greeted by Elaina's happy cousins. This was rewarding after our difficult 3 connections plane flight.

We went to the Alaska temple. It was fun to see the murals on the walls of Alaska scenery.

Next we went on a hike. It was beautiful, except for the mosquitos. Here my sister Liz and I are walking with Elaina. Liz is 8 months pregnant and I am 5 months pregnant. Physically there is a big difference between the two.

This is a picture at the end of the hike of the Astle family.

Icebergs from the Portage glacier at the end of the Turnagain Arm. It was named by the explorer Captain Cook who was looking for a Northwest passage. He got to the end only to turn again.

Liz and I are on a girls' day out at the top of the Alieska gondola. We are the 2 pregnant ladies.

Neil and Lee took the kids to a petting zoo and on a train ride for the day while we were out.

Here is two year old Marcus in front of a moose.

We decided to drive to Denali National park. While we were in the visitor's center, Elaina showed that she was learning how to walk quite proficiently. She also discovered the stuffed animal section of the gift shop.

A view of Denali National Park. Mount McKinnley eluded us that day. The natives choose to call it Denali mountain instead.

We got to see summer ptarmagans. These birds blend in so well with the scenery. In the winter they are all white.

Here we are after finishing our 2 mile hike at the end of the paved road in Denali.

Next we drove to Fairbanks, Alaska and went on the river boat trip on the Chena and Tanana Rivers. Elaina got a close up look at sled dogs. It was odd to have boats pass by at 11:00pm because it was still light out.

We drove back to Denali and met Liz and Lee and family, who came up on the train.

We went to an animal rescue shelter, more like an outdoor zoo, which even had musk oxen. Bryce and Dana loved posing with the bear.

We all stayed in a condo near Seward with a killer view of a lake and mountains, and an awesome jacuzzi.

Neil and Lee got to go deep sea fishing near Seward while the girls and kids went on a boat ride to a glacier. Neil caught a few fish, but he wasn't really converted to the sport of fishing.

We also got to see the Mountain Marathon on July 4 while we were in Seward. It's not really a marathon, but it is a steep climb up a 3000 foot mountain, and everyone gets bloody and bruised on the slippery trails.

We also got to hike to the Exit Glacier. It's pretty impressive to see a glacier up close.

Dana and I had a fun "snowball" fight with cotton balls from nearby cottonwood trees.

Sadly, it was finally time to go home. Lainie learned to walk on this trip, thanks to encouragement from her cousins. Mom had to hold her hand to make sure she didn't run off in the airport.

June 2009 Part II

2009-10-20T14:12:00.000-07:00

In June we still had some more adventures. We discovered a new place to go walking the harbor side of Coronado Island. A lot of people film commercials here.

Elaina liked the little beach. I was excited to discover somewhere new.

Elaina is wearing sunglasses at the San Diego County Fair. We watched the dog show.

Elaina and Dad are sitting outside of the Del Mar Horse race pavilion. The food at the fair is all fried and is not that good.

Our 2-year Anniversary - June 16, 2008

2009-08-08T23:02:00.000-07:00

In June, we celebrated 2 fabulous years of being married! Neil took me to Forever Fondue restaurant in La Jolla. It's been a fun, event-filled and joyful 2 years. We love each other, we enjoy spending time together and we can both truly say that we married our best friend. We are so grateful that we have each other after so many years of being single! Two years is just the beginning and we look forward with excitement to what the coming years have in store for us.

Memorial day weekend in Utah 2009

2009-08-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to Utah for Memorial Day weekend to visit Neil's family. The trip included a visit to La Caille restaurant, a fancy French chateau next to Little Cottonwood Canyon. Neil carried Elaina all over the beautiful grounds of this place in her trusty backpack.

We went to Trolley Square and ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory with the other Carters (Neil's brother Paul).

We went to Gardener Village and got Lainie some finger puppets.

Maddie and Lisa introduced me to necklaces with pendants that have your initial on them, the latest craze in Utah.

Neil's brother Paul hiked with us to a waterfall in the mountains east of their house in Sandy.

I liked this little stream at La Caille restaurant. It reminded me of the song .....Give Said The Little Stream as it hurried down the hill. I am small I know, but wherever I go the grass grows greener still....

The last picture is of the view of the Wasatch mountains that we saw on our hike near Paul's house.

Anacapa and the Channel Islands May 2009

2009-08-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

For Neil's birthday, we decided to take a trip to Anacpa Island, one of the Channel Islands off the coast of Ventura, CA. This island was definitely other-worldly. I felt like I had gone to a foreign land. The vegetation was different from anywhere else in the area.

It was nesting season for the seagulls. Here are 3 seagull eggs.

There were seagulls everywhere. They were very protective of their nests and squacked at you when you walked by.

We also stopped at the Ventura pier and had some of the best clam chowder I've ever eaten.

On the way back to San Diego, we went to Gladstones, a famous seafood restaurant on the beach near Santa Monica. Overall it was a fun birthday for Neil.

May 2009

2009-08-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

May was a big month for us. In the first picture, you see my favorite babysitters, Elaina's cousins Haylee and Rachel walking with her along Del Mar Beach.

Elaina loves books. Here she is the Sunday before her 1st birthday.

The next picture shows Elaina at her one year old birthday party. Her friend Juliana is helping her with the wrapping paper.

This is the first time Elaina got to eat cake, ice cream, eggs, peanut butter, and cow's milk. Turning one is a big deal.

The next picture is of the one year old birthday party for Elaina with the family. The best part about turning one for Elaina was going swimming in Grandpa's jacuzzi.

We ended the month by going to the cow parade in La Jolla, and Elaina got to take a brief ride on a fiberglass cow.

San Juan Capistrano and the train April 2009

2009-07-31T13:57:00.000-07:00

We decided to do a day trip to San Juan Capistrano by way of the train. First we drove, parked and took the trolley to the train station.

Then we took the train from San Diego to the Capistrano depot. We got out and walked around the historical district.

Lastly, we took a bus to Doheny Bay and Elaina had fun crawling all over Neil. In the end we took 3 forms of public transportation in one day.

April 2009 The flower fields

2009-07-31T13:43:00.000-07:00

We went to the flower fields in Carlsbad at the end of April. Here I am with Elaina in the white ranunculus flowers.

Next, Neil is carrying Elaina in the trusty green back pack.

Elaina, my nieces Rachel, Haylee, and their exchange student from Austria enjoyed swinging on the swings.

Elaina loves to swing. It is the one piece of playground equipment she has a handle on.

In April Elaina was crawling, but not walking yet.

The 50th Anniversary Mexican Cruise, April 2009

2009-07-31T09:09:00.000-07:00

The Ricks family did a cruise to Mexico to celebrate my parents' 50'th wedding anniversary. On the way to the ship, my brother Ed rented a limo van and Elaina learned how to be a pole dancer.

As you can see, Elaina was none too happy about having to don a life vest during our life vest drills.

Here are my Mom and Dad in Puerta Vallarta, still happily married after 50 years.

Next, we see the deck of the cruise ship, which is a total party scene. After that is the dining room where we ate dinner every night. It had 3 levels and was very fancy.

Next is the view of the ocean from our room. We had a balcony and Elaina seems to like it.

Next is sunset on the top deck or 14th floor at the back of the ship.

We wore Elaina out. She fell asleep in her high chair and in the back pack.

Next is a shot of our Royal Carribean cruise ship. It is one of the biggest cruise ships available.

Next we see Elaina on Lovers' Beach in Cabo San Lucas, all ready to go swimming.

The ship steward made us little towel animals every day. We got this picture of it before Elaina destroyed it.

Next is Mazatlan, our 2nd port of call. It has definitely seen better days, but the ocean and coastline were still beautiful.

Puerta Vallarta was my favorite port of call with the mountains plunging into the sea. Here we all went on excursions together. In one photo, you see 9 of the male grandchildren next to a jet ski, ranging in age from 2 to 17. In the next photo you have 6 female grandchildren ranging in age from 11 months to 15.

My sister Kelly is the glamour girl watching as the kids go zip-lining at Carlos's Hideaway near Puerto Vallarta.

The next picture is of a sand scu lpture of the 12 apostles at the last supper in Puerta Vallarta.

We were able to get a dress-up picture of me, Neil and Elaina. We had 2 dinners on the boat where we were supposed to dress up in formal clothing. The final photo is of Mom and Dad and the 6 of us 7 children who made it on the cruise. My sister Liz and her family came the farthest. They flew all the way from Alaska.

The Getty Villa and Point Dume - April 2009

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This is the Getty Villa near Pacific Pallisades, CA. We especially wanted to go there after visiting Herculaneum and Pompei on our honeymoon. Here is Elaina sitting on a mosaic.

The Getty Villa was modeled after a villa found outside of Herculaneum. I remember going there when I was 12 with my uncle Don, a professional artist. I will always remember the way he described the art he saw there. Because he took the time to talk to me about it, he has always been one of my favorite uncles. The big fountain and statuary is impressive.

After seeing the Getty, we decided to explore some more and drove through Malibu and then turned off the Hwy 1 to find Point Dume. A secluded stretch of beach like this is a rare find in LA.

March 2009

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My friend Kyoko visited us from Japan. Her friend from Indonesia came too and she cooked Japanese food dinner. Here she is, having fun taking care of Elaina.

In March, we went to Anza Borego and hiked Palm Canyon when the flowers were blooming. Apparently the flowers don't bloom this well every year.

Elaina's favorite bath toy is her rubber ducky. Yes he is the one. I am glad we have an extra deep sink because this is the easiest way to bathe her.

The suspension bridge hike in Hill Crest. It was a beautiful spring day and we crossed 2 bridges that day. I really liked this old house that we saw hanging onto the side of a canyon.

Finally, we went to Disney's California Adventure with my nephews Greg and Thomas. They had a lot of fun and Elaina got to ride on her first ride all by her self.

February 2009

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We discovered a new place to go hiking just north of Torrey Pines. You hike along the railroad tracks and eventually come to another beach. Here's Elaina with her daddy on that trail

Next is Elaina in her Bloomingdale's outfit next to the Tiffany blue wall of her nursery.

Next we see Elaina sleeping in the crawl position. How this is comfortable I don't know, but this proves she is ready to crawl at 8 or 9 months.

Next is Elaina and Mom getting ready for church on Valentine's Day, followed by walking on the beach near Powerhouse Park in Del Mar. You know Elaina is just trying to figure out a way to bug Daddy.

Then we have Elaina distracting us at choir practice at church. Who can sing with that face looking up at you?

A girl always needs a little more bling bling! Here are my nieces at Disneyland celebrating Neil's niece Lauren's birthday and the fact she gets to go for free. While Lauren was here in San Diego, we took the girls to Torrey Pines so we could hike down the beach to the cliffs. There were a lot of people on the beach that day.

Disneyland with Leslie and Rex, January 2009

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Neil's sister Leslie and her husband Rex came down to California and we went to Disneyland with them for 2 days. In the first picture, we our little Elaina, the cutest princess at Disneyland. One day, she'll even be able to wear this dress! Aunt Leslie had a fun time holding Elaina while we were there. Elaina got Mardi Gras beads at New Orleans Square, and she still plays with them. We got to see the Matterhorn and a little German village all in one. Only at Disneyland! We got annual passes, which was cheaper than buying tickets for 2 days. I'm sure we'll be back many times before the year is over.

January 2009

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We spent New Year's Eve and Day with my sister Marilee's family in La Canada, CA. Here we see Elaina with her Uncle Ross and cousin Aiden.

As usual, we had a busy month in January 2009. The next photo is of Elaina and Neil at Windansea Beach near La Jolla, CA.

The next is from a visit with the Hermansons, old friends of Neil's in Blythe, CA. Angie Hermanson had her youngest daughter about the same time that we got married.

The next one is of Neil and me on my birthday. Neil treated me extra nice that day and decorated the house, made me eggs benedict, and took me to the Marine Room restaurant at La Jolla Shores. It made turning 40 a little easier.

The next one is of Danielle Thompson's Birthday party. Elaina and Juliana Thompson are both wearing Birthday hats. Juliana was born 2 months after Elaina. I thought they were so far apart in age. It just goes to show you that age is relative.

Yes Elaina has already learned how to torture her father. She usually pulls his hair from the baby back pack this tells him he needs to get moving.

Elaina started standing by leaning against furniture by about 6 or 7 months of age.

In the next one, we are house hunting in Fallbrook, CA. We really liked the house we saw in Highland Oaks up the street from my parents. It is becoming more evident that Elaina needs a yard to play in.

The final picture is of me celebrating my birthday with the family at my sister Kelly's house. I chose a brownie cake this year. I think I blew out all of the candles at once.

Christmas in California 2008

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We did Christmas Eve at my sister Kellly's in Bonsall, CA. My nieces Alicia and Faline showed up, as well as my brother Ed. Of the 7 Ricks siblings, only Matt and Elizabeth weren't there.

The second picture is of Elaina (in her reindeer hat) and Aiden, her 2nd cousin, who is 2 weeks older than she is.