Hail!

We lived through a crazy storm yesterday.  We did not have just wind, or just rain.  We experienced  strong, bough bending winds, torrential rain, and golf-ball sized hail pounding onto the roof.  

The storm may have only lasted as long as a re-run episode of Seinfeld, but its effects were incredible. 

Now that I am looking back at the pictures from this thirty minutes of extreme weather, it seems amazing that so much water came down so fast.  To go from extreme heat, humidity and dry, scorched earth to storm clouds and rain was an incredible experience.  The lifelong desert rat that I am can't help but get a little emotional at downpours such as this one. 

At first the girls and I thought it was just rain.

Then the pounding began.  The hailstones covered the front and back yard, pounded on the windows and roof, and basically scared the living daylights out of my oldest daughter.

The rain soon covered the sidewalk, and water filled the gutters.

This may not seem like a big deal, but rain spilling off of the roof of my house is HUGE!

I ran out to the front lawn, umbrella in hand, to collect this monster of a hail stone.  

Cupped in Cubby's hands, the hail stone is clearly one size larger than a golf ball!

A standing water puddle in the desert?!  I've got to get my camera, this is insane!

Once the hail had ceased from rocketing out of the sky, the rain continued to fall.  Lovely, lovely raindrops covered my windows.  

More raindrops dripped from the eaves.

And then the rain stopped.  My backyard hasn't looked this fresh and clean since last April.  

Finally the sun came out.  This summer storm was so brief, that it seemed to appear as if I had just sprayed off the sidewalk with a hose.  But after a closer look, I noted that the ground had turned muddy, the streets were slick with rain, and sadly, some friends' cars still carry the scars of their violent collision with hail stones.

Four Under Five on Vacation Part III

I am amazed at how much the simple things in life totally entertain my kids.  

A plastic cup and a running hose can keep my two year old son happy for at least an hour, given his sisters leave him alone.  A pad of paper with crayons will keep my oldest humming away pleasantly as drawing after drawing is created.   My number two daughter is pretty much satisfied with life if her pink blankie and big sister are within grabbing distance.  And my youngest daughter will do pretty much anything for her Grandma Donna and a sippy of cold juice.  That really is what makes them content with life.  

So imagine these kids in a beautiful park with fountains, a huge koi pond, botanical gardens, museums, musicians, hidden walkways, art exhibits, the works.  

Out of all of these amazing things to view and enjoy, what grabbed my kids' attentions?

Stairs.

E chose to dance around from level to level.

The babies decided to run up and down while laughing hysterically at the wonder of these amazing technological advancements.  STAIRS!  WOO-HOO!

Cubby scooted her way around and around at the bottom for a while.  Then she discovered how much more fun it was to carry the scooter to the top, then glide down the grass embankment.  It was poetry in motion.

Finally, and I mean twenty-five minutes later or so of 100% stair action, they discovered the fountain which stood maybe fifteen feet away from the stairs.  J.D. struck a handsome pose.

E happily watched the water sift through her hands.

And Little G splashety-splashed.

Stairs and a beautiful fountain made my kids' day.  This is definitely another one of those perks of having four kids under five.  They are all so close in age that they can truly appreciate the same experiences at the same moment in time.  I thank God I don't have a teenager also in this photo, rolling their eyes at me, begging to leave this park so they can go hang out with their friends.  Ahh.  For me, splashing around in a fountain and galloping up stairs is exactly where my little family belongs.

Summer Storm

We opened up our front door today after lunch to find a surprise!  It had started raining!  In August! In the desert!  

Now, I love summer storms.  They are rare and fleeting and beautiful.  The rain washes the dry, dusty plants, cleans off the streets and sidewalks, and reminds us desert dwellers that there is more to life than heat, heat, and more heat.  I like to sit and watch it come down while listening to the light pitter patter of the drops.  

The kids, however, saw the rain, and went through about a ten step process: denial, fear, anxiety, gradual acceptance, curiosity, happiness, glee, and finally unabashed silliness.   

Here's the scene today at lunch.  Danny is tying on his work boots, which in itself is very sweet.  See I no longer insist that he take his boots off in the house, since we have all tile floors now, but he still does it.  I love that.   The kids are a little nervous, a bit pensive.  They are considering this substance falling from the sky.  What is it?  Why is it coming down?  Is there cause for concern?  A tantrum perhaps?

Cubby, true to character, is the first to venture out to dance in the rain.

This is the face Danny made when I asked him what he really thought of the rain.  Nice.  Farmers.  What can you say?  The poor guy probably has hay down or something, but a few drops isn't really cause for that face, now is it?!

That's better.  What a handsome guy I've got!  

Then Danny attempted to introduce little G to rain, since this is completely new to her.  Her little two year old brain is trying to comprehend what is happening here.  Or maybe she's just wondering why she's out in the front yard with just a diaper on.  Because you're a Walker, silly!

Once she felt it, understanding started to set in...

She is clearly thinking, "Wow.  That........was...............awesome."  Do I need to point out again how cute my loving man is?  Ooops, just did!

Then she let loose with pure, unfiltered joy!

J.D. was a little more subdued, but in his heart he felt the joy overflowing as well.  What is it about the rain that made my little baby boy turn into a real boy?  Look at him, he looks like a little kid in this picture!  Rain, rain, go away!

Then dad had to go back to work, and J.D. jumped at the chance to give his dad a big kiss and hug.  The hug is adorable, but I was equally taken with the wet street and water standing in the gutter.  Aaahhhhh! Thrilling!  I know, I need to get out more.

So my little Minnie Mouse clad four year old continued to enjoy the wet sidewalk,

while my rambunctious five year old enthusiastically dressed for winter (it is raining, you know!) then did a crazy dance on the oh so slippery sidewalk.

Oh so slippery.    Ouch!  Thank goodness for diapers!  And thank God for the gift of a summer storm.  We needed the refreshment!

Four Little Life Vests

Danny and I took the kids for a boat ride.  Now the kids have only had one other boat experience before this one.  Actually, I take that back.  The babies have never before been on a boat. This was their maiden  voyage.  

The girls, however, have been on the harbor cruise in San Diego.  The harbor cruise is basically a house floating on the water, which, from the girls' perspective, is sort of lame.  They could barely see the water, people were everywhere, and they definitely didn't feel any rolling or boat swaying.  They were kind of disappointed with that boating adventure.   

So during our stay in the mountains, Danny and I decided to give them a simpler, more basic watercraft experience.

Ahhhhh. The peace and serenity of the open water took us back to simpler times.  Times when kids didn't scream when parents wrenched them into life vests.  To times when a kid was happy just gazing out across the water.  And finally, it took us back to times when six people in a tiny motor boat sounded absolutely wonderful.  

Not really.  It was a typical Walker family event.  Little G looks bored, but she really enjoyed hanging her little hand over the side of the boat (with mom's hand firmly gripping her life vest's strap) to drag her fingers through the water.

The girls truly enjoyed the boat ride.  I truly enjoyed the gray day.  It had rained before we took the little boat out, and the sky was overcast and marvelous for taking pictures.

J.D. remained calm and happy for a short time.  He quickly realized that he was not belted into the boat, and proceeded to attempt escape at every opportunity.  Luckily, I kept my hand gripped on his life vest, and my little man didn't come close to diving into the chilly water.  Is it odd that I am so proud of that?  

Boats are rented by the day, but 45 minutes of boating was plenty for the Walkers!  After we finished up the boat ride, I made the kids walk the plank!  The gang plank up to the dock, that is.  

"Chicks and ducks and geese better scurry..."  Sorry, a few remnants of Oklahoma! will always remain at the front of my brain.  Thanks mom and dad.  Anyway, the ducks and geese were hungry, but not too aggressive.  

Except this guy.  He had a real attitude!  Just kidding, he was great.  No nips or squawks or flapping of wings, just a handful of kids feeding crackers to some fat geese.  

Hike Their Legs Off!

My parents own a cabin in what may be the most beautiful place in the world.  That's just my opinion.  I simply love this place.  And I have completely and shamelessly brainwashed my four children into believing the same exact thing.  I call it "our little heaven on earth," and the kids treat it and talk about it as such.  

The mountains were the perfect place for the four kiddos and my mom to hang out.  But what should we do with all these kids for six days in the mountains?  My mom and I laid out our plans carefully during the winding drive from the coast to the mountains.  While the kids sang along to the new VBS CD they'd already memorized, mom and I whispered ideas and schemes for the mountain vacation.  It was an uncomplicated, but surefire plan.  

Here's the gist of our stealthy plan for how to survive with four under five in the mountains for six days:  RUN THEIR LEGS OFF.  Yep, that's about it.  So every morning, mom and I would shovel tons of carbohydrates and fluids into their little mouths, then we'd set out for the physical adventure for that day.

The plan worked!  The kids ran and hiked and climbed and played all morning, ate a hearty lunch, napped and relaxed in the afternoons, ate dinner, then played and screamed until bath time.  It was genius.  Pure genius.  

Our first activity was hiking. 

Actually, it was water fountaining.  You've never heard of that activity (or that verb)?  It's a highly used term and activity in the Walker household.  Basically, it means playing in the water fountain until the child is soaking wet, crying, or a combination of the two.  On this particular day, water fountaining served to hydrate the big girls, who were much more interested in hiking than the babies.  

So this trail was completely and utterly deserted and super quiet.  For a person very accustomed to noise, the quiet was disconcerting.  Plus, I had heard all the rattle snake warnings from my mom, or Ranger Donna, as I came to think of her.  "It will sound like a sprinkler, April!"  OK, Ranger, so if I hear a sprinkler starting in the middle of the meadow, I'll know some chipmunk isn't watering his lawn.  Got it.

This is the point in the trail where E started whining.  She is always ready to go back right when Cubby is warmed up.   Cubby is a true hiker; she is her father's daughter.  She sets a good pace, walks with her head up, and despises the person that says, "it's time to head back."  Unfortunately, I am always that person.

Cubby fully enjoyed this moment.  What a magical thing it is to watch a child blow and blow and watch the little seeds float away.  

E wanted to pick wildflowers for a bouquet.  But of course, I was too freaked out about some ranger popping out from behind a log to ticket us for disturbing the park to let that happen!  

I love this picture of E and Cubby.  Look at their faces!  OK, let me set this up for you.  We got to a point in the trail where E couldn't stop whining about wanting to go back to hang out with Ranger Donna.  Cubby, however, wanted to keep going.  I was fine either way, so I decided upon the only fair and balanced method for deciding: Eenie-Meenie-Miney-Mo.   Can you tell who won?  Yep, E was victorious, and Cubby was none too thrilled.  She moped just momentarily, but once back on the trail she was happy again.  

By the way, the hike was a big time success, they hiked their legs off, and slept like babies all night.  As for the babies' sleeping...that's another story.

A Happy Day in Julian

Julian is in its absolute glory right now.  The fresh plants are weighed down by huge, colorful blooms.   Apple trees are covered in sweet smelling white and pink flowers.  California poppies spring up with their happy orange faces all over the roadsides.  Fat horses and cattle graze in lush meadows.  Groups of turkeys scour the orchards and meadows for snacks. 

This is where I spent my Saturday.  I left the projected heat of 97 degrees in the Valley for a gorgeous 70 degrees.  A view of beauty like this can't help but make my heart smile. 

I took the girls and my mom up for the day.  Cousin Ellie and Ayron also met us for the morning.  This was our Mother's Day gift to eachother.  After a day like this, I can't imagine a better gift. 

We started the day at a little mining camp and farm in Wynola.

They had a real watermill with troughs for sifting out the real gold flecks from the fool's gold and gravel.

A surprisingly friendly teenager helped the girls learn the proper panning technique.  Sorry, I was a rude teenager so stumbling upon a friendly one is a little shocking at first. 

The girls took it pretty seriously. 

Cubby had a little assistant. 

Her specialties included smiling, laughing.....

....digging in the dirt with her fingers....

.....and eventually using the pan. 

The poppies were at their absolute peak!

The pie shop was the obvious next stop on our trip to Julian.

And here's my lunch! 

Dad didn't let that happen.  After working all day in the orchard, a little pie and coffee were the perfect reward.

Then we made our way back to mom and dad's cabin, where we searched for ladybugs.

They weren't hard to find, those little guys were having a feast up there!

Little girls and ladybugs, the perfect combination.

The bigger and fatter the ladybug, the more likely the girls were to pick it up and let it crawl on their arms.

These were some of the biggest ones.

Then grandma decided the girls needed to throw some rocks into the pond.  The girls were not opposed to this idea in the slightest.

E didn't let go of her scroll.  It was an invitation to the ball (as in Cinderella's ball), you see. She had made it at lunch, and wouldn't put it down for anything.  Not even for rock throwing. 

Grandpa found the best rocks for skipping.

Grandma made sure everyone had an equal share of rocks to throw. 

Then it was time to go.  Danny had made this day possible by agreeing to watch the twins for me.  On this particular Mother's Day weekend, a day away from the routine, and at this time, the mess and chaos of a home in the midst of a remodel, is the best possible gift.  What better gift than to have a Mother's day spent with my daughters, mom and sister? 

We drove away from the beauty and bounty of Julian, and I couldn't help but snap these shots of my favorite views from around the property.

I think we'll be back next weekend.  May is too beautiful to miss in Julian.