disclaimer: Dave can't be held responsible for the content of the following post, nor I am sure does he agree with the length... =) please read at your own risk:
We are home from a great trip out to see Azure and her family in Cincinnati. We flew out on JetBlue to NYC and then on to Pittsburgh, where we picked up our car. It was a 4 1/2 hr drive but the kids slept the whole way, so we drove straight through. Azure has a beautiful house and Matt did an awesome job on the kitchen. The top floor has beautiful hardwood floors (which I just LOVE) and the basement is unfinished. I was alarmed to discover that my blood has thinned somewhat, because it was pretty cold for the first couple days. The boys played together pretty well, but we discovered that they played much quieter and got hurt less when only two were playing together at the same time (Azure's boy Wade is 5 1/2). We stayed in a hotel for a few nights, and spent the rest at Azures.
The night we got in Azure had a holiday themed enrichment activity where she was planning on making a wreath. Against my better judgement, I worked on a wreath for Azure's friend who wasn't able to make it. In my defense- I hadn't been to bed for about 36 hrs- needless to say, the wreath was huge and when I held it up there was a rather significant amount of (hysterical) laughter. Just imagine a sizable bush and you get the general idea. We took it over to the friend who is considerably more artistically inclined than I am and the end result was quite pretty. I wisely sat on my hands during the process, though. =)
Azure took us to have Chili "Cincinnati Style". You can get in a bowl, but the best way to have it is over spaghetti with cheese, onions and beans. Dave also had fried jalapeno rings on his. The chili wasn't spicy, but I loved it! Very different flavor than what I am used to.
Camden was blessed on Sunday and we had a chance to meet a few people that we had heard about. The CFO of the company Matt works for is the Stake President, who we were able to meet, and he has a couple other co-workers in the ward as well. They have a great ward.
We went to see the zoo lights there and the 3 big boys got pictures with Santa. Very cute. I think it will be fun to go back during the day when we visit next time to see everything else.
I really liked the architecture in the area of the zoo. We have so many sprawling houses here, but most of these were straight up- very narrow and tall. Almost all of them had "sittin' porches".
On the way back we missed our New York- Salt Lake flight by a matter of minutes because of weather. I was a bit freaked out. It was 9 at night, the kids were all tired, and I just knew that a hotel and food would cost an arm and a leg, that is if we had anything left over after we got lost and mugged. =) I know, I know, not very rational. Dave was awesome through it all but I am pretty sure that is because he saw how close I was to breaking down. One of the crewmembers at JetBlue suggested a hotel, we got some help in finding where the shuttle was from a few kind strangers (long, long walk and the airtrain) got to our hotel and only had to spend 20 bucks, tip included, for a huge pepperoni pizza that was delivered to the counter at the hotel. We were up early the next morning and caught a flight going JFK- San Diego other than wait an additional 12 hrs for the nonstop into SLC. Wick didn't sleep as much as I would have liked but we did okay. When we got into San Diego it was BEAUTIFUL! We were tempted to stay for a day... We were wandering around the airport working out the knots from our legs, and there was a walkway that went over the baggage claim area. Errol said "that's our bag down there. And there, and there." I thought he was just seeing things, but when I looked, sure enough, the bags had been re routed to San Diego! Thanks to Errol we were able to retrieve them and check them back in for the flight to SLC. The only problem was that when we got home, we realized that we hadn't written down where we parked the car... fortunately Faris finally piped up with the location of the car. Finally, we were able to get home.
I can't wait to go back! There were so many trees in the area I can imagine it is just beautiful in the spring or even the fall with all the colors. There are a lot of things we didn't get a chance to do this time around.
Other than that, all is well at the Litster household. We hope all is well with you!
Sabrina
Friday, December 12, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Hello! We are out in Cincinnati catching up with my sister and her family. Azure just had a baby girl in November so we came out for the baby blessing. It has been a bit cold, and we found that 3 boys together don't necessarily get along as well as 2. It doesn't seem to matter what combination it is. (My sister has 5 1/2 year old Wade as well as baby Camden). It has been a good trip, although I have been down with a bit of a cold. Azure's house is beautiful, they have put a lot of hard work into it.
Hope everyone is well!
Sabrina
Hope everyone is well!
Sabrina
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Dave here -
Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving. This year we went over to my parents place, along with all my sisters that live in the valley. I think there were about 30 of us there, plus after dinner, my cousin Leica and her family came over as well. It was a bit of a madhouse, but hey, it's family, right!
There was so much good food. Mom tried a new recipie for the turkey, and I thought that it turned our very well. Every thing was great, stuffing, rolls, potatos, green beans...mmmmm.
Then the pies. Pumkin, apple, berry, chocolate, pumpkin chiffon, and Mom made a lemon merengue with fresh lemons from the tree in the green house. So good. Of course I ate way too much. I think if I didn't Mom would be disappointed.
We took our Wii over, and let all the grandkids have a turn. We hooked it up to my brother-in-law's LCD projector so they could paly with a huge screen. That was the quietest they have ever been at Grandma and Grandpa's house!
After the kids had their turn, the adults took it over. Watching Mom and Heather go head to head playing tennis was great! There were some surprising upsets like Bubs beating Mike in tennis and Mel out bowling Jen! It was a lot of fun.
The next morning, we got up early and headed down south (near Scipio) to cut our Christmas tree. A friend of ours (Brian) lives in Richfield and he invited us and another family (Scott and Dawn Larsen) to join them on their annual tree hunt. We packed a lunch and a few of our guns so we could do some target shooting after we found our tree. We got there and found our friend brought his 4-wheelers down. He said we were welcome to use them, but since I haven't been able to ride since I broke my tailbone (and other bones), I figured I wouldn't do much riding.
We found our tree in about and hour and a half and were the first ones back to camp. Dawn and her girls came back to camp a few minutes after we did, but with no tree. Scott and Chris were stil looking for the perfect tree, but the girls little legs were worn out. The kids played together for a little while, but little boys and little girls don't always want to play the same things, so the Larsens watched a movie in their van while our boys played around camp. Brian came back to trade th 4-wheelers for his trailer, since thier tree wouldn't fit on the wheelers. Brian convinced Sabrina to take one out for a spin, and she was hooked immediately. She began zipping around camp then up and down the road. It had rained and snowed the day before so the roads were plenty muddy. She was having so much fun playing in the mud, I thought that I would try and see if I could take a little ride without it hurting too much. To my surprise I was able to take a short ride without any pain at all. I pulled Faris up behind me and Sabrina had Wick and Errol with her as we took a nice long ride. Wick did not want to get off when we finished, even though his little cheeks were bright, rosy red.
Scott and Chris came back to camp, still empty handed. They thought they would head up even higher, but didn't want to hike that far, so they took their van and headed up. Brian and Charmy got back with a very pretty tree, but Scott and Dawn still hadn't found that "perfect" tree. We ate lunch, and talked while we waited for Scott and Dawn. After about an hour and a half, Brian and I started to get a little worried (knowing how Scott drives) so we took the wheelers up the road to look for them. We met them a little more that a mile from camp, and still no tree.
We got back to camp, and Scott and Brian decided to hike the hills across the road from camp to see if any good trees were there. Errol asked me for a ride, and Faris wanted to go too, so I swung Errol up in front of me and Sabrina put Faris behind her and we took off up and down the roads. They were nice and muddy and soon we were all wearing quite alot of the road. Errol kept yelling "Faster Daddy, faster!!" What else could I do? I went faster, I slid around corners in the mud and snow, hit the biggest mud puddles as fast as I could, and everything else to make the ride fun for him (Sabrina was doing the same for Faris). We even took a couple of jumps. The first one was great. I landed just right. The second one, not so much... somehow I landed hard and jarred my back. We got back to camp and I could barely stand up...I should have quit when I was ahead...
Charmy gave Dawn a quick riding lesson, and soon she and Sabrina were taking the kids all over. (Still no tree for Scott)
Eventually we heard Scott and Brian in the trees near camp. I looked to where their voices were coming from and saw the top of a tree swaying as it was being cut - not more than 30 feet from where I was standing. Nothing like hiking for 5 miles, driving 10 more, and finding the tree within view of camp.
After a few more muddy rides on the 4 wheelers, it was time to pack up and head home. Brian offered to let Sabrina ride a wheeler the 6-7 miles from camp back to the highway. She jumped at the chance and zipped off down the road as the rest of us finished packing up. I think she's hooked (I any one wants to know what to get her for Christmas, I know she'd love 4-wheeler)!
After we loaded up the wheelers, we headed for home. We stopped in Scipio to get some treats and let the kids go potty. I got a look at myself in the mirror and realized just how muddy I was. I had prettly much a solid coat of mud from my knees down, and the back of my thighs was just as bad. My jacket and face were heavily speckled, but not quite coated. The boys were almost as covered, and Sabrina wasn't any cleaner!
All 3 boys fell asleep on the ride home. As we pulled off the freeway, Errol woke up and said "How come it got dark so fast?" He'd fallen asleep so quickly, he didn't realize that he'd been asleep for 2 hours. The boys were just plain tuckered out.
What a great day! Hopefully this becomes an annual tradition!
We'll post pics as soon as we get them off the phones.
Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving. This year we went over to my parents place, along with all my sisters that live in the valley. I think there were about 30 of us there, plus after dinner, my cousin Leica and her family came over as well. It was a bit of a madhouse, but hey, it's family, right!
There was so much good food. Mom tried a new recipie for the turkey, and I thought that it turned our very well. Every thing was great, stuffing, rolls, potatos, green beans...mmmmm.
Then the pies. Pumkin, apple, berry, chocolate, pumpkin chiffon, and Mom made a lemon merengue with fresh lemons from the tree in the green house. So good. Of course I ate way too much. I think if I didn't Mom would be disappointed.
We took our Wii over, and let all the grandkids have a turn. We hooked it up to my brother-in-law's LCD projector so they could paly with a huge screen. That was the quietest they have ever been at Grandma and Grandpa's house!
After the kids had their turn, the adults took it over. Watching Mom and Heather go head to head playing tennis was great! There were some surprising upsets like Bubs beating Mike in tennis and Mel out bowling Jen! It was a lot of fun.
The next morning, we got up early and headed down south (near Scipio) to cut our Christmas tree. A friend of ours (Brian) lives in Richfield and he invited us and another family (Scott and Dawn Larsen) to join them on their annual tree hunt. We packed a lunch and a few of our guns so we could do some target shooting after we found our tree. We got there and found our friend brought his 4-wheelers down. He said we were welcome to use them, but since I haven't been able to ride since I broke my tailbone (and other bones), I figured I wouldn't do much riding.
We found our tree in about and hour and a half and were the first ones back to camp. Dawn and her girls came back to camp a few minutes after we did, but with no tree. Scott and Chris were stil looking for the perfect tree, but the girls little legs were worn out. The kids played together for a little while, but little boys and little girls don't always want to play the same things, so the Larsens watched a movie in their van while our boys played around camp. Brian came back to trade th 4-wheelers for his trailer, since thier tree wouldn't fit on the wheelers. Brian convinced Sabrina to take one out for a spin, and she was hooked immediately. She began zipping around camp then up and down the road. It had rained and snowed the day before so the roads were plenty muddy. She was having so much fun playing in the mud, I thought that I would try and see if I could take a little ride without it hurting too much. To my surprise I was able to take a short ride without any pain at all. I pulled Faris up behind me and Sabrina had Wick and Errol with her as we took a nice long ride. Wick did not want to get off when we finished, even though his little cheeks were bright, rosy red.
Scott and Chris came back to camp, still empty handed. They thought they would head up even higher, but didn't want to hike that far, so they took their van and headed up. Brian and Charmy got back with a very pretty tree, but Scott and Dawn still hadn't found that "perfect" tree. We ate lunch, and talked while we waited for Scott and Dawn. After about an hour and a half, Brian and I started to get a little worried (knowing how Scott drives) so we took the wheelers up the road to look for them. We met them a little more that a mile from camp, and still no tree.
We got back to camp, and Scott and Brian decided to hike the hills across the road from camp to see if any good trees were there. Errol asked me for a ride, and Faris wanted to go too, so I swung Errol up in front of me and Sabrina put Faris behind her and we took off up and down the roads. They were nice and muddy and soon we were all wearing quite alot of the road. Errol kept yelling "Faster Daddy, faster!!" What else could I do? I went faster, I slid around corners in the mud and snow, hit the biggest mud puddles as fast as I could, and everything else to make the ride fun for him (Sabrina was doing the same for Faris). We even took a couple of jumps. The first one was great. I landed just right. The second one, not so much... somehow I landed hard and jarred my back. We got back to camp and I could barely stand up...I should have quit when I was ahead...
Charmy gave Dawn a quick riding lesson, and soon she and Sabrina were taking the kids all over. (Still no tree for Scott)
Eventually we heard Scott and Brian in the trees near camp. I looked to where their voices were coming from and saw the top of a tree swaying as it was being cut - not more than 30 feet from where I was standing. Nothing like hiking for 5 miles, driving 10 more, and finding the tree within view of camp.
After a few more muddy rides on the 4 wheelers, it was time to pack up and head home. Brian offered to let Sabrina ride a wheeler the 6-7 miles from camp back to the highway. She jumped at the chance and zipped off down the road as the rest of us finished packing up. I think she's hooked (I any one wants to know what to get her for Christmas, I know she'd love 4-wheeler)!
After we loaded up the wheelers, we headed for home. We stopped in Scipio to get some treats and let the kids go potty. I got a look at myself in the mirror and realized just how muddy I was. I had prettly much a solid coat of mud from my knees down, and the back of my thighs was just as bad. My jacket and face were heavily speckled, but not quite coated. The boys were almost as covered, and Sabrina wasn't any cleaner!
All 3 boys fell asleep on the ride home. As we pulled off the freeway, Errol woke up and said "How come it got dark so fast?" He'd fallen asleep so quickly, he didn't realize that he'd been asleep for 2 hours. The boys were just plain tuckered out.
What a great day! Hopefully this becomes an annual tradition!
We'll post pics as soon as we get them off the phones.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Yes, we are still alive! Here is a bit of an update of the past few months:
May- Wick finally went in for tubes in his ears. Dr. (Uncle) Dave took care of it and he has been great ever since.
June- Trip to Alaska. WONDERFUL! We have lots of pictures and will have to post them soon. I actually survived flying up and back with all three boys! Dave had work and then a scout rafting trip so he came up for a week, the rest of us were there for 2 1/2 weeks or so. One of my proudest moments was running the 3 1/2 mile loop my parents live on. I even did it the hard way (a very steep, 1/2 mile hill at almost the very end). The weather was absolutely beautiful and we spent a bunch of time on the beach. We saw a moose and a bear and bunches of eagles. My freshman college roomie was there with her family so we got a chance to catch up as well. Dad is an amazing grandpa who dotes on his grandchildren. We even roasted marshmallows in the stove.
July- Faris turned 8! I can't believe he survived!
August- Faris started 3rd grade. Errol broke his arm. It was displaced, and pretty difficult to get back into place. They put a rigid cast on to keep it where it needed to be, but had to split it the next day due to swelling. The following week the x ray showed that it was out of place so he had surgery and got 3 pins. He was so brave! I really am quite proud of him.
September- Azure and Mom came out for Faris' baptism. Everything went very well, except Faris and Dave were so excited, they forgot to take off his glasses. =) Errol started Kindergarten.
October- Dave and I survived 11 years! I think we even still like each other.
November- I was the luckiest Auntie ever! Azure had her baby (Camden) and the same day Mel was able to bring Lexie home from Pennsylvania. Two in one day! Wahoo! They are both adorable and doing well.
We are all doing well. Dave still really enjoys his job. I think he just gets a kick out of breaking things. We are going out to Cincinnati the first week of December for Camden's baby blessing. Azure has mentioned she is worried we might get bored, but I am just so excited to be able to visit with her and see her family. We will be sure to toss in our GPS to do some geocashing (sp?) and look forward to just visiting and exploring. Errol is doing great in school and really learning a ton.
That is pretty much it for now. Hopefully we will have more frequent postings, maybe once every 5 months? =)
May- Wick finally went in for tubes in his ears. Dr. (Uncle) Dave took care of it and he has been great ever since.
June- Trip to Alaska. WONDERFUL! We have lots of pictures and will have to post them soon. I actually survived flying up and back with all three boys! Dave had work and then a scout rafting trip so he came up for a week, the rest of us were there for 2 1/2 weeks or so. One of my proudest moments was running the 3 1/2 mile loop my parents live on. I even did it the hard way (a very steep, 1/2 mile hill at almost the very end). The weather was absolutely beautiful and we spent a bunch of time on the beach. We saw a moose and a bear and bunches of eagles. My freshman college roomie was there with her family so we got a chance to catch up as well. Dad is an amazing grandpa who dotes on his grandchildren. We even roasted marshmallows in the stove.
July- Faris turned 8! I can't believe he survived!
August- Faris started 3rd grade. Errol broke his arm. It was displaced, and pretty difficult to get back into place. They put a rigid cast on to keep it where it needed to be, but had to split it the next day due to swelling. The following week the x ray showed that it was out of place so he had surgery and got 3 pins. He was so brave! I really am quite proud of him.
September- Azure and Mom came out for Faris' baptism. Everything went very well, except Faris and Dave were so excited, they forgot to take off his glasses. =) Errol started Kindergarten.
October- Dave and I survived 11 years! I think we even still like each other.
November- I was the luckiest Auntie ever! Azure had her baby (Camden) and the same day Mel was able to bring Lexie home from Pennsylvania. Two in one day! Wahoo! They are both adorable and doing well.
We are all doing well. Dave still really enjoys his job. I think he just gets a kick out of breaking things. We are going out to Cincinnati the first week of December for Camden's baby blessing. Azure has mentioned she is worried we might get bored, but I am just so excited to be able to visit with her and see her family. We will be sure to toss in our GPS to do some geocashing (sp?) and look forward to just visiting and exploring. Errol is doing great in school and really learning a ton.
That is pretty much it for now. Hopefully we will have more frequent postings, maybe once every 5 months? =)
Monday, April 14, 2008
5 Minutes of Organized Chaos!!!
It's Monday night, and you know what that means - FAMILY HOME EVENING!!!!
Or as it is called in our house "5 Minutes of Organized Chaos!" Getting 3 busy boys to sit still for a 5 minute gospel lesson is hard enough, but when they know they get donuts and chocolate milk afterwards, it's darn near impossible! It was Errol's turn for the lesson tonight, and he did a great job, squirming and wiggling the whole time. He taught us about Joseph Smith translating the Book of Mormon. Then we had a little fun - singing "If You're Happy and You Know It..." Instead of clapping, we each took turns trying to the sillies things to show we were happy. We did every thing from dancing around, to twirling our fingers, to whacking ourselves in the head (Errol's idea, of course). Then came the donuts (FYI to all you Salt Lake folks, Macey's has a Monday donut special. $2.99/asst. dozen) and chocolate milk. Talk about happy boys! We had maple bars, jellies, Bismarks, apple fritters, and chocolate frosted with sprinkles. With all that sugar, there is no way they are getting to sleep on time tonight.
Speaking of sleep, Wick is now feeling much better, and is sleeping much better, too. That means Sabrina and I are getting some sleep, too.
I can hardly believe Wick will be a year old on Saturday. It's gone by so fast. Other than the ear infections, it's been wonderful. He is such a happy, smiley baby. He loves his brothers and they love him. It's great to see all 3 of them rolling around on the floor playing together.
Being a Dad just rocks, plain and simple!
Or as it is called in our house "5 Minutes of Organized Chaos!" Getting 3 busy boys to sit still for a 5 minute gospel lesson is hard enough, but when they know they get donuts and chocolate milk afterwards, it's darn near impossible! It was Errol's turn for the lesson tonight, and he did a great job, squirming and wiggling the whole time. He taught us about Joseph Smith translating the Book of Mormon. Then we had a little fun - singing "If You're Happy and You Know It..." Instead of clapping, we each took turns trying to the sillies things to show we were happy. We did every thing from dancing around, to twirling our fingers, to whacking ourselves in the head (Errol's idea, of course). Then came the donuts (FYI to all you Salt Lake folks, Macey's has a Monday donut special. $2.99/asst. dozen) and chocolate milk. Talk about happy boys! We had maple bars, jellies, Bismarks, apple fritters, and chocolate frosted with sprinkles. With all that sugar, there is no way they are getting to sleep on time tonight.
Speaking of sleep, Wick is now feeling much better, and is sleeping much better, too. That means Sabrina and I are getting some sleep, too.
I can hardly believe Wick will be a year old on Saturday. It's gone by so fast. Other than the ear infections, it's been wonderful. He is such a happy, smiley baby. He loves his brothers and they love him. It's great to see all 3 of them rolling around on the floor playing together.
Being a Dad just rocks, plain and simple!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Need Sleep...
We've been installing some new equipment this week, and I get to configure, test, and fine tune it. It seems the rest of my department has recognized my "talent" for finding unique ways to stress (in other words, bring our network and our system to its knees) stuff, I get assigned to do this stuff. For some reason, if it survives me playing with it, it's going to work like it's supposed to. Testing just has to be done when network traffic and usage is at a minimum, so if I do crash the network, it won't effect too much. That means either late nights or early mornings for me. I've been going in at 5ish every morning this week, which of course, coincides with Wick getting yet another ear infection. It must be his 6th or 7th this year. All you parents know that baby with an ear infection = no sleep for Mom and Dad.
The pediatrician finally recommended that we see a specialist to get tubes put in his ears. We're seeing Dr. (Uncle) Dave in a couple of weeks, and hopefully the tubes will be put in shortly thereafter. The poor little guy is so miserable. He just wants to be held whenever he's awake. I feel really bad, because it's probably because of my genes. I got ear infections really badly as a kid, and I guess I passed it on to my boys...sorry guys. Sorry to Mom and Dad, too. If I was half as miserable half as often as Wick, you deserve an award for dealing with me.
Faris and Errol have also been suffering. They have a bad case of Spring fever, but weather has not been cooperating. It's only April 10, and it has already snowed 4 times this month. We finally got a sunny (but cold) day today, and the boys ran outside to the park. They only lasted about 15 minutes out there, but they were happy to get some play time. Thankfully it's supposed to warm up over the weekend. I hope so. They aren't the only ones with Spring Fever. I'm itching to get golfing, hiking, camping and fishing. We got a new tent for Christmas and I can't wait to try it out. It's a big 3 room Eureaka, so there will be room for us all, even the dog.
Of course, if it stays warm, I'll have to do yardwork, so there is that down side to Spring coming...
The pediatrician finally recommended that we see a specialist to get tubes put in his ears. We're seeing Dr. (Uncle) Dave in a couple of weeks, and hopefully the tubes will be put in shortly thereafter. The poor little guy is so miserable. He just wants to be held whenever he's awake. I feel really bad, because it's probably because of my genes. I got ear infections really badly as a kid, and I guess I passed it on to my boys...sorry guys. Sorry to Mom and Dad, too. If I was half as miserable half as often as Wick, you deserve an award for dealing with me.
Faris and Errol have also been suffering. They have a bad case of Spring fever, but weather has not been cooperating. It's only April 10, and it has already snowed 4 times this month. We finally got a sunny (but cold) day today, and the boys ran outside to the park. They only lasted about 15 minutes out there, but they were happy to get some play time. Thankfully it's supposed to warm up over the weekend. I hope so. They aren't the only ones with Spring Fever. I'm itching to get golfing, hiking, camping and fishing. We got a new tent for Christmas and I can't wait to try it out. It's a big 3 room Eureaka, so there will be room for us all, even the dog.
Of course, if it stays warm, I'll have to do yardwork, so there is that down side to Spring coming...
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Here we go!
I feel like such an inadequate geek, since 3 of my sisters had a blog before I did. I'm so ashamed. I promise to be better from here on out.
Sabrina and I have been so busy lately that I hardly know were to begin. We just got back on Friday from a nice little cruise. It's the first vacation Sabrina and I have had without kids since Faris was born. It was kind of nice to not have to chase the kids all around for a few days, and nice of Sabrina's sister Azure to come out to watch the boys.
We went with 3 other couples, 1 we knew (Scott and Dawn), and 2 we didn't (they were family of the one couple we knew), but we got along like we were all old friends. We departed from San Pedro(L.A.), stopped in San Diego, Catalina Island, and Ensenada. The weather was perfect, sunny, between 65 and 75 during the day, and cooler at night.
In San Diego, we toured the USS Midway, a retired aircraft carrier that has been turned into a floating museum. I was like a kid in a candy store. All that history, all those planes, all those tiny bunks. It was amazing. Scott and I got into a little trouble on board however...
The next day we stopped at Catalina Island.
It was really pretty. Very green with lots of flowers in bloom. We rented golf carts and did a quick tour of the island.
After our Dare-devilry in the golf carts, Sabrina and I took a walk along the shore, then sat on the beach and ate ice cream. Awwww, isn't that so sweet?
Next, we stopped in Ensenada. Sabrina, Scott and Dawn all went horseback riding on the beach, but alas, I was not able to participate, much to the relief of the horses (stupid tailbone...). While they were out riding, I stayed in the bus and talked with the tour guide/bus driver, Romell. It had been several years since I had to carry on such a lenghthy conversation in Spanish, but it was fun. The rust came off a lot faster than I thought.
After the riding, we went out to La Bufadora (the Blowhole). It is one of only 3 marine geysers in the world. It can shoot up to 180 feet in the air. The road down to see it is lined with all kinds of trinket shops. It brought back a lot of memories barganing with the shopkeepers. I was able to get a really nice wide leather belt for $15 (down from $45)! So much fun! We ate fresh shrimp tacos there, and wow, were they GOOD!
Speaking of food, the food on the ship was amazing, and it just kept coming. They would bring you everything on the dinner menu if you asked for it. Sabrina and I got brave and had the escargot one night. I really enjoyed it, Sabrina thought it tasted too much like mushrooms. My favorite night, dinner started with 2 appetizers - citrus cured salmon and mushrooms in cream sauce in a puff pastry shell. Greek Salad next, followed by sorbet to cleanse the palate. Then, the first entree, tempura mahi-mahi in a sweet and sour sauce with stir-fry veggies. Second entree, 16 oz. New York strip steak with potato wedges. Desert was Baked Alaska. Mmmmmm....Oh, and deserts! on Wednesday night, they had a midnight Chocolate Buffet. All you can eat deserts, chocolate as far as the eye can see, choclate sculptures, chocolate fountains, amazing ice sculptures. Mom, I thought of you as we indulged that night!
You can see all of our pictures here:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v128/fatdaddydave/Cruise%20Pics/
The guest password is "cruise"
Faris, Errol and Wick were really glad to see us when we got home. I think Azure was the happiest to see us, however. The boys can be a handful, especially since Wick is now crawling and starting to pull himself up, and Faris broke his glasses while we were gone, and Errol is just Errol. We owe Azure big-time for this.
Faris is still doing really well is school. He reads everything he can get his hands on. It's common to find him sitting on the potty with the Readers Digest on his lap. Weekly trips to the library are a must with him.
Errol is loving preschool. Every time we drive by the school he yells "There's my school!" I hope that he enjoys Kindergarten as much. He loves to help me and Sabrina with everything, from the dishes to working on the Jeep.
Wick just keeps growing and getting cuter. He is such a happy baby. He loves to play with his brothers and the dog. It seems like everything in the house below knee level is covered in drool.
Here's the link to Sabrina's photobucket account, with lots of pictures of the boys -
http://s184.photobucket.com/albums/x60/sabby_ann/
The guest password is "grandkids"
Anyhow, check back regularly for updates from the Dave and Sabrina Litster family!
Sabrina and I have been so busy lately that I hardly know were to begin. We just got back on Friday from a nice little cruise. It's the first vacation Sabrina and I have had without kids since Faris was born. It was kind of nice to not have to chase the kids all around for a few days, and nice of Sabrina's sister Azure to come out to watch the boys.
We went with 3 other couples, 1 we knew (Scott and Dawn), and 2 we didn't (they were family of the one couple we knew), but we got along like we were all old friends. We departed from San Pedro(L.A.), stopped in San Diego, Catalina Island, and Ensenada. The weather was perfect, sunny, between 65 and 75 during the day, and cooler at night.
In San Diego, we toured the USS Midway, a retired aircraft carrier that has been turned into a floating museum. I was like a kid in a candy store. All that history, all those planes, all those tiny bunks. It was amazing. Scott and I got into a little trouble on board however...
The next day we stopped at Catalina Island.
It was really pretty. Very green with lots of flowers in bloom. We rented golf carts and did a quick tour of the island.
After our Dare-devilry in the golf carts, Sabrina and I took a walk along the shore, then sat on the beach and ate ice cream. Awwww, isn't that so sweet?
Next, we stopped in Ensenada. Sabrina, Scott and Dawn all went horseback riding on the beach, but alas, I was not able to participate, much to the relief of the horses (stupid tailbone...). While they were out riding, I stayed in the bus and talked with the tour guide/bus driver, Romell. It had been several years since I had to carry on such a lenghthy conversation in Spanish, but it was fun. The rust came off a lot faster than I thought.
After the riding, we went out to La Bufadora (the Blowhole). It is one of only 3 marine geysers in the world. It can shoot up to 180 feet in the air. The road down to see it is lined with all kinds of trinket shops. It brought back a lot of memories barganing with the shopkeepers. I was able to get a really nice wide leather belt for $15 (down from $45)! So much fun! We ate fresh shrimp tacos there, and wow, were they GOOD!
Speaking of food, the food on the ship was amazing, and it just kept coming. They would bring you everything on the dinner menu if you asked for it. Sabrina and I got brave and had the escargot one night. I really enjoyed it, Sabrina thought it tasted too much like mushrooms. My favorite night, dinner started with 2 appetizers - citrus cured salmon and mushrooms in cream sauce in a puff pastry shell. Greek Salad next, followed by sorbet to cleanse the palate. Then, the first entree, tempura mahi-mahi in a sweet and sour sauce with stir-fry veggies. Second entree, 16 oz. New York strip steak with potato wedges. Desert was Baked Alaska. Mmmmmm....Oh, and deserts! on Wednesday night, they had a midnight Chocolate Buffet. All you can eat deserts, chocolate as far as the eye can see, choclate sculptures, chocolate fountains, amazing ice sculptures. Mom, I thought of you as we indulged that night!
You can see all of our pictures here:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v128/fatdaddydave/Cruise%20Pics/
The guest password is "cruise"
Faris, Errol and Wick were really glad to see us when we got home. I think Azure was the happiest to see us, however. The boys can be a handful, especially since Wick is now crawling and starting to pull himself up, and Faris broke his glasses while we were gone, and Errol is just Errol. We owe Azure big-time for this.
Faris is still doing really well is school. He reads everything he can get his hands on. It's common to find him sitting on the potty with the Readers Digest on his lap. Weekly trips to the library are a must with him.
Errol is loving preschool. Every time we drive by the school he yells "There's my school!" I hope that he enjoys Kindergarten as much. He loves to help me and Sabrina with everything, from the dishes to working on the Jeep.
Wick just keeps growing and getting cuter. He is such a happy baby. He loves to play with his brothers and the dog. It seems like everything in the house below knee level is covered in drool.
Here's the link to Sabrina's photobucket account, with lots of pictures of the boys -
http://s184.photobucket.com/albums/x60/sabby_ann/
The guest password is "grandkids"
Anyhow, check back regularly for updates from the Dave and Sabrina Litster family!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
