Floor it, Baby!!!!!!

Last weekend I went on an "Off-Road Adventure" trip with 15 other guys from church. About 3-4 times a year a group of guys go out to the desert with AWD or 4-wheel drive vehicles to drive crazy, eat manly food, and enjoy time away from reality. I had been invited to come on one of these weekend excursions several times but was never able to make it. Boy was I missing out! It was a blast. Myself and three other guys (Pat, Sam, and Mike) made our way out to the Mojave National Preserve on Friday evening after work to meet up with the rest of the group who had left earlier in the day. We drive in Sam's Jeep (which is 4-wheel drive).

Funny story... we stopped for gas and I said I would pay. So I put my credit card in to pay, while Sam took off the gas tank lid. Then both of us proceeded to do other things (throw the football around, go to the bathroom, etc.). When Sam came back, the lid was still off, so he put it back on thinking I left if for him to do. When I came back, I couldn't find the receipt, but thought Sam had taken it. We all piled back into the Jeep and went on our way. About 15 minutes later down the freeway, Pat noticed the gas gauge was still at half-full. We then realized that neither of us had filled up the tank! Sam thought I had filled it, and I thought Sam had filled it! We were all laughing hysterically when we realized what had happened. Luckily there was another station to fill up at just a few miles down the road. It was a great memory and funny story to tell our wives!

Ok, back to the trip. We made it out to our campsite (we were some where off I-40 many miles past Barstow) around midnight, set up our tents, and crashed. The next morning I awoke to clear blue skies, rocky hills, and quiet! Pat and I made breakfast which included pancakes in a can (picture a whip cream can full of pancake batter), sausage, juice boxes, and fruit (my bananas did not travel well which everyone heard about the whole weekend!). After breakfast we had a short devotional by Mike, packed up, and then got into our vehicles for a journey across bumpy dirt roads in the middle of no where. Of first stop was at "Hole in the Wall." It was a short hike through tight quarters. After our hike we ate a hefty lunch provided by Mike - sub sandwiches, chips, and more fruit. Then it was time for some serious off-roading; and when I mean off-roading, I'm talking about hitting your head on the roof, fish tailing, and getting stuck in the sand! Sam let me drive the Jeep for a few hours in the afternoon and it was quite the adrenaline rush, especially when I had to drive up a sandy hill that a few people got stuck in. I made it though with the help of Mike and Pat yelling at me to floor it! We made it to our final stop at the Kelso sand dunes where we were wind blasted by sand. Pat jacked his back up when he took a dive off the dunes (this is not like the beach). It was funny until we realized he could barely walk or sit. Our camp site was a bit random but we circled the vehicles in small gorge trying to avoid the wind, which ended up being impossible. Everything was drenched in sand including the dinner that Sam made - Carne Asada, veggies, and tortillas. Hey, a little grit never hurt anyone! After some time around the camp fire and a fireworks show, we turned in early. The next morning we packed up quickly so we could get back home for Sunday afternoon commitments. I have to say it was one of the better weekends I've had in a long time. Just pure fun with guys tearing up their vehicles in the middle of no where! When I was driving my red truck the next day, I even thought about how I could turn it into something that could survive an off-road trip. That dream died quickly when I remembered I was driving a 1991 mazda two-wheel drive, four-banger that makes a constant high pitched squeaking sound. I think I'll just stick to being a passenger and substitute driver! Here are some picture
from the weekend.

Our campsite the first night

Yummy...pancakes!

Football time while we waited for other vehicles to catch up

Sam on the "Hole in the Wall" hike

Me, Pat, Sam, and Mike

Backside of the "Hole in the Wall" hike

Lots of wide open spaces

A steep incline in the road that required "flooring it" to ascend with success!

If this truck can't make it, then my truck will NEVER make it!

The Kelso Sand Dunes - a place Pat would like to forget!

"I think I just want to play the microphone"

As some of you know, Elsie LOVES to sing! Just recently we asked her if she wanted to play the piano or flute when she is old enough. She said, "No, I think I just want to play the microphone!" When asked last year what she wanted to be when she grows up, she said, "I think I just want to be an American Idol!" Some nights she gets a treat and we will let her stay up and watch a couple of the contestants sing on American Idol. Almost every night is spent with Matt and Elsie listening to music on the computer. Her favorite songs right now are, the new Hosanna song, This is the Air I Breath, and Mighty to Save. She sings them non-stop. She really studies the songs and the words. Well, this past Sunday, the preschool group was given the opportunity to sing a song in church. They sang Your Love is Deep, and it had hand motions of course. We thought we would give you a little taste of our American Idol performing on stage with her friends. She sang every word, did every hand motion, and mimicked our friend Teri, who was leading them. At one point she had her head looking up with her mouth wide open shaking her head from side to side as she held the note! Enjoy!

Carson's Dedication

This past Sunday, Carson was dedicated at our church. We had all the family in tow for the celebration, including Papa Jack and Granny Annie from Fresno. We were honored to have "Papa Ed," my best friends Dad whom I've known since I was 7, dedicate Carson. He dedicated Elsie as well, so it was very nice to have him be a part of this again. As you can tell from some of the pictures, Carson does not do very well at staying in one place for a very long time! She never stopped trying to wiggle herself out of my arms throughout the dedication! It was very entertaining for the congregation. After church we came back home and had a family birthday celebration for Carson. She opened gifts and we had yummy food and cake. She was pretty much done with the gift opening, so she wasn't too thrilled to have her birthday hat on...as you can tell.

Thank you Uncle Mike and Keith for my new dress. It is beautiful!

Thanks Grandma Gigi for my pretty pink hat, everyone else thought I was cute, even though I was burnt out on gift opening!

All About Miss Paige...and Auntie Lala and Uncle A, of course

During the weekend of Carson's birthday party, we were so excited to have our guests of honor join us...Paige, Auntie Lala, and Uncle A! They were so kind to come down for a visit for Carson's birthday. Auntie Lala and Carson share the same birthday, our two Valentines! We had so much fun getting to see Miss Paige and spending time with Aaron and Laura at Huntington Beach...eating of course!! Elsie LOVES Paige and was so excited to see her and play with her. We got our Panfilio fix and can't wait to see them again soon, hopefully!

Happy Birthday Bosco!!

In addition to celebrating Carson's 1st Birthday this week, we are also celebrating Bosco's 1st Birthday. Bosco joined our family just a few days after Carson was born courtesy of our friends Derrick and Mary Catheryne Woodward. They bought Elsie two new fish (Bosco and Patches) as a special gift because her first fish, Fish Eyes, had just died. Unfortunately, Patches did not last a week; however, Bosco is a real trooper despite living in stank water most of the time. For his birthday we will be cleaning his tank for the first time since Thanksgiving. Yipeeeeee for Bosco!!!

Carson and Weston's Excellent Adventure

On Valentine's Day, February 14, Carson celebrated her 1st birthday. We had a combo party with her friend, Weston because he was born the day after Carson. Our friends Paula and Sam asked if we wanted to join them in celebrating together, to spare our friends of having to go to 2 one year parties in a weekend. It was a hiking theme and we had a lot of fun planning all the activities for the party.

We set up tents and sleeping bags at a park nearby.

Sam and Matt led the kids on a "hike" around the park.

First stop, make your own trail mix!

2nd stop, make a rainstorm
3rd stop, put stickers on water bottles
Last stop, dig for bubbles

Now on to the cake! They had mini tent cakes to dig in to. They were so funny trying to figure out what to do with it. It took a while, but they got it! They each tried to feed each other, and of course got messy! The rest of us enjoyed smores! yum!

Elsie quote of the week...

So, I know we just posted yesterday, but I had to include a couple of quotes from our ever questioning Elsie. They are wide in spectrum, but remember, she is a Tremper!

1. Why is poop brown?
   
2. I, Mishawn, was sitting in the backseat with the girls and Elsie looks over at me and says, "Mommy, why is your tummy so big?" If she only knew how long it takes to get rid of the post-pregnancy "muffin top"!
3. Do we take the freeway to get to Heaven?
   
4. Mommy how can we not hear God? (Which then I told her that we have a feeling if we should be doing a good thing or a bad thing, that is like God talking to us) She replied, Can I talk to Him? Yes, I said, go ahead. "God, how do we get to Heaven? She listened (What did He say?) "Oh, what God? We fly?