I thoroughly enjoy my daughter's singing and songwriting, especially on Halloween. She did another one called "Oh Bat" which was equally entertaining. I will have pictures from Halloween as well as actual blogging all next week... Sorry I have neglected the blog for so long!
Have a happy and safe Halloween, friends!
Introducing the fashion model... Introducing the fashion model...
And that's how it's done, folks.
The Ringmaster will be overseeing all the events for fairness and fun!
First up for Pick a Block... LIANE! Can she do it? Can she guess the block that was placed in her hand? YES!!!! She did it!
She gets to choose from one of our fabulous prizes!
Rick tried his hand at golf while the Ringmaster entertained the crowd behind him...
And then the Old Pro had his turn... will it go in??
YES! AND THE CROWD GOES WILD!!
The Old Pro receives the Grand Prize from the Ringmaster!
But the night is still young and there is more fun to be had!!
First there will be more dancing...
More prizes...
More happiness!!
More magic (??)
And lots more smiles!
And maybe even a few tears when it's all over...
You heard it here first, folks! Come one, come all to the greatest show you've ever seen! Sit back and enjoy amazing entertainment, dancing, fun, and PRIZES for all ages! Games and acts the likes of which you have NEVER seen before and likely never will again! Sit back, relax, and join us tomorrow for full coverage of the AMAZING KID CARNIVAL!
Riley was rarin' to go! Rick and I had to carry down our kayaks (we each had a 2 man kayak: Riley and Rick in one, Violet and I in the other) and get them ready for launch.
And then we were off! Both the kids had to help us with the paddling, and they both did GREAT jobs!
Riley was a super paddler and helper!
Ricky looked so cute in his hat.
Tell me. WHAT is happening with my boob? How did I not notice this??
We had a few stops along the way to check out some natural hot springs (the Sauna Cave was amazing!), waterfalls, and more.
and I got to get a picture with Rick :)
The kids passed the time by blowing bubbles...
and we enjoyed the beautiful (although quite hot! it got up to 100 degrees!) weather...
My favorite stop was at Arizona Hot Springs. We hiked in a little ways toward a canyon and all of a sudden there was water on the ground...
And as we got in further, we noticed there was a waterfall!
The water was beautiful and WARM because it was fed by the spring... and the farther up you went, the warmer the water became.
Then we came upon a HUGE waterfall (over 12 feet high!) and had to climb a ladder to get up the falls to the hot springs and pools above. The water got warmer and warmer and kept going till it was downright HOT! Rick and the kids hiked all the way to the source of the spring where it bubbled right out of the ground! AWESOME!
After that hike, Riley was spent. He took a nap in the kayak while Rick rowed.
Amd Violet wanted to ride with her new favorite friend, Hannah. Hannah is Bob's daughter. Here's a picture of Bob guiding the girls into a cool looking cave...
and this was the last 4 miles of the trip... Bob with the girls just jabbering away about 7 and 8 year old girlie stuff! HA!
And me, in a kayak by myself, powering through the burn I felt in my arms.
The hardest part was the end... where we could SEE the docks where we would be stopping, but because the river was so wide at that point it just felt like we weren't going anywhere. And all I wanted to do was be DONE. And I did it... and I must say, I loved it. :)
So I broke down a few weeks ago and got a personal trainer, since, clearly, I am incapable of working out without some major motivation. Oh that and my scale showed that I weighed the same as when I was 9 months pregnant with Violet. Which is AWESOME. Cause I am not pregnant. But at least I feel like those (stupid) people who ask me if I am pregnant have an excuse... cause, well, apparently I could very well be, according to those stupid notches on the scale.
SO. I got a personal trainer. And it's going GREAT. Best investment ever for me. I see him weekly - every Tuesday, and then I also attend his class on Thursdays, so it's kind of like seeing him twice a week. I also go to one other class or do some sort of workout on at least one other day a week, which has helped immensely.
He has me on a diet for the next 8-12 weeks... it's not awful and actually quite do-able. Mainly the only things I totally *can't* have are dairy and soy. Otherwise it's good proteins, lots of green veggies, a few starches here and there (so I don't go totally insane!), and very limited fruit.
While I am not seeing a huge difference just yet (it's only been 3 weeks), I do *feel* the difference. And that is what matters. :)
I am going to keep him for at least 12 weeks and hopefully by then I can report that my body is looking and feeling much better. And hopefully by then I can have dairy again, cause I really miss cheese. :)
