Much moose

This trip to Tony Grove not only gave us a chance to enjoy the mountains, walk around the lake, and see an incredible number of stars, but we also got to really enjoy our animal neighbors. Not only were there the usual squirrels, woodpeckers, hawks, fish, ground squirrels (or as Jessie calls them, "chipsquirrels," since they look kind of like chipmunks with long tails), and so forth; but we also were favored by several moose. Marina and Jessica were all for getting up with their grandfather before 6 a.m. to go fishing, so I agreed to go along as crowd control (I didn't get a license this summer). The girls and their grandpa were ready before I was, so I told them I'd catch up. As I was tromping merrily along my way down toward the lake, I suddenly was brought up short by a snort in front of me. Not twenty feet in front of me stood a moose. No, make that THREE moose: one bull and two cows. Can I just say I haven't been that scared since I don't know when? Not that I'm particularly scared of moose as a general rule, but I have a healthy respect for their size and power. And besides, ever since I was thrown from a horse when I was eight and saw hooves waving above my head, I've also remembered how sharp hooves look. Needless to say, I definitely gave them a wide clearance. Later, as the girls were fishing and catching fish as fast as my dad could cast the lines out practically, it was fun to hear the moose call to each other across the lake. We even saw one come down into the lake at one point! (It's that dark speck in the middle of the tree picture . . . all my other shots of the three together were way too dark! Blow this one up and you can kinda see it.)

To cap it off, when we got back to the trailer where my mom was, she told us she thought she'd felt something brush the trailer on the end opposite where she was. And there, under that far wing of the camper were prints that looked suspiciously like the split hoof of a moose. Fun times!

Creative hair

Ok, so this is becoming a dumping ground, but I loved these pics today! Not only do they display the girls unique tastes in hair styling, but these pictures were taken by the artistes themselves. And yes there is a good reason they are all from the back!

What's that smell?

I have no idea what it is about rodeos, but every time I go, it's like I'm coming home. I love everything about them: the horses, the lights, the bulls, the excitement . . . Oh! And of course, the cowboys!

Last night was the first time I've brought my girls to a rodeo, and at first, they weren't quite sure what to make of it. I mean, Jessie loved the animals ("Look, Mom, horsies!"), and Marina liked the rodeo clowns (especially the pint-sized son of the main clown who also had a part), but still, they didn't care for the sitting and being a little cramped and all of that. But after a while, they seemed to get into the excitement of what could happen (there was a lot of bad luck that night), and when they found out it was OK to scream as much and as loud as they wanted, well! I think that won them over right there. And Jessie has one piercing scream. =)

About half-way through the rodeo, after things had definitely gotten going and several animals and cowboys had come and gone, Marina looked at me and said, "Mom, what's that smell?" Yup, that's right . . . my girls were definitely NOT raised in the country. And when we got home late at night, Jessie said the cutest prayer to "please help all the people who fell off in the rodeo that they won't be hurt bad."

Who needs lessons?

It's official. Some kids just have it. Marina has perfected the art of playing with her food, even going so far as to create works of art! She makes the most beautiful flower designs, imposing volcanoes, and even birds (out of flour tortillas) that really flap!

And Jessie? She has already demonstrated a natural talent for using her God-given feminine wiles. And no, I never taught her! Well, not at first, that is; not until she had already stunned me with puppy dog eyes and batting eyelashes. =)

Aladdin

Well, my girls are so happy their pumpkin plant is doing well; and I'll admit I'm happy I haven't managed to kill it yet. Maybe it's just the inside plants I torment.

So this pic is of their plant they've named Aladdin, or Laddie for short. And yes, the yellow thing is the pumpkin as of today. Grow pumpkin, grow! Aim for October!

California

The girls had a couple weeks with their dad out in California, where they not only got to play to their hearts content, they actually learned how to snorkel. Ahhh, my little girls are growing up so fast! I think I was eight when I learned to snorkel in Okinawa, so they've already got a jump on me. Not to mention they both were actually let on all the rides they tried at Disneyland, including Space Mountain -- how did that happen? They're favorite ride, though, was the "snow monster ride." =) They had a blast, but strangely enough, they're glad to be home now. Always a good thing.

Deep Thoughts

I love the things kids can teach without even knowing it. Last night, as the girls and I were reading scriptures, we got into some pretty deep discussions about different things we were reading, but the one that really hit me was when we were talking about justice and mercy. I tried to explain both concepts to Marina and Jessica, but remember, we're talking about a 6- and a 5-year old here! Even still, I just loved it when Marina got all thoughtful and then said, "So, justice is there to make sure we do right, and mercy is there to make sure we repent because Jesus and Heavenly Father love us." Wow!