Forest Falls

Well, not too much has been going on around here. Besides the new puppy. I thought it might be time to post some pictures of the kiddos. Last weekend, Aaron drove us up to Forest Falls, a small town north of Yucaipa. But to call it a town is really too much. More like a spot. The snow there was piled at least 5 feet high in some places. Unfortunately, I did not realize there would be snow therefore, we could not get out. There is a campground at the end of the road in Forest Falls that we wanted to check out for any summer camping trips. According to locals, there are waterfalls during the spring and summer from all of the melting snow. After checking out the spot, we stopped further down the mountain to explore a small river. It was an awesome location. Aaron said it reminded him of the Provo Canyon in Utah. Here are some of the pictures we took.





I know it's hard to believe but the kids love to throw rocks into running water. Hmmm...do you think that would work in our backyard as well?


They are getting so much better about taking pictures together and at least acting like they want to hug each other.




Here's Chloe, like her mother, trying the hard way to climb over to her dad. This picture was taken in the midst of her having a panic attack because she was certain that she would fall in the water and be all wet. "And Mommy didn't bring my swimsuit."

Ah, success!! (After pointing out that there was an easier way.)

Take notice of what Chloe is holding in her hand. Mud!
This is the girl who at one time I thought was allergic to dirt. Once, I walked into the bathroom and found her washing the bottom of her flip-flops because they were dirty. She would not wear them until she had scrubbed them clean. Practically disinfected. Then she went outside, in the dirt, and promptly had a meltdown because the dirt got on the bottom of her flip-flops. Again. Oh, the horror of it all.


All in all, a good day.

The protector

Gunner is supposed to be Rex's trainie when it comes to outdoor "home protection". So far training seems to be going pretty rough.

Welcome Gunner!!

Because our lives were not exciting enough already, Aaron decided to add to our brood of animals. Last week, a friend and he visited the animal shelter in Thousand Palms where there are numerous cute dogs waiting to be adopted. He has been looking for and talking about getting a great playmate for Rex for about a month. So last week, he found him. A 2 month old male shephard mix. "But Lyndsey," you might ask, "Did Aaron not discuss this with you before he purchased him?" Why no, of course not!! Remember this is Aaron Hermanson you are talking about. He knows for sure that he can talk me into just about anything especially when it involves cute, fuzzy puppies. Here are a few pictures of him.




The three pictures above were taken after two hours of play with Tico. Tico, at first, was unsure of this intruder, nipping and yapping at him. Then, Tico finally realized that this puppy wanted to play. Yay!! They played chase for about an hour and a half. Rex seems very excited about Gunner. Tinkerbell just growls and snarls at him but that is to be expected.

He's a cute little sucker but I am not looking forward to the whimpering and crying that is going to happen tonight when I put him in his crate. So don't ask me what I think of him in the morning.

Yucaipa regional park

This place was awesome. Camping, hiking, mountain biking, 3 lakes to fish in, a HUGE play area for the kids, and tons of trees and lots of grass. We spent half the day there and plan to go back and camp very soon. And no, Ryder is not yawning. He's right in the middle of yelling "fuzzy pickle" for the photo.

For Eden and Miss Barney

So guys, it's all over the internet. And what? No editorial from you guys yet. I was kind of looking forward to reading your thoughts on the matter. Your audience wants to know what you think of the prospect of Dakota Fanning being cast as "Jane" in the new Twilight movie. Come on girls, what's your opinion???

Eureka Peak

Taken today. We discovered this peak that overlooks the entire Coachella Valley. You can also see both San Jacinto and San Gorgonio mountain ranges at the same time. It was very breezy and chilly.....good times! The last picture is the position we found Ryder in when we pulled into the driveway...just like his dad.

Talking to Chloe

"Mom, I wish we had a new trampoline. I miss our old one."

"We'll get one soon, honey. After we have saved up enough money."

"How much money does it cost?"

"A lot. Like $250!"

"Oh, well, Papa told me that Granny has lots of money stuffed in her purse."