Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

The great American game of softball has been started in Baker once again! A good number of people came out to the field on Sunday night to get their game on. Others, like myself, enjoyed the show ;)




It was neat to see the dust stir again in this old field................ and everyone was enjoying themselves.




Josiah's got his game face on............

I tried to get some good action shots with my camera................

"Hi! John & Anita!"

Ava had fun playing on the swings.........

Here is her view of the game from the swing.............

Here are a sequence of photos of Josiah in action............

And Bryan..............................

Meanwhile, Ava abandoned the swing to play with a bat and ball to polish up her skills.......

Next, Caleb.....................

and Kaylie :)

She anticipates her next swift move............

Back to the swings once again........................ and I don't mean the bat. lol

Alicia was a dear and held Isaac for me :)

Thank you!!

Then it started to get dark and the game was wrapped up.................

Then it will all begin again next Sunday.................

Toy Hanger

I was getting tired of moving Ava's stuffed animals everytime she climbed up to the top bunk (which is normally a great "storage place." However, there were just too many animals and I wanted to organize it somehow. Growing up, we had a stuffed animal hammock which works well for a few stuffed animals. I wasn't about to order a huge hammock ($50 - $ 70). So, I surfed the internet for other options. I found it! I thought to myself "DUH!"

So, I bought three things: decorative chain, clips, and screw hanger. All in all about $25. Not only great savings but a lot more practical and cute :)
So here are a couple of pictures. I'm happy with how it turned out.........

You wouldn't believe how many (small/medium) toys you can hang on that chain. I ended up using a 7 ft chain. I left the huge animals on her top bunk. But it sure organized well. Ava thinks it is cool too.

Someday, I'd like to add more decor to her room - such as a cute large rug, decals, shelves, paint the trim; etc. That's not a high priority right now. lol

If anyone else has any space saver, organization ideas - please throw them my way!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Life Zones

Tonight (Monday) we drove up the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive with Bryan. He needed to get water samples at a couple different locations. There was still a fair amount of snow up there and the clouds were rolling in. When we left our house approximately a half hour ago it was a hot 95 + degrees at our house in Baker. It was about 60 up here at nearly 10,000 ft in elevation. We were content in this life zone :)
We played in the snow a little and enjoyed the "cooler" air.

Here's some info on verticle life zones:

The snow melt around the park is amazing........ although with the colder temps and precipitation this Spring - the trees and flowers are behind. The aspens are just barely showing signs of leaves.

A person could definately get swept away in those loud currents..........

We set the camera up on a log to take some photos...........

Ava, Ava, Ava the explorer!................

It started to rain pretty good - so we piled in the car and went on our merry way down the scenic drive. Next stop: Pole Canyon Trail to look for a rattlesnake (that has a radio transmitter). I was playing around with my camera in the car on the way down..............

Ava enjoys playing with Isaac's car seat toys too .....................

Well, we parked at the Pole Canyon Trailhead and apparently Isaac wasn't only busy playing with toys........... LOL

Nothing like changing a blowout diaper in the great outdoors! lol

He says "Mom! Now I got your attention!!!!!" Ha ha! Thankfully I had another outfit in the diaper bag :)

Yellow suits him well ;)

Ten minutes later and Isaac in a new outfit ....... we hiked up the Pole Canyon Trail.

Bryan listens to hear if the rattlesnake is nearby......................

Apparenty not close enough....................... so we keep hiking.

I was carrying the snake tongs and playfully pinched Ava's behind as we hiked up the trail. She kept saying "pinch me again Mom!" and laughing....................

Well, we ended up going off trail and climbing these steep talus slopes. I decided that I didn't want to billy-goat Isaac in the rough terrain in his front pack and headed back to the trail to hike back to the car. Bryan and Ava continued the search for the snake............

Isaac and I got back to the car in time for the temperature to surprisingly drop to a chill (at least for a barely clothed 6 month old). We had fun playing in the car waiting for them.

After what seemed like more than an hour Bryan and Ava got back (right before dark) and said they were successful in finding the snake. Happily, after all that hiking around for a concrete signal. The snake was hiding under a rock. We got home around 8:30 pm.

Here's a video of the run-off at the parking lot.

This is Isaac as we waited patiently in the car..................

6 Months Old

Isaac turns 6 months tomorrow! Once again I can hardly believe it. He's definately more vocal and excited about everything that comes his way. It's very adorable to see him and Ava interact. His redish-brown hair hasn't changed much since birth. He's got more fat rolls. lol

Until recently (when he got a bad cold) I have been continuing to insert his nasal stent at night when he sleeps. He doesn't scratch it out as often. We see Dr. Morales next Wednesday for his next follow-up appointment. I'm excited :)

These will be the last photos taken with the stents in his nose....... (He woke up because he heard my camera go off.)

This is just a little video of Isaac and Ava on our bed after they both had a bath.........

In other news:

The week long kingsnake survey was successful. They found 4 of them.

Summer is finally here! The weather has been very warm. It's supposed to get into the 90's in the weekend.

I've been busy inside and outside the house. I've been taking Ava out to ride her bike almost every day. She LOVES her bike now which is fantastic! She's been helping me in the garden ;)

There is still a long list of things to do.............that I got to get around doing. For example: tiling my porch that I was going to do last year. Now that the weather is cooperating I think I can start that project.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Wear sunscreen!