Yesterday afternoon, we took a hike on the Cold Springs trail.
We took some extra kids with us. We had Toby and Gracie Norby and Diego Nieves with us for the hike. Matt carried Ro in the baby backpack and Toby carried the water and the iPad.
IPad? On a hike? Of course we had the iPad for Geocaching. There are a number of geocaches hidden in the trails around Santa Barbara. We were only 1 for 3 for the ‘caches we looked for. That just means we have an extra reason to do the hike again.
Who can believe it? My little chubby-cheeked, spirally-curled baby girl is now a very animated, chatty with big words, helpful big sister! As often happens, she got to have about 5 different special meals or events, including the traditional party at Auntie Jan and Uncle Jeff’s to celebrate with cousin Nathan (3 days her elder).
Birthday girl and splashy boy
Roly posing for ‘Baby Swimsuit Magazine’
I love this shot!
80-some years between these two handsome guys
The long-awaited for DS video game player
The 2 birthday cousins
Daddy’s birthday pancake
A Bible from Auntie Kelly
A soft quilt from Gran
The kids put in artwork, photography and treats (Max a chocolate brownie concoction and Lucy a lemon cake). Max got 1st place on several items and Lucy won (her 2nd) Best in Show purple ribbon for her storybook.
A few days later, Lucy and best friend Emma went back to the Fair, this time for Lucy’s early birthday celebration. Lucy had saved up her own money for ride wristbands for herself and Emma. I was blessed with a free wristband later in the day, and so the 3 of us got to ride some bigger rides (like the Tilt A Whirl). Lots of happy screaming!
EASTER!
We had a whirlwind of a wonderful day. Toby sang and signed in the first-ever Reality Church Gospel Choir, at our SB City College outdoor service (with 8000 attending!). We brought 2 of our exchange students, Jade and Kathy, and had boys Jorden and Ben Dokolas visiting from Bakersfield too. Auntie Kelly, Uncle Ray and Toby’s college buddy Val met us at the service as well. Full house! We concluded the day with the always-wonderful Easter late lunch at Gma and Gpa Seal’s house, complete with egg hunt and lots of treats.
This week marks the last day of the Artios Academy that Max and Lucy attend. Artios uses the Orff method of music education. It was a privilege to be at their final presentation. Both Max and Lucy played arrangements on the Orff instruments (glockenspiels and xylophones). Lucy’s class also did a couple of songs on the ‘boom whackers’.
