Big fun at Big Bear Lake

Our family went to Big Bear Lake, California last week.

We stayed with my Aunt Betty(far left) and Uncle Paul (far right). My mom and dad are in the middle. My brother Jim and his family were also there. It was a wonderful, memorable trip...we love family!

Here's a pic of all the Randles' side cousins.

Dave and I during a hike.


Dave with our new dog, Apollo.

Our silly little Nathaniel.

We celebrated my Dad's 70th birthday.

Family picnic

This is an old mine shaft that we hiked to and explored...

it goes pretty far and it's really dark!

I love this picture!

this one too...

An aerial view of Big Bear Lake. We took a lift up to 8,000 feet

and ate lunch at a little cafe. It's beautiful; this picture doesn't do it justice!

Nate with my Uncle Paul and Aunt Betty.

We will be back up at Big Bear this winter to enjoy the snow...this is our new favorite place!

A Wicked Good Time

On July 18th Dave and I took Clark and Lauren to see Wicked the Musical. We had a blast! It was a really enjoyable time, and we loved hanging out with our two oldest kids. Lauren knows all the songs by heart, and we are still talking about what a fun time we had.

We have mice!!!

Okay, not the kind that live in our walls and reek havoc. We have two new pet mice that Clark and Lauren adopted; they paid for everything including their cage, toys and food. Lauren named hers Biscotti , and Clark named his Algernon (yes, like the book "Flowers for Algernon"). It has been a great experience for them to take ownership and responsibility for something other than themselves. They have to clean the cage and take care of all their needs. Great for me and Dave.

Jack's 5th Birthday!

Jack celebrated his 5th birthday on July 10th. When I asked Jack what he wanted to do for his birthday he simply said he would like to have a fun birthday at home ( I even offered Chuck E. Cheese). It doesn't take much for Jack to have a good time! We played musical chairs, relay races and had a fishing pond with lots of goodies. Jack is such a special boy; we have loved the 5 wonderful years with him in our family, and look forward to many more years to come.

Best Buddies

Jack and Nate are two of the most opposite personalities you could ever find! Jack is reserved and careful and Nate is crazy and daring. And yet these two are perfect for each other! Jack keeps Nate slighty mellow (or at least keeps him from getting too crazy), and Nate encourages Jack to be a tad more adventurous. They are lost without each other. Heavenly Father really knew what he was doing when he sent these two to our home. I love these little guys!

Clark the Diver

Clark received a Third Place ribbon in this particular

meet, which was pretty amazing considering

he was up against some 17 year olds.

Desert Botanical Garden

The kids and I went to the Desert Botanical Garden. It was actually a great reminder for us that the desert truly holds a beauty of its own.

Unfortunately, Nate got up close and personal to a friendly looking cactus, and found out it wasn't really very friendly after all.