Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve

We took a trip to the Poppy Reserve. In the 7 and 1/2 years that we have lived in the AV, I have never seen such an abundance of wild flowers. Even at some distance, we could see brilliant splashes of yellow and orange on the hill sides. The Joshua trees are in full bloom, and we saw tons of poppies, goldfields and pygmy lupine. It was a very windy day, and we enjoyed running and playing among the gorgeous flowers. We finally got so cold, that we had to leave.

Post Easter Party

Yesterday, we where invited to our friend Everret Jayden's Post-Easter party. We were joined there by the Easter Bunny, who led games and made balloon animals for all the guests. After we said good-bye to the Easter Bunny, there was an easter egg hunt. Haley won first place with a grand total of 26 eggs, and Skylar was a close second with 21 eggs. Everret Jayden's mother, Ms. Happy, (aka Christina) helped us dye and decorate hard-boiled eggs, after which there we made new friends and played in the bounce house. Everyone had a wonderful time!

Game Day, Skylar's FIrst Baseball Game

Today was Skylar's first baseball game, Haley's third. The girls are playing for the Marlin's Coach Pitch team. They are both having a wonderful time, as well as learning about the sport. Unfortunately, almost all the games are at 9:00 a.m.! If you decide to join us for one of their games, don't forget to wear teal. :)

Collegiate Chris

LACMA and La Brea Tar Pits

Yesterday we took a field trip to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. We had the opportunity to check out the new Broad Contemporary Art Museum The girls and I really enjoyed most of the pieces we saw at the BCAM. We had the opportunity to see works by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jeffrey Koons and Damien Hirsch. I think the girls especially enjoyed the Koons "balloon sculptures". We found much of Hirsch's work rather disturbing, although his butterfly works are stunning. I think my favorite piece was probably Warhol's "Black and White Disaster." The girls also enjoyed Richard Serra's "Band" which we could actually walk through. We had docents and security hovering over us anxiously at every step. I think they were terrified that one of the girls was going to decide to climb or grab something. We did not really get a chance to go through the other complexes, because the girls were getting tired. BTW, if you have children under eighteen, they qualify for a free museum membership. Any child that is a member can take in one adult for free. So, we were all able to enter the museum for free instead of paying the usual $12.00 per adult entrance fee! Furthermore, Tuesdays are free.
After the Museum of Art, we went to the La Brea Tar Pits, which is in the same area. The Tar Pits were a favorite outing of mine as a child. I believe I was about seven years old the first time I went there. Even after almost 30 years, I can still remember the smell of the tar and feel the excitement of seeing the bones of creatures that roamed the earth 25,000 years ago. I still remember the first time I saw the volunteers in the Lab cleaning and cataloging bones, as I held on to my father's hand. I think perhaps that is when this fascination I have with history and the past started at that moment. I was thrilled to be able to share this experience with my own girls. I was not disappointed. My children seemed just as excited as they touched a real sloth bone and held my hand as we watched the volunteers in the lab working. Unfortunately, the excavation pit was closed and we were not able to experience that. We did get to view the tar pits and walk through the Page Museum.

Aquarium of the Pacific

On March 17, we took a fieldtrip along with other CAVA students to the Aquarium of the Pacific. What an amazing place! We actually touched sharks and starfish and saw creatures we never dreamed existed.

Meet the grandkids...

Amaya Marie and Alvin Christopher with Mommy on Easter Sunday

Back to normal

I haven't posted to this blog in a while. My grandfather passed in December, shortly after my last post and it hit me rather hard. Soon afterwards, my oldest gave birth to twins!I am now the proud grandmother to the most awesome (and adorable) little boy and girl. On March 7, my baby sister gave birth to her first child, a beautiful little boy. Life has been eventful and hectic. Things are finally starting to settle down and get back to normal. The girls and I have been working very hard to get back up to speed with our homeschooling. With all that has been going on, we fell behind. I have also decided to take on a full time load with my own studies. However, I will try to keep this blog up to date. :)