Condo Fun

Here is the typical family pose in front of the condo. I have pictures of Kristin and Katharine in their Easter dresses when they were under 10 years of age, posed right here.

I wanted to get Carson and Ruby by the fountain, but once they realized the beautiful flowers were friends to many many bees, they were not real happy about sitting here -- as you can see in their body language.

The condo has a land-line telephone -- something kids now-a-days don't know much about. I let them both try it, and that seemed to satisfy their curiosity for the rest of the week.

This statue of a ram that is in the master-bedroom made the kids laugh.

Here Ruby is going nose-to-nose with it.

This is the dining room table where we not only ate, but did some art projects. The kids got a kick out of the fact the table is glass and you can see your feet and legs through it. The same tables are what little Kristin and Katharine did their art projects with their Grandma -- like coloring Easter eggs and making candy.

One of my dearest friends that I have known since I was pregnant with Katharine is now living near Palm Springs and came over for lots of visits while we were there. The kids enjoyed getting to know Laura as well.

Thanks Laura for coming over and for the very sweet gifts you brought to the kids. They are still talking about you (and sleep with the kangaroo and lambie)

Discovering Palm Trees and Ants

Having never really seen palm trees, the kids were surprised at these strange looking trees. Here we were taking an evening walk and Kristin is teaching the kids about ants! She remembered back to when she was a child and Bill and I would take her and Kat for walks to find ant hills and feed them sugar.

Hey Carson -- how tall is that palm tree???

He loved climbing onto the big rocks.

Next door to our condo is a very big vacation resort with too many loud people, huge pools and water slides. (Kristin admitted to sneaking in when she was a teenager with her girlfriend that went with us for the week!) Here the kids are looking longingly at the other children going down the slides -- (no, I didn't sneak them in......)

So after taking a walk in the evening and looking at ants, the next morning while Kristin was taking a run, I took the kids to feed the ants -- cheerios, since I didn't have sugar. It was a hit. The kids fed breakfast to the ants each morning. It's truly amazing how those little ants can carry a piece of cheerio that is 20 times bigger than it is away, into the hole.

In this field we saw lots of ground squirrel holes and even saw one peeking his head out, looking at us. The kids gave him some cheerios, too.

This walk and feeding ants lasted over an hour -- the kids LOVED the experience. As we were walking along finding ants to feed, Carson would tell each person who we passed "we are feeding the ants cheerios!"

Water Fun In Palm Springs

Each day the kids became more comfortable and confident in the water. The first day they clung to us and wouldn't let go. Here Carson realized the water-wings held him up. At first both kids would laugh and giggle when I let go of them and then get a mouth full of water and choke. I told them "learning to swim is serious and you can't laugh". Carson really got serious and had the same serious look on his face when he was trying to do it. It cracked us up.

Sometimes Carson just needed to pause for a snack and drink of water.

Laura brought noodles to the kids and that helped them feel more confident in the water and really have fun. By the end of the week Carson was able to get himself completely across the pool by himself (holding onto the noodle and wearing the water wings).

Here is Carson's serious face! Here is his "I'm happy I can get around the pool by myself" ---face!

I'm trying to teach Ruby how to blow bubbles and for her to allow me to let go of her. She had a hard time being serious and kept laughing. By her own admission "Grandma, I'm a giggle monster and can't help it!"

Ruby and Carson made friends with this sweet older couple and was playing with them in the pool. The man had lived on Bainbridge Island 50 years ago, and his daughter currently lives on the island. The woman was a retired teacher and school nurse, and I could tell that by the way she interacted with the children. She gave Kristin a very nice compliment at the end of the week, saying "your children are very social and verbal. You have done a great job with them!"

Carson's First Barbershop Haircut -- Palm Springs!

Little Man's hair was longer than I remember seeing it, so Kristin found a barbershop. He did very well, with some coaching from sister.

Ruby's Diner

Ruby's Diner is a chain restaurant with one in downtown Palm Springs and is done in the

50's diner motif. We knew we had to take Ruby there for dinner. She was so pleased with herself and told everyone her name was "Ruby!" The kids both ate an entire turkey burger with apple slices and a small taste of my milk shake (which Ruby decided she really didn't care for!)

Their glasses with lids and straws were full of good old H2O.

After dinner Kristin wanted to look in a shop, so I took the kids for a walk down the main drag. Ruby had on her Ruby's hat as we strolled along, to the delight of passer-bys.