Greetings from the Tree Fort Music Festival

Caulder, Kessler, Owen

One last day of skiing

We took one last ski trip to Bogus Basin. It was a beautiful day, and we even got Grandpa Dick up there for the first time skiing in 15 years.

Day trip to Miracle Hot Springs

Swimming at Miracle Hot Springs. It had everything, including an alligator.

Skiing

Although Bogus Basin, our local ski hill, had its latest opening ever (January 19, 2012), we have managed to make it up skiing 10 times so far. The boys had lessons in February, which gave Mat and I some time to ski on our own. It is so fun to watch Caulder and Kessler progress. They started out on the magic carpet, and quickly progressed to green and blue runs. Caulder has no fear, and is a little speed demon. Kessler is more cautious and likes to focus on perfecting his turns. We’ll be sad to see the ski season end.

Adenoid Removal

Happy to be rid of my adenoids

Kessler has had a chronic stuffy nose and snores while he sleeps for about the past year. We decided it was finally time to have his nose checked out. It turns out that his adenoids, as well as his tonsils, were very large. We decided to have his adenoids removed, and wait on the tonsils. It was a relatively simple surgery, but has made a huge difference in his breathing. It is so nice to hear him sleeping quietly.

Bridger

Bridger, the spoiled rotten pups, rarely makes the headlines, but recently she had an infection that perplexed even the best vets. We'll spare you the gory details (and photos). We were never able to determine exactly what happened to her, but apparently she was bitten by something like a spider or a tick. Her rear left leg swelled up to about 4x its normal size. She had a fever, stopped eating, and pretty much just laid around in pain. She also lost a lot of skin on her leg around the bite, and we had to put a very complicated bandage on her leg twice, then once a day. After many rounds of various drugs, she slowly got better. I think her vet was the most surprised about her recovery. Her skin slowly grew back, and then her hair. You can now hardly tell there was ever anything wrong with her leg.

A vacation for the New Year

Caulder at the beach near Anaheim

Me and Kess at a beach near Anaheim

The gang - Grandma Deedee, Grandpa Dick, Caulder, Uncle Joe, and Aunt Denice heading into Disneyland

The favorite ride - The Matterhorn

Aunt Denice

There's no crying at Disneyland - Well maybe if we've been going all day and it's 11:00 pm

Having fun at 'It's tough to be a Bug'

Enjoying the 'tame' rides with Grandma Deedee

Monster's Inc - Strangely the only Disney characters we saw in the park.

Entering Joshua Tree National Park

Hanging out in a tree at JT NP

One wacky dinner

Swimming in the pool in San Diego

The high surf

The visitors

The beach in Oceanside near San Diego

Shamu getting us wet - Yes Denice insisted on sitting in the 4th row of the 'splash zone'

Shamu 1 and Shamu 2

The sisters

It's 2012 and we're going to Disneyland! My family decided to meet in Southern California this year for a post Holiday vacation. Grandma Deedee and Grandpa Dick along with Aunt Denice and Uncle Joe met in Anaheim just after New Years. We stayed in a condo Near Disneyland and took in the park over three days. It was not only a first trip to Wallyworld for Caulder and Kessler, but also a first trip for Mat and Joe. I was a little worried that Caulder and Kessler would be a little too young for Disney land, but it turns out that they were just the right age. They could go on everything (but Indiana Jones), and had a great time. They loved 'rides'. We also enjoyed the hot (85 degree) weather, as did many other people. The park was packed. After three days in Anaheim, we took a trek over to Joshua Tree National Park, and then went on to San Diego. In San Diego we enjoyed the beach, Seaworld, and the San Diego Zoo (actually Mat, Kessler and I did not go). We had fun catching up and seeing the sights.