Horse Riding

For Christmas, Grandma and Grandpa gave Violet horse-riding lessons, and on Saturday, we went to Gilchrist Farms for her first one.

It wasn't just the riding - Violet learned how to take care of the horse at the start of the lesson, too.

Here, she is using a hoof-pick for the first time.

She loved her lesson!

We then went to Grandma's house for a bit, and spent more time with Auntie Mel and Eloise. Meanwhile, Stace and Cora watched a movie at home.

On our way back home, Violet and I went to Bridgeport to take a short walk and see the ducks.

On Sunday, Stace, Violet and I took a walk at the Iron Horse Bridge trail. It was pretty, and in the riverbed, we saw a coyote with a squirrel in its mouth!

Grandma took Cora to Magic Mountain for a few hours.

Another Disney Day

Violet and I returned to Disneyland Friday afternoon, with Vi having that awesome half-day every Friday.

It was a gorgeous day!

(Cora had fun, too - she went to her friend Violet's house after school.)

We went on Star Tours and enjoyed the Tiki Room with a Dole Whip, but I think Violet's favorite part was the ducks.

Or, perhaps her favorite part was the cats near Grizzly River Run in California Adventure.

Hi, Snickers!

We also drew Stitch - this was probably the first drawing I've done that I've been happy with. Mine is on the right.

Of course, we had to do Guardians, Violet's favorite ride.

Auuuggghhhh!!!!

We were on the way home not long after 8 p.m., so it wasn't a crazy late night.

Another fun Disney memory!

Week in Review

Stace, Violet and I went to visit with Eloise and the rest of the family on Monday night while Cora was at karate. Violet remains in love!

On Wednesday, I met up with JT in Montrose, and she planned a hike for us. We went up on the hills between the 2 Freeway and Descanso Gardens, with views of Downtown L.A. (behind my head here), just about to the Pacific.

 And here is part of Descanso Gardens behind us, and the San Gabriels beyond. It was beautiful, but SUPER windy! Like, walk with purpose, so you don't get blown over...

 It was also more hilly than JT realized when she planned the hike - the sign here says "Descanso Lateral," and we were questioning the choice of the word "lateral."

We enjoyed a lovely lunch after our hike - a day altogether.

 That evening, Stace and I took Cora out for a boba while Violet was at Pioneer Club to celebrate herstrong showing in the school's National Geographic Geography Bee, where students competed to answer the most geography/history questions. Out of nearly 70 students, Cora placed in the top 10!

On Thursday, I attended a training at Cora's school (where I got a free lunch!). I was asked to be the parent representative on a committee that is working to reward positive behavior on campus.

Super Saturday

 We had a big day out Saturday, starting at the Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage before joining my parents at the Dodgers Fan Fest at the stadium.

Both outings were free! This particular weekend was a free museum day at dozens of locations around SoCal, and the Fan Fest is also free, a way to rouse interest in the coming season (with plenty of things available to purchase).

Here, Cora is getting a photo of her favorite piece at the Autry. She loves images of fire, and all things Native American.

 The museum is great - so many fascinating exhibits - with a nice garden area outside with native plants.

 Then, we headed around Griffith Park to the next big hill, to Blue Heaven on Earth. Here, you can see Cora, Grandpa, Violet and Stace heading to the main stage.

 A Dodger pitcher was being interviewed by the television guys who cover the team. It was an all-day event, so many players took the stage.

This event is normally within the stadium, but the Dodgers are doing major construction this off-season, so most of the festivities were in the parking lot. 

 A nice spot to relax.

Back in SClarita, we decided to go out to eat at Souplantation, a place we hadn't been in very long time - like, maybe since before Violet? The girls loved it, especially the tiny cones to end their night.

Then, we dropped Cora off at home and Stace and I took Violet to Valencia Methodist for the annual movie night. This year, they showed Toy Story 4, a film we hadn't seen, so it was nice to see it for free. What a fun day!

Week in Review

 Stace got to hold the newest family member when Nick and Melanie visited the other day with Eloise.

So sweet!

On Monday, the girls were off school, and Cora was invited to her friend Violet's house with the rest of their girl group. They had a fabulous time, and I'm so grateful she has these friends!

Violet and I, meanwhile, went to Placerita Canyon Nature Center and enjoyed a hike.

 I took the cats to the vet on Tuesday, and ended up spending most of the school day there, since Spencer wouldn't come home when it was time for me to leave that morning. I ended up taking Seb, and then later taking Spence. They are in pretty good health! Seb had an ear infection and the beginnings of a heart murmur we'll need to keep an eye on. At almost 9, they're considered senior cats! Crazy.

I was getting Cora a snack the other day and realized it was all orange, so I found it silly funny enough to snap a pic.

On Friday, when I picked up Vi at lunchtime, we returned to Placerita Canyon. This time, I had my phone one me to get a few pics. She loves observing everything, including the bees.

 She found this little canyon climbing area Monday and wanted to return. She's so happy here!

Despite our lack of recent rains, Violet found water to climb around. Placerita is definitely one of Violet's happy places!

Back to School! And, Visitors!

Aunt Patty and Uncle Bill came into town for our long MLK Day weekend! And on Thursday afternoon, Melanie, Nick and Ellie stopped over, so Aunt Patty got to spend quality time with this cutie.

On Thursday evening, we went to an escape room together, and Linda, Steve and Kelly met us, too. We split into two rooms, and my team escaped! We had several clues, though, so we can't take all the credit.

Here's our whole group...

And the team that didn't quite make it out...

Mom was trying to get a nice selfie pic with her little brother...and it was harder than it looked. They were cracking me up.

Stace and Cora busied themselves with the puzzles with various types of locks while we waited for the second team to finish up.

On Friday morning, Vi finally got to ride her new bike to school. It had been frosty all week in the mornings, and Cora has a much longer ride, but Friday was warmer, in the 40s. Violet was excited!

Later, Violet had her normal Friday half-day, and after we ate, we took a walk. We came across this interesting sight - vultures having their own lunch, roadkill opossum. (Look under the bush.)

Violet was quite put out by viewing the cycle of life up close and personal. But we soldiered on, and had a lovely walk.

On Sunday, we had the family over and Uncle Bill and Aunt Patty made their amazing pizza for dinner. It was great to all be together!

Rest of Winter Break

Stace has started a garage reorganization project, and he has had the girls helping when possible. When she was done helping out, Violet got out a piece of wood and her paints and started creating.

She then gave our old fairy furniture and accessories a redo. So cute!

Cora was also creating in the yard - because I was tired of her being hold up in her dark bedroom! Such a teenager. But, this (almost) teenager is very creative too; she's writing a fantasy novel, and she's about 100 pages in. I encouraged her to at least get some fresh air and sunshine while she typed. Her cat joined her on the bench. 

 The cats also joined Stace as he attempted to brush his teeth the other night. They are so helpful!

Cora had a mishap with her phone, and the screen broke. To save money, she bought a new screen kit, but the repair didn't work out. So, we learned a lot about how complex (and delicate)  the insides of cell phones are. After too many hours of online research, I ended up finding a replacement at a price she could (nearly) afford on her own. We think she'll be more careful now.

On Sunday, we visited Melanie, Nick and Ellie at my parents' house after church. We then went to a brand new boba place by their house - it was so yummy! Violet's boba love is an expensive problem!