We returned home today from camping at Loon Lake.  We had a great time!  We arrived late on Thursday night and Nonna and Papa were already there.  They had hot dogs waiting for us, which was nice to eat as we set up the tent.  Reagan had fallen asleep while we drove and woke up once we got there.  It was very cold that night, so she slept with us.  We forgot pillows so we were very uncomfortable.  The next day, we enjoyed a good breakfast before Nonna and Papa rode off on the horses.  Mike, Reagan and I hung out for a while as Reagan napped and then drove around to find places to fish for trout.  No bites from fish but the mosquitoes were quite active.  Reagan had fun playing in the dirt, much to Mommy’s dismay.  When we got back to camp, Nonna and Papa arrived and so Mary got to ride Gus for a little bit.  He’s a very sweet horse.  Maybe more so because he was pretty tired by that point.

We played Pinochle that night while drinking wine (champagne for Nonna.)  Papa had a bite on his left that started with two fang marks and then redness that went up a few inches (see picture.)  He still doesn’t know what bit him but it was weird to see.  It was a lot warmer that night so Reagan slept in her crib just fine and we borrowed throw pillows from Nonna and were able to sleep well.

The next day Nonna and Papa rode for only a couple hours as the horses tired quickly and it was hot.  Mike and Papa went off to fly fish (as they did the day before) and while they were gone, Nonna and Mary played Rummy while Reagan talked to us and ate her food.  That night was pretty exciting because while we were playing Pinochle, Nonna and Mike heard a bear trying to get into the camp site dumpster!  We went to the trailer while Mike grabbed the poor, sleeping Reagan out of the tent.  Papa and Mike then went to investigate with flashlights and Papa’s gun.  They didn’t see the bear but saw a bunch of prints/tracks around the dumpster.  We went back to playing cards but Mary was pretty freaked out the whole time.  I didn’t sleep very well that night.

Today we got up and broke down the site.  I went to look at the tracks and I could see the bear really only came in to the dumpster and around it.  It didn’t come near our site which was about 50 yards from the dumpster.  Everyone tried to tell me that the night before but I couldn’t calm down enough to believe them until I saw it for myself.

It’s the hottest day of the year so far and it’s awful.  The AC has been running all day and the house still feels warm.  We’ve been trying not to run many appliances and limit the light usage to conserve some energy.

Reagan is talking more.  She mostly still talks gibberish but she’s making more distinctive sounds, like “double”  She says Elmo, baby, thank you, please (puh) and this weekend, Nonna taught her “I dunno.”  It’s quite cute with the hand gestures!

Summer is officially upon us!  It’s been reaching the 90’s here in Sacramento, so I’m a little bummed to lose that nice cool weather.  We’ve been working on the backyard, slowly weeding and organizing.  Our tomato plants and corn are producing nicely!  We planted some lettuce and herbs this weekend.  Mike started clearly a patch for the pumpkins, watermelons, cucumbers, etc.  We still haven’t heard about the loan modification and whether it has been approved or not.  We hope to hear something soon so we know whether we’re staying or moving.  Say prayers for us!

Last weekend Nonna and Papa came to town to attend the Horse Expo at the Cal Expo.  We joined them every night for dinner, wine and Pinochle.  Reagan sure enjoyed their visit as well (see new pictures.)  Next weekend (26th) we’re joining Nonna and Papa at Loon Lake, in the El Dorado National Park for horse riding and camping.  We’re pretty excited about it!  We’ll leave Thursday evening and return on Sunday.  So this Father’s Day weekend we’re getting organized and ready for the trip!

In regards to this website, please provide feedback about what you like and don’t like.  I know some of you preferred the babyhomepages.net site over this.  We (John and I) would like to update this one so that people like it.  Just leave a comment or shoot us an email!