Fun at Sweetwater Ranch

We took the kids on an outing to the Chudy's ranch in Oak Glen. They loved playing in the gravel pile and feeling the gravel tickle their toes...especially the grown-up kids. So many animals to see. The chickens and rooster entertained us.
They got to help gather eggs from the hen house.
Ten acres is a huge play ground. They also got to pick apples and we made some delicious apple crisp.

Little Joshua didn't play with the animals, but I couldn't resist posting this picture of him.

The kids had fun feeding the goat some branches off a bush.
Kira, Staci, Brinley, Ryan, and Spencer posed for a picture by some farm equipment. Sister Chudy gave each of the kids a little pumpkin. She is so great to let us enjoy her ranch each fall! We love seeing the animals, picking apples and playing in the gravel.

A quick visit with the Tangs

We were excited to have a few hours with the Tangs while they awaited their flight between LA and Honolulu. They were on their way home after a visit with the Tang grandparents in Maine. Little did we know that their few hour lay-over would turn into a ten hour lay-over. We didn't find out about the extra delays until after we dropped them off or we would have gone somewhere fun to hang out for the day. We wanted every minute we could get with them. Taylor and Aubree and Amber and the kids were there to join the fun.

Here's Grandpa with the three cute little girls.
Grandpa treated us all to a delicious lunch.Aubree and Taylor had fun with little Ashlyn. She amazed us with all her new knowledge of the alphabet and her various new words. What a little smarty!
Spencer, Brinley, Ashlyn and Stacie had a fun time playing together. Brin, you're such a good babysitter. It was hard to keep everyone out of trouble.
We all miss you Ashlyn. We can't wait to see you again soon. We miss your parents, too.

Taub arrives and a Labor Day Party

Taylor and Aubree arrived last week and we moved them in to the upstairs bedroom. They had a moving van full of their things, including the motorcycle that Taylor loves to ride. After 18 years of being a boys dormitory, it is beginning to look a lot more girly, thanks to Aubree's touch with some lace curtains and a pretty quilt. What a challenge.
Aubree looks excited to be here...in spite of the intense heat and the earthquakes.

The Labor Day party was a traditional hamburger barbecue and swim party. Grandpa and Winifred made it here along with a few of their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

The cute little Mortensen girls had fun swimming and eating.The Horspool women had a good visit while the kids are swimming and having fun. Mel, April, Tami and Amber are just relaxing while the kids swim and play. Tami, you don't look like you could have a baby any day! Andrew's favorite Uncle Mike is helping him dip his feet into the cool water. Rebecca's husband, Matt and their adorable new little boy, Cameron take a dip in the pool. He is just a little tyke and this was his first swim. Little Cameron relaxing in the arms of his Grandpa David seems to be quite content.
Brothers, Ray and David snuggle up with Cameron. He looks like he fits right in with the rest of the clan.

Happy Birthday Grandpa H

Today is Grandpa Horspool's 88th birthday. I took a delicious dinner of KFC over to him and Winifred and we enjoyed a nice visit. David and Margy brought carrot cake and ice-cream. Grandpa verified his birthday by looking at the date on the newspaper. He told me he was born in 1920. Then we sang "Happy Birthday" and he blew out the candle. The three oldest of his nine children were there to celebrate. It was a small but nice party to celebrate so many years of a great life. We're already talking about another Horspool family reunion with all those new cousins we discovered last year. Fun times!

Whitewater Rafting

Here are a few pictures of Paul's and Natalie's fun vacation in Colorado. Noticeably missing from the pictures are Riley and Madison, who were left behind for safety purposes. It looks like they had a great adventure. Thanks for the pictures, Paul. We miss you guys.

That's What Friends Are For

Christy invited me for a few days of fun and relaxation at Newport Beach. She said it was to thank me for the work I did on Kim's wedding. I told Christy that it will take me a lifetime to pay her back for all the help she has given me through the years on weddings, eagle scout courts of honors, missionary send-offs etc., etc., etc. How could I have done it all without Christy as my right hand man? I only hope I will be asked to help with anything that comes up in her future.
We had such a great time together going to fun restaurants, movies, shopping, and just talking. Everyone deserves a great friend and neighbor like Christy. I am truly blessed.

A Luau in the Mountains?

I had such a great time at YW Camp this week. We were at Camp Morning Star and I was in charge of the "Big Event" which was a luau. Many thanks to Tami and Amber for helping me hem twenty-eight table cloths in Hawaiian prints. We used them everywhere to decorate tables, wall, and windows. It made everything so colorful. The food is not out on this buffet table yet, but imagine the wonderful salads and fruits we were treated to later.
Coconut bowling was a fun game that we did a few days before the luau. The bottles doubled as bowling pins and centerpieces. The girls learned some Polynesian dancing as well as poi twirling and Maori stick games. It made for a fun competition during dinner.
Amber brought up some pretty hibiscus flowers to adorn our stage.
This place was really hopping during dinner. We had a D.J. and non-stop dancing. It was a crazy dance party with lots of delicious food and Hawaii shave ice. Everyone seemed to enjoy the whole night. We had hula dancers and stories outside at the amphitheater with tikki torches and a campfire. Call me crazy but it was so fun, I might even go next year!