My Little Sidekick

With Ava and Isaac in school, Willow and I get more interaction one-on-one. She's so chatty now (knows well over a hundred words) and repeats everything like a parrot.  She can count to 10. She also can sing the whole "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" song! Best of all she can tell me what she wants. Communication is a grand thing ;)
Just when I think she can't do something, she proves me wrong. She's learning independence quickly. I'm hoping she'll potty train soon because she's so close! I'm not going to hold my breath and certainly not pressure her about it either. I know she'll do it when she wants to like everything else.
She's a smart little cookie. Her favorite things are still her pillow, books, baby, and pacifier. By the way, she calls her pacifier her "power." Brilliant! Hahahahaha

She likes to wear these boots because she can put them on all by herself! She looks so big in them. She tells me all the time that her shoes and dresses are "cute." I think she's in another growth spurt because she looks bigger everyday to me (and I see her every day)! Look at her striking a pose; she purposefully doesn't look at me.... lol

Sometimes I have to be sneaky....

When I don't have an early massage appointment, one of my favorite moments I share with her is sitting at the table watching the buzzing hummingbirds outside the window. Me with my latte and her with her steamed milk :)
She can be so polite too; I love her little voice when she says "Thank you."
We are brainstorming certain days in which we'll start a morning bike routine. We need to get many rides in before the weather changes. That's around the corner. Bike riding is of her favorite activities. She runs in the entryway to get her helmet every time I say the word. Haha

We got grapes off our vine for the first time. She gobbled them up with her beverage.....

Willow is an affectionate love bug. It's amazing how different kids personalities are. She loves to bring her doll to Donna's house when I take her over there. She'll push it across the street.

She's a great little helper when you give her a job. Assuming she's well rested ;)

So, our monsoon this summer lasted a day I think. No joke. It's been dry, dry, dry. The day we got a system it poured causing flash floods in local areas. So, for one day we got to enjoy some short-lived puddles in the driveway. Normally, the air is quite cool and we have many wet days in August. Not this year, no rain (hail/sleet) and we still have summer temperatures in the mid 90's. I think it was part of the reason it felt like school shouldn't be in session. In the meantime, we will enjoy our sandals and sun dresses :)

Diego our cat is happy for some attention. He's so old now, but he loves to be patted. He just lives out his days in our laundry room and porch. He seems content. He's too old to hunt and simply enjoys being lazy. He's put up with a lot the last dozen years. He's been a loyal sidekick for us :)

First Day of School!

School started Monday, August 17th. Our relaxed, spontaneous summer schedule shifted major gears. Haha. We have early mornings and strict bedtime routines.
Yes, that means me too ;)
(Sleep is important to me.)
We now have 2 kids in school! Willow and I get some one-on-one time which we both appreciate. After all, Isaac and Ava had that special time too when they were small. Willow gets really excited when her brother and sister get home mid afternoon from classes. Isaac had been looking forward to going to Garrison School for two years. That's not an exaggeration. Haha. I ordered him a nap mat which he will use all year long for story time. He wouldn't dare to actually "have a nap" though ;)
They both get to experience a new school.....

Isaac ~ first day of Kindergarten! 

Ava ~ first day of 3rd grade! 

Wow, I had a hard time believing it was already time for another school year; and my kids look so big *sniff*

Getting up early on the first day of school actually wasn't too hard for us, except Willow whom I had to peel out of bed so she wouldn't miss the big moment. She enjoyed holding Ava's hand as we walked. Isaac got a head start. He was super excited....

He managed to slow down and have a morning chat with his dad....

* Our Terrific Trio *

Ava, officially at Baker School :)

Isaac was supposed to catch the bus here too. Apparently I didn't read the schedule right and he missed his ride! 7:10 is so early to be loading up! Poor kid, he was looking forward to climbing those stairs and greeting the bus driver! Hahahaha. Well, we were off to a good start!
Bryan drove him to school. Happy to say, the rest of the week went well without any other hiccups ;)

"The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson."

- Tom Bodett

Valadez Visit!

We were thrilled when my friend, Erin, contacted me to tell me they were coming home for a visit. She drove from Oklahoma and brought her kids Xander, T'ea, and Brecken. When Erin and I get together once or twice a year we catch up like no time has passed. Picking up where we left off. lol
One day we went hiking at Strawberry Creek. They hadn't been on the new trail yet so we thought it would be fun. Erin's dad, Ron, and brother Andre' joined us with his boys. It was quite the crew :)

Willow is only a few months older than Brecken. Right away they formed a love/hate one year old relationship.... haha

Brecken and Willow held hands on part of the hike.....

Ava and the boys ran far ahead on the trail. Isaac, T'ea, and Willow had a more leisurely hike and even asked us to take photos....

We caught up with the rest of the group at the end of the trail. Ava, JJ, Drew, and Xander were busy in the creek.....

 We sat down for some more snacks and to rehydrate.....

The day before Erin and the kids had to drive back to Oklahoma, we met up at Pruess Lake to play.
It was amazing how low the water had dropped from last week we were there! There was much more beach exposed which made playing in the sand easier. But you had to walk out a long ways through the water to get it deep enough to swim! Haha

Summer = watermelon
Mmmmm

Willow and Brecken we both so tired. Even though there were plenty of sticks on the beach they had to fight over the same one. One year olds........ Haha

If there is a critter around, Ava will find it. Like this baby crawdad.....

To my delight, Erin mentioned coming back in September sometime to do some hiking. This great visit may be continued soon ;)

Bat Surveys: Rose Guano Cave

Continuing the "theme" from my previous post ~ Ava, Isaac, and I went with Bryan and the crew to Rose Guano Cave to help with bat surveys. I was able to round up a sitter for Willow. We went up last year to see the bats fly out of the cave, but it was too late in the season. This time we got some hands on, close as you can get encounters with the winged mammals.

The road getting up there is less than perfect, that's saying nicely. The path up to the cave is short but steep. The researchers put up a rope system to access the cave safety. That was fabulous; and fun ;)

It was great to be here all together :)

The net covered part of the mouth of the cave. Bats would either fly into the net or fly past. If they landed in the net, they would gently fall into a trap below.....

This is what it looks like from the inside of the cave.....

It was such a beautiful night! Sunset, temperatures, good company.... loved it!

Then, just like that the bats start their exit....

It's an almost magical experience to see. I stood inside the cave for the first time and was overwhelmed by the sights, sounds, and I admit ~ the smell.... lol
But, I would do it over and over again. So amazing! The sound of the bats wings permeate the cave.
I took a little video:

Again, the amazing sky lit up too......

Bats continued to take flight.....

The crew had their hands full as bats filled the trap. Pit-tagging, measuring, painting with fluorescent paint, and dusting them green. It was a cool process to see and help out with.....

Here's a video of the bats taking flight from the cave out into Spring Valley....

Here is a short video of the netting process.....

This is what the trap looks like.......

Short video of the bats in the trap....

Dusting the bats.....

Isaac volunteered to sit and dust the bats for a while......

He thought the green dust was pretty cool! Haha

Placing a dab of paint on the bats.....

Banding the bats....

Time flew by as fast as bats fly ;)

Measuring the bats....

Yes, a well-documented night :)
I would do a repeat. What a great opportunity.

Ava found some scorpions on the hike back to the vehicle. I'll leave you with that :)

Sleep well; you're welcome!  ;)