I found this quote and then saw this picture

“Babies are always more trouble than you thought - and more wonderful.” - Charles Osgood

Mt. Rubidoux Labor Day Excursion

Here are more photos and videos taken during our most recent excursion to the summit of Mt. Rubidoux located here in Riverside. For those of you who are not familiar with Mt. Rubidoux, here is a brief historical overview of it:

Length and Grade of Paved Trail -
"Uproad" - 2 ¼ miles
"Downroad" - 1 ¼ miles

"Mount Rubidoux is an isolated granite hill rising from the east bank of the Santa Ana River, on the western outskirts of the City of Riverside, California. It is about a mile long, extending southeast from Seventh Street in a direction about 30 degrees west of south. Its summit is very nearly opposite Thirteenth Street and about one mile west of Main Street. Elevation 1364 feet above sea level. … (The Story of Mt. Rubidoux by DeWitt Hitchings)

It's a wonderful little hike that affords gracious views of the city below. It's especially nice during the sprting and fall when the weather is more "reasonable." Pushing a double-seated stroller is no easy feat but makes for a great work out. Next time we go, I hope you can join us!

Here's a shot of Sarah getting Claire out of the car upon arrival. Note the license plate which is slightly bent in a few places, that's from me pulling in too far and hitting the washing machine in the garage. And you thought doing things that was a woman's job? Actually, I have a key hanging in the garage that allows us to know how far we've pulled in, but when I use my punching bag in the garage I move it and often forget to put it back up. Now you know why our license plate is bent. Was that really worth relating? Probably not, but I am not going to erase it now that I spent the time typing it out.

CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO ENLARGE:




Hey, two cuties!


Carter's always been known to crawl into trunks, dryers, closets, etc. and here he demonstrates the spacious interior of our car's trunk or, as the British say, the "lid."




Here comes Nanna!


Ned and Ella join us a moment later.


Loadin' the kids up. Pushing them up the hill is the real challenge of the short hike.


We've got a big ole convoy, across the USA, cooooonvoooy!




I love nature and I feel like I don't get to see enough of it, at least as up close as I'd like (I love to gaze at the mountains as I drive to work in the morning, especially when the wind has pushed all the smog up and away). So here are a few "nature shots":

This palm looked spectacular in the morning light and thanks to the recent rains was particularly verdant.


This mountainside of cacti somehow brought about a feeling of decay and danger. Make sure to click on it for a higher (not super high however) res version.


Riverside really is a beautiful city, indeed this area of California is quite beautiful, but you wouldn't think it when you're driving on the freeways or trapped in any one of the myriad of clone like suburban neighborhoods. From the trail on Mt. Rubidoux, however, you can get a better idea of what early pioneers and the native Americans who inhabited this region saw when they lived upon this part of the earth.




For Carter, the primary purpose of the hike is far removed from any thought of beautiful views or cardiovascular exercise, he's interesting in one thing and one thing only: spelunking. The last time we made the hike we did so with April and Weston and we found a "cave" for Carter to explore. It's really not much more than a space underneath a large boulder, but Carter loves it nevertheless. This time Ella went through as well but it took some coaxing to get her to make her way out.

Climbing up


Excitement bulds






Entrance


One more look back for verification


The other side (exit)


Ella joins Carter but plops down at the moment of truth


"Come on Ella!"


Carter to the rescue!


Talking about the near the death cave experience over a pretzel stick or two


Dang California tree huggers! <--say it with a Texas accent.

My favorite photo of the whole bunch at least from an artistic stand point. I love the light composition. This is very near the summit (click to enlarge):


Sarah and Claire at the summit


Nanna holding Carter (other side of the mountain is not so pretty although you can see the Santa Ana river bed)


There are many dedicatory items and Catholic symbols on Mt. Rubidoux, the foremost being this large white cross which is visible from miles away.






Blogger: The Todd Pad - Edit Post "Mt. Rubidoux Labor Day Excursion"

The Todds


A few short video clips from the hike:





Carter was later injured by the "polio" pipe which caught a crack in the ground and then dug into his chin. Good thing it only had a half-inch layer of rust on it!

Focus on Claire (and musings on parenthood)

These days Claire demands more and more attention; as her mind, body, and spirit develop, she is more aware of her surroundings. Whenever one of us-usually mommy-walks out of the room she's in, she turns on the water works and wails like she's being attacked by a hoard of those little carnivorous dinosaurs from Jurassic Park. We often comment on the fact that if Heavenly Father hadn't made babies so cute, our job as parents would sure be a lot more difficult. Despite Claire's constantly growing need for one-on-one attention, our primary concerns in relation to parenthood revolve almost entirely around Carter who is internalizing more and more of the world around him which, as any parent knows, often means we're dealing with minor rebellions against our rule. Despite the constant struggle to channel Carter's undying energy, we feel incredibly blessed that we have a healthy, happy little boy and we know that his incredible energy is the sure sign of a healthy, happy man in the making and that makes the work of raising him less of a chore and more of a blessed adventure.

Now for the Claire photos (CLICK ON PHOTOS FOR LARGER VERSIONS):

First off, we present Claire in the famous "Ducky Pajamas." Carter used to wear these and some day I'll dig up a photo of him in these so we can compare. This picture makes me smile in that she looks so innocent and has her arms out to balance herself. Isn't it amazing to think that at some point it required balance to sit and that someday it will require balance to stand as we grow older!


Church dress.


Yes, that's a beret in Carter's hair. Don't ask me, that's Sarah and Carter's doing.


"It's like palming a mini-ball

Random Photos

I have hundreds of photos and dozens of video clips I want to post (you've heard that before). Indeed, I still have entire photo collections from vacations past that I still need to finish editing for print and to blog. That said, here are a few random photos taken recently. Enjoy!

My two favorite girls!

Me under the guise "Mista Todd"




Please, get my good side. Oh, I don't have a good side? I oughtaa...!

I thought this turned out great...I didn't mess with the color at all...isn't that purple cool? I should have made these higher res.

Pre-Mt. Rubidoux hike. I think I could actually eat her she's so cute.

Carter's eye.

My sweetheart.