We have visitors!

A week ago we had Michelle's family here visiting us which was alot of people for our small house but it was nice to have family around. We had some time to hang out and chat but we also had a good time going to the Zoo. The girls enjoyed the nice weather and went on a couple of walks. All in all it was a good time!

We had some good home cooked meals and Evan was happy we had some bacon.

During our tour we had some time to take the boys over to playground and have a little fun.

We also went down to the lake and fed the ducks which everyone enjoyed, especially Evan and Micah.

We went to the Zoo which was fun but Evan decided we went to the wrong zoo because they didn't have any Zebras.

A vacation fit for a president

Two days ago the summer staff got back from a journey along the coast to Santa Barbara for a 3 day vacation at Rancho La Scherpa. The drive up was pretty easy until we got to the road that takes us up the hill to camp. It had an intense number of sharp turns and curves as well as a few steep uphill curves that I wasn't sure the Buick could make. The car was near overheating so we turned the heater on the floor vents and just about cooked my feet. This became a routine as we made this drive about 5 times in those 3 days. The camp's ground there was beautiful. Huge gnarly oak trees surrounded the area and the in between spaces were covered with manzanita trees. It was a scene from a movie as the light fought its way to the ground through the trees and the dust. The house that we stayed in was pretty nice, it's called the Stonehouse because it is made out of large stones and wood. The house had some large windows with nice views and was pretty cozy. The views were so great in fact that past presidents Ronald Reagan and Herbert Hoover both stayed in the Stonehouse.

We spent time on the beach skimboarding and hanging out with our friends, the summer staff. On the last day we spent a good part of the morning paintballing. Michelle was shot 4 times out of the 4 or more games she played but the first two games she didn't get shot at all. I got shot more only because our fellow staffer Ryan decided he would try to bunker me but when he got close enough and saw me turning around he shot me 5 or 6 times which included a shot to the head, knee, shin, bottom, hand, and back, up until then I was only shot once. We were all pretty tired and hungry afterwards so we went and relaxed in the pool which was pretty nice then we took a nice long nap after lunch.

Now we are back to our daily grind at Big Bear Lake and awaiting a visit from the Chandler and Nickell family. We cant wait! Sarah, the weather is calling for thunderstorms on monday....dont worry, we have plenty of games including SKIP-BO!

the storm

We had some stormy, cooler weather for a few days. It rained a good bit and we had some pretty impressive hail as well. The coolness was a much appreciated, it had been quite warm and very humid before the weather changed.

Jonah and I were driving to the Davis' house to have dinner with Joy and Lamar,who were watching Dave's house while he was gone, and as we were driving the rain hit full force.

Ryan with some leftover hail.

The beach hunt

Jonah and I had yesterday off and after sleeping in a bit decided that we would like to go to the beach. Since supposedly there are beaches about 2 1/2 hours away we figured it was ok that we weren't getting an early start. We headed out and got stuck in stop and go traffic for 30 minutes. We finally made it to the first beach which was Huntington and it was packed so we continued up the coast hoping to find something a little less populated. About 2 hours later we finally found a section of beach in Malibu that only had a few people on it so we grabbed our towels, skim boards and kite and claimed a spot.

We tried skim boarding (my first time) but Jonah said the beach was too sloped so we were having a hard time.

We missed lunch because we were driving trying to find a beach so after skim boarding and flying the kite for a while we went in search of dinner. We both really wanted to find clam chowder in a bread bowl but despite looking at different places we had to settle for clam chowder in a regular bowl. All in all we learned that central coast beaches are way better than southern beaches and that Malibu is not good for skim boarding, bread bowls, or free parking.

This ones for Isaac

Since we live in a mountainous area, Michelle and I were bummed that we wouldn't be able to see fireworks. We had tried to find areas around here that we could set off fireworks but due to the huge fire risk there was nowhere near to us that we could do so. Then we were invited to go out on our very own Big Bear Lake and watch the "second largest display of fireworks on the west coast." We were both excited and anxious to watch it. As we took the boat out the best display was the sunset, the water reflected the bright blue sky as well as the orange and purple clouds and it was really nice. The fireworks were nice but Michelle and I both agree that it was somewhat disappointing. Nonetheless I saw fireworks and was pretty happy. So wait no more here are our pictures.

Michelle and I anxious to leave.

The sunset as we left the cove.

A few good ones.

Last but never the least is the grand finale!

it's a girl

Although this post is a bit late, I couldn't leave it out.

Natalie Joy Nickell

June 26th, 2008

9lbs 11oz 21 inches

Natalie was born at home and the labor went well. After she was born Heather was bleeding heavily and was taken to the hospital. With much skilled help and a lot of prayers she is now home and doing well. We are all so thankful that both mother and daughter are healthy now.

Jonah and I were able to get off a few extra days so we could go home and help out while Heather was in the hospital. Natalie is beautiful and we all love her so much including the boys who love to look at her and Evan really likes holding her too.