The Sky is Falling

It couldn't have been timed more perfectly. The Perseid Meteor shower comes to us while my girls have been so interested in the night sky. When I told them of the shower they were so excited see the meteors diving across the sky. They decided to make popcorn to take with us.

Here Ice Princess and her friend Bree are popping the kernels. There nothing like the scent of hot, buttery, popcorn.

We decided to drive up to Mount Charleston to view the night sky. So, we met up with Bree's family and headed up the mountain. It is only a short 25 minute drive from the house, but it is far enough away from the city lights. It was an amazing view. I couldn't believe just how many stars we could see. We also observed the milky way, which lead to many more questions about the stars and space. In the conclusion of which Ice Princess and Mighty Girl decided that they really had to have a telescope. There was a chill in the air so everyone was bundled up and smuggled together. But, at about 11:30pm, and after spotting many meteors we all decided that we were too cold to continue. So we said goodbye to our friends and headed home.

On the ride home however, the kids decided that they really weren't done watching the meteors after all. They just wanted a warmer spot to view them. So, I headed toward Indian Springs. After about another twenty minutes after we were back on the highway I located a turn off. It was just a little dirt road. As we pulled up we noticed that other star gazers had had the same idea. So we pulled out the blankets and pillows and cleared the big rocks off of the desert floor. At about 1am we could see up to 3 or 4 meteors a minute. Then we saw one that was about 3 times bigger than any we had observed before. This red and orange orb tore through the night sky quite slower then the others, leaving a pink and white tail behind. If I had only seen this one meteor the entire night it would have been worth it. It was an awesome night filled with friends, laughter, and a heavenly shower.

WoW, it's Ice Princess

I was looking through some older pictures and found this video of Ice Princess that was taken two years ago in the Dominican Republic. Looks like fun...

Off to the Tropicana

It isn't often that we decide to go down to the Las Vegas "strip" but today was an exception. After all we have lived here for almost 13 years now and both of my kids were born here. So the bright lights from the casinos and ringing of the slot machines has never lead me to fame nor fortune and only to a pounding headache and nausea. But today we were actually very excited to go.

We were going to the Tropicana to see a couple exhibits. Not only that, but we also were meeting up with some the the families that are in the same unschooling groups as we are. So we were doubly excited! There are two exhibits running right now. They are the Bodies Exhibition and the Titanic Exhibit. The girls had a great time checking out everything. I don't think that I have ever seen such an amazing exhibit as the bodies exhibition. And I didn't get to meet with the Life Learners (our unschooling group) last week and I could really feel the difference in myself. I really miss them when I don't see them. All the women in this group are so loving. They are really like our family. I know that the girls feel the same way. My sister in law made a comment while they were here that my girls got along and played with their little cousins so very well. I know it is because the girls have friends of all ages here in this group. They can appreciate what every child has to offer and age makes no difference to them. We are so happy that we found the Las Vegas Life Learners!!

Anyway, what was I talking about..... oh yes. The exhibits. So after we toured both of them Ice Princess and Mighty Girl bought a small human skeleton from the gift shop. There in the lobby they had a great time putting it together. Here are some pictures. It was a great day!!

Yum Yum Dim Sum

If you are feeling adventurous and want something a little different for breakfast or lunch, how about going out for some dim sum? In Chinese the term dim sum means "touch the heart" and refers to the lovely little dishes that make up the dim sum experience. This traditional Cantonese meal is brought right to your table via little push carts. The waitresses stroll up to the table with their carts full of steaming small dishes and with one or two points your table is full of new foods that will delight your taste buds. Now, if you frequent a authentic dim sum restaurant, as we did in china town you may not know what is in the uniquely prepared dishes. But, that is part of the adventure. Just point at whatever looks good and give it a try. My brother who frequents China introduced me and my family to dim sum and he has been in town visiting this week so decided go to the Cathay House together. My girls always love the adventure that dim sum brings.

Here are examples of the different carts.

Here is a dish that is cooked by wrapping it in a lotus leaf.

This is my brother's youngest, X man, enjoying the food.

Mighty Girl and Ice Princess are getting better with the chopsticks.

Getting to know us

I thought it would be fun to throw together some random pictures of our family so that you can know what it is really like to be a Mighty Walton. All of these pictures were taken over the last four or five months. These first few ones are from a trip we took to California in March.









Ice Princess and Mighty Girl really enjoyed the aquarium.

And now for some face painting...









Here the girls and I are at Spring Mountain ranch just hanging out with all of their Life Learner friends. It was such a beautiful day.









And what is life without a little mud???





Here we are at the butterfly habitat in Grand Junction, Colorado.








Ice Princess is standing in front of the Colorado River. She was so excited to know where her drinking water comes from.

Now we are on Mount Charleston in Nevada. Can you see how proud they are after building their first fire?



I hope you had fun sneaking a small peak at life as a Mighty Walton.