My Ballerina

Annika wants to be a ballerina when she grows up.  Every day she puts on a tutu and dances.  She would really like to be in a dance class.  She asked me to put on music so that she could dance.  I decided to take pictures too after putting her hair in a bun like ballerinas do.  

 1st position

 2nd position

Powder Day!

We planned to arrive when the resort opened and were on the chair pretty quick although we were not the very first.  You can see them in the picture below skiing down and making a figure 8 while doing it.  

 The girls and I had never tried powder but we figured it must be fun since everyone likes it.  Ashling was a little nervous about it but right away she loved it.  Ali likes it too!  Here we are going down our first run called Little Bowl.  At Snow Valley it is a Black Diamond.

 Ashling headed straight down.  Who needs to turn?

 Ali and I are more conservative and are at the top making turns.

 Ashling at the bottom of Richards Run getting more powder.

 Ali skiing!

 Here I am coming down the mountain.

Skiing is getting to be so much fun with the girls.  I guess all the lessons and time spent with them is finally paying off.  Cameron says they both have a lot of natural abilities and he is very proud of them!

olvera street

We went on a field trip to Olvera street with Ali's class.  It was quite an adventure because we rode Metrolink.  Metrolink starts in a ghetto part of San Bernardino and most of the parents had never done it either.  We were all a little nervous but it ended up just being fun!  Here we are just as the train is getting ready to leave.  It is weird because in LA area the Metrolink has nice seats and it cost a fortune.  23.50 for a round trip ticket.  We need Boston's T which I think I only spent 5 dollars on and I rode several different legs and went all over the place in it.  I hope someday they get wise and build something a little cheaper or they will never get the ridership they are looking for!

It took quite a long time to get down there and the girls were excited.  We couldn't see much because it was pretty foggy the whole way down there.  Here are Faith, Ali and Madison.

The Union Station was beautiful.  That was my favorite part of the whole trip.  It was amazing to see everyone getting off the train and going into work.  I can't imagine living that way but it would better than driving....I think.

Here is another part of the Union Station.  I am not sure what it was for but it was beautiful.

This is the outside of the Union Station.

Here is a mural of the Blessing of the Animals.  Apparently right before Easter the Mexicans and Americans still today have a ceremony where the Priests bless their animals.

I love this tree.  Isn't it amazing?

Here is a cross.

This is called the Pico House.  They built it to be a 5 star hotel but by the time it was finished the city center had moved and they couldn't get anyone to stay there.  Eventually the guy who built it went completely bankrupt.

You can see downtown LA buildings from here.

This shows the Mexican Independence battle scenes.  I wonder why no one even does any graffiti on here?  I am glad but surprised it stayed so nice.

We ate lunch on Olvera street and it was very good.

The girls bought these and I also bought some for Ashling and Annika.

Parenting do's

For Relief society and Priesthood on Sunday we had a combined meeting that our Stake President taught.  He had the Stake Presidencies teach all the kids so that every adult in our branch was there.  We learned about the importance of deliberate parenting and the importance of being a parent to our children.  We made a list of things to do and I thought I would post it here because it is a good list.

Family Dinner-this item was at the top because it is the most important
Communication
Be Parents first- friends is second
Family Home Evening
Be a good example
Be Consistant
set clear boundaries and guidelines
enlightened strictness
explore alternatives if you can't say yes to something (the kids are not having overnights at hotels for prom with the opposite sex but you could offer a chaperoned alternative that is still fun.
instill gratitude and reverence
Start young with the rules
Modesty in dress
Let the kids earn perks for good behavior
Find positives in each kid and let them know often!
Teach the Why of God's laws
Give Opportunities to feel the Spirit.
Make sure each Child feels needed


This list helps us to raise children who can combat the tough world we live in.  These children will be ready to face the world and instead choose to accept God's laws and choose to have eternal happiness.  I thought it was interesting how important Family Dinner is and I want to make sure that our family continues to have good family dinners each and every night.

Last Day in Mammoth!

Our last in Mammoth was perfect.  Cold and clear in the morning but it warmed up nicely and ended up being about 45 degrees by the time we left.  The snow was beautiful and the best part was that the wind was gone (from the lower mountain at least.)  

While waiting for the lifts to open we had our picture taken for once without goggles!

 Here is a picture of the mountain.  Cameron can't help but take pictures of it.  He went up towards the top looking for powder and I went to ski on the nice groomers.  Too bad I can't ski with him but I think even another 30 lessons wouldn't help me get there- he is that awesome!

 I decided to ski off the Eagle Express lift and ski each and every trail.  I think I did all of them except for white tank which I somehow missed.  After a few runs Cameron called me and said he would meet me at the bottom of the lift.  It was nice of him to come and ski with me and he taught me some other tips.  I enjoyed using them but still didn't ski fast enough for him.  I think I need a stop watch and a timer or perhaps a watch that will tell me my speed.  Then maybe I would learn to make myself faster... or not.

Here we are at the top of the Eagle express lift.  I wanted a picture taken with Wooly the Mammoth mascott.

 Here is Cameron at the mid-stationon the gondola.  Isn't it pretty.  I  almost wanted to try to ski off the top it was so pretty.  

 Here is a picture from the top of the Mountain.  Do you see how all the wind was blowing around?  It was so cold and windy up there that I just sat inside and enjoyed the view before riding the gondola back down.

 This is a picture of Cameron about to drop off the top of the mountain and ski down.  There were about 30 feet of sheer ice that you can see that he had to slide down before enjoying a good load of powder.  It was worth it to him although pretty scary the first time.

 Here is a picture looking back up where you can see the wind blowing the snow over the top.

 Here is a picture of the poder looking down.  If you look really closely you can see a blue looking gondola in the upper middle of the picture.

 Cameron rode in a gondola all by himself and enjoyed putting his feet up.

 Here is a good picture of the minaret mountains.  They are among my favorite mountains.

We skied until about 2:30 and then had to drive home.  By the time we got the kids home it was almost 10:00 and we were dead tired but we enjoyed our ski vacation!

Snowshoeing on Thursday

We planned to ski on Thursday.  Cameron was excited for the fresh powder and I though maybe I would try to play in it a little too.  The wind had other plans and its fierceness made us realize that the top would never open and that the wind was so cold to deal with on a ski lift.  

So we decided not to ski.  Instead we decided to snowshoe.  We took some pictures on our drive down to Rock Creek which we though might make a good venue for snowshoeing.  The wind was blowing off the peaks and it was so beautiful to see.  I love this moutain- Mount Morgan more than almost any other moutain.  The first time I saw it I was in love and each time I see it I am even more in love with it.  I think I would like this to be the view out my bedroom window every day.

 It turns out lots of people think that Rock Creek makes a good venue for snow shoeing.  So many that they have a groomer and a fee for parking.  Since we were already there we decided to pay the fee and try it out.   That is me under all that clothing.  I even wore a face mask in protection of the wind.

 At the top of the canyon is Bear Creek Spire which Cameron climbed about 9 years ago.

 We hiked about 3 miles to the frozen Rock Creek.  When we got there the snow was beginning to fall from clouds still much up the canyon from us.

 By the time we were done snowshoeing it was snowing at the car and the way back up was mostly covered with clouds.

 Back in Mammoth it was still snowing and blowing and they never did open the top.  We came back to the condo ready for dinner and a nice long stay in the hot tub.

 Here is the fajita dinner I made.  Cameron said we needed pictures!