I think I mentioned that Rubix stopped napping most of the time. For awhile he was taking one or two naps a week and then he just all together gave them up. However, there are occasions when his fatigue catches up with him. Here is one of those days where he comes to give me a hug/sit on my lap and before I know it he is asleep. I can't exactly remember what I was doing, but after an hour I had to wake him up because I was overheated and could no longer feel my legs :)
I am not quite sure what happened here, but I discovered this selfie of Phoenix getting her breakfast.
At the end of July we stopped by Tyler's on one of our typical after dinner bike rides. Tyler decided to have the girls ride socially distanced with us home. It was nice to see them leave their house. I think Zoe and Jade had a blast riding the one and a half miles to our house.
Rubix came to me while I was working and said, take a picture, so I took a picture. :)
Daddy has a habit of eating food that is in front of him. The other day he started eating my eggs, so Axel decided to make labels. I thought it was beyond sweet of Axel to be so thoughtful so I made sure to use it on my lunch that I had prepared for work. I did it more to let Axel know how grateful I was, but Daddy wasn't sure so he made sure to label his food later in the day. I thought it was really funny.
We had to harvest one of our pumpkins early because it was starting to show signs of getting moldy. Luckily, it washed up well and we are hoping it will make it to Halloween. The other three are still on the vine, and we are uncertain of how long to keep them on the vine. We want them to make it to Halloween, but we don't want them to get moldy or pecked if we keep them on the vine. Decisions.....
After 5 solid months at home we had the privilege of retreating to Arnold Ca. It is a small town off of Hwy 4 at about 3800 feet elevation. It is 40 minutes from Bear Valley or 22 miles. We stayed in a cute little cabin and enjoyed many hikes and lake swims. We also celebrated our 12th anniversary. The picture below is a picture that Axel took of us after dinner on our anniversary.
Daddy had a different idea of how the picture should be taken so we took another one, but selfie style.
Phoenix finally had the enjoyment of playing in the sand. She was very happy to make and then sit in her throne.
On our last day before heading home Keith and I went on a ride together and were able to capture a picture of us at the creek in South Grove, Big Trees Park.
The first full day we were there we were able to check out the Arnold Rim Trail. It is not quite what we expected, but it was fun to go on the first mile or two with the kids until the trail got a little too technical for the little ones and me on my road bike. Keith is very skilled on his road bike and Axel is amazing on my mountain bike, but the rest of us were doing more walking than riding.
On the second full day we spent the day in Bear Valley at Alpine lake. it is amazing there. Absolutely, beautiful! We wanted to rent a canoe but were stuck with a row boat. It was very windy out because a storm was blowing in. Keith did a great job of rowing us. I had a little more trouble. Here is Keith getting back in from a swim.
Rubix and I were happy in the back, until he saw Axel and then Phoenix get into the water.
I wasn't able to get a good picture of Axel, but here is Axel next to the boat.
Here is Daddy and Rubix in the water. I wasn't able to get a picture of Phoenix as she jumped in and then quickly climbed back into the boat.
On the first night the kids and Daddy jumped into Fly in Acres Lake. This is a perfect little lake that would be amazing to live right next to. We were 1 mile away , which wouldn't normally be a big deal, except that we were up on a hill with 600 feet elevation gain that was difficult for the kids to ride up, although they were able to do it.
You can't see Keith her, but Rubix is holding onto his neck/back on the left.
I love this picture of the boys. I can't remember what they were looking at, but they are cute regardless. I just love how close they are despite being 7 years apart.
The first day we went to North Grove Big Trees State Park and did the famous less than 2 mile hike/walk. The trees were pretty amazing.
With all of the down trees I was wondering how dangerous it is to hike through here. I was curious if there is some warning if a tree was coming down and how carefully the trees were monitored. Can you imagine this tree coming crashing down? I sure can't!
Excited Rubix!
Mother and son Trees with Mom and Axel.
Mother and Son Trees with jealous Phoenix :)
The old father of the forest which was hollowed out.
It was fun to walk through,but again a little scary for me.
Daddy on the other side.
Another Tree we walked through.
The tree that recently fell down in 2017 in the bad storm we had. It shows a picture of it up with a car going through it.
Axel excited to head down a trail to the rapid river.
Daddy splashing the kids....
and Rubix not so happy about getting splashed.
Our little monkeys climbing back up.
Daddy jumping off a rope swing a While Pine Lakes with the boys waiting with him in the lake. They swam across the lake without any issues. Phoenix and I turned around half way. I was afraid of getting tired not being a swimmer. Phoenix agreed to come back with me. The kids all had their kick boards and she was already complaining of her legs getting tired, so it was good she came back with me instead of Daddy having to try to pull both Rubix and Phoenix on their kick boards.
The boys arriving back to shore and Phoenix excitedly greeting them.
On our Anniversary morning we enjoyed a lovely hilly 2.5 mile hike through the Lava Bluffs Trail.
It was fun with the up and down terrain. The only disappointing part is that the view of the bluffs were covered by a forest of trees!
After the hike the kids played in the river on very slippery rocks. It was extremely stressful. We watched several people slip and fall. We later found out that our neighbor's family member became paralyzed after having a fall here 30 years ago.
This was the kids highlight to the entire vacation and they asked to come back. Keith and I cringe at the thought and feel blessed to have come out all intact. Keith had a slip and neither of us want to put anyone at risk again.
I will end with another picture of Keith and I on our Anniversary night. I managed to pack enough food for the entire 5 days in a cooler/grocery bags. We didn't have to go out to eat once. Our last night was home made pizza with zucchini and hot dogs, as we had already consumed most of the other food. It was surprisingly delicious, or we were just extremely hungry!
I hope to post again after a couple of weeks. Rubix starts school, preschool 4/5 class, on Monday, Axel starts Friday, with an all day orientation, and Phoenix starts the following week on the 25th with orientation and the 26th with classes. Wish us luck as we head into another Szolusha adventure. We are all a little nervous and stressed out. I am still waiting for a schedule change. I will be home 4 mornings to help the kids get through 5 of their 8 periods and will be working afternoons and Saturdays. It is going to be a tough transition for me, but I hope it will help the family have a smoother time with remote learning. Tuesdays I have to work a long day, but it will be from home. I have too many meetings on Tuesday to not work that morning. Hopefully, this day will go smoothly too. This should start August 31st so the first two weeks might be a little rough for Keith and the kids:) Until next time!
