Dirt, Rocks, and Planes

A family getaway....to the thriving metropolis of Fields.  And yes, that is a busy place during chukar season!  This was Daniel's 30th birthday weekend and he and Carmen invited our family to join them on an outing to the desert.  I happily accepted because it's been over a month since I have been out of town (a long time by Lakeview standards!)

So, enjoy the photos!  I snapped almost 1gb of pictures so I have lots to share.  Here are the girls, throwing rocks into the creek.  Simple, yes, but they were just loving it!

We have a special tonka dump truck for our camp trailer.  Our girls think it's the greatest!  Dad loves that it is not pink!

And my favorite pic!  It was beautiful and sunny our entire vacation, a rare thing for January.

Elise is building a fire.  It's a little scary how much they are both obsessed with fire....none the less, this is a safe one!

We brushed the cobwebs off the old tire swing, much to Lauren's delight.  The girls and I stayed very busy as the others were off hunting Chukars.

Without a doubt the highlight of our trip was the two planes that landed on the highway right in front of us.  When it was time for them to leave we found a lovely place about 15 yards off the highway to watch the departure.  The girls were thrilled!  The pilots noticed the cheering section and entertained us by taking a couple loops around us before they disappeared into the horizon.

We enjoyed the world famous Fields milkshake.

And then took a dip.  It was awesome!!!  We journeyed to the Alvord Hot Springs.  It was a man-made pool, fed with the natural hot springs.  What an amazing experience in the middle of the desert surrounded by the Pueblo and Steens Mountains, the views were breath taking.   

On the way home we stopped at the Sheldon Refuge Headquarters and checked out the natural pool there.  The water is warm...but not warm enough for me on the cold January afternoon.  We hope to come back and camp here, it's the only place where they still allow mining on a public refuge.  There are many opal mines that we would like to explore.

And the girls drive off into the sunset.....

We were taken back by the beautiful scenery!  We feel so blessed to live in such diverse area and look forward to more adventures out east.  

Diaper Free Home!

After a few weeks of hints from our beloved babysitter Tracie, we decided to potty train Lauren.  At 22 months, we were a little leary and not sure if we were up to the challenge.  Let me tell you, Miss Lauren was ready!  We are 12 days in and having huge success!  We have certainly had our share of accidents, but our carpets needed cleaning anyways....

Here she is, first time on the big girl potty.  She was still wiping sleep from her eyes as we made a mad dash for the bathroom.  

There she goes; throwing away her diapers and all diaper paraphernalia.  I used Bum Genius washable diapers with Lauren.  Here is my only regret:  I wish I would have used them with Elise.  I love it, and loved the money we saved.  Scott was a real *trooper* and didn't complain one time.  They were super easy and not to mention...adorable!

Yay sissy!  Elise cheering her sister along the process!

And there she goes.  After 8 days she started telling us when it was time.  She can be quite subtle, but we have learned her language.  We are so proud of her, and I don't miss toting the diaper bag all over the place.  Thanks to our friends who recommended "Potty Train in 3 Days" by Lois Kleint; we have had huge success with both our girls.  

Awe, a little sad as our baby is growing up, but these milestones are so wonderful.  

We are so proud of you Lauren Grace!  

Stationery card

Vintage Heart Valentine's Card

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View the entire collection of cards.

Dear family,

Yep, this is my Valentines Day card for all of you.  Dang, you get a sneak peek, but I get a $10 shutterfly credit, which will allow me to send out cute Easter cards.

Park Adventures

These photos were taken in January....in Lakeview.  DANG!  We have been waiting patiently for snow for over two months now, and have not spent much time outside.  A crisp Sunday afternoon we decided to enjoy this warm winter weather.  We loaded up and headed over to the Fremont School Park.  We have been driving by the schools fantastic new equipment for a while and decided to put it to use. 

Introducing...Lauren and Elise!  Thank goodness they are finally getting easier to photograph.  I think my persistance has paid off.  They know they need to hurry up and smile so that they can go on playing.

She can climb.  Anything!  We laugh that our girls are very adventurous, much like their mom and dad.  I think there are lots of theme parks and wild rides in our future!

I can't believe it will be less than 2 years before we will bring Elise here for school.

Concentrating and trying hard (with much success) to keep up with big sister.

Momma's favorite picture.  Even caught Scott in the back making sure things went smoothly.

Successful outing for the Hill Family.  Love when we can get some fresh air.  Hopefully the next post will have some snow! 

2011, It's a wrap.

Here we go again. I am going to desperately try to be more on top of things and stay up with this. Life is unfolding too fast and my pile of photos and memories is getting bigger. I haven't found the energy to keep up with my scrapbook, so here goes.  Here are a few of my favorite memories and pictures from the year:

Miss Lauren indulging in some delicious watermelon during an extended weekend at the lake.  I just love how this pic captures her piercing eyes.  

This prom pose picture has sparked much conversation between the dads.  This is Matthew and his "best girl Elise" at the fair.  These two shared many special memories during the year, and many more to come for 2012.

Go Honkers!  This captured the beautiful sunset at a football game.  The girls love to go and play with their friends and mommy loves that she can pack them up in the stroller and head over a few blocks to enjoy the fun events that our small town has to offer.

Alas, a great pic of our family, with Dammy and Papa.  We enjoyed taking the girls to Burney Falls, a place we enjoyed when we were growing up.

Lastly, as for the new title.  I needed a fresh start.  We are always surprised by the brightness in the blue eyes of both the girls.  We laugh because Scott has brown eyes and mine are green.