Pine Mountain Club

Last week we were able to head up to our local mountains and get away for a few days. My husband's boss owns a darling cabin and he was gracious enough to let us use it.

The cabin is located west of Frazier Park in a small town called Pine Mountain Club nestled in the hills and surrounded by pine trees. The cabin itself is a true "log cabin"! One of the best parts is that we were pretty much disconnected from our electronic devises since internet usage was very limited. I have to admit it was pretty nice!

We played Jenga.....

we also discovered Apple to Apples....

Nathan spent most of his time on this swing.....

no explanation needed.......

the boys were arrested.......

we enjoyed some amazing pastries at the Bear Claw Bakery.....

and best of all we just took it easy!

Los Angeles Public Library : WHY WE LOVE IT!

When we returned from Russia last year one of the first things we did is to get the boys acquainted with our local public library.

The boys were so excited to have their own card.

I have to confess that we have pretty much been at the library every single week since! Sometimes we are there twice or even more a week. So, here are some reasons why we love the library so much.

1. BOOKS
I know, I know. That one is obvious. Not only do the boys have a blast finding books to read but I do too. I've expanded my reading genre quite a bit this past year and I am really enjoying all the books I'm able to borrow. The boys check out a lot of story picture books since daddy reads every night to them. Sometimes we bring home over 20-30 books!

2. DVDs
There are so many great DVDs we're able to check out. You can only check them out for 2 days but you can renew them online for an extra 2 days. Educational DVDs you can have out for 7 days. We've recently discovered that the other local branch in Porter Ranch has a way better selection of DVDs.

3. ONLINE SERVICES
LAPL.ORG is so convenient. Online I am able to search for books that my local library doesn't have on it's shelf. If I put the book on hold it is then delivered to my library. I then get a reminder email to let me know the book is waiting for me at my local library. I also get reminder emails when a book/DVD is going to be due. Plus you can renew books online.

4. SPECIAL EVENTS
Every week or so the library has a special movie, craft time, and even reading to the dogs on the first Saturday of every month. We don't really go to the movies but Jon did take the boys to a puppet show one time. And last month the boys read to the dogs!

Naynay reading to a dog

Jojo doesn't love dogs but he was happy to do it anyway.

5. READING PROGRAMS
During the summer the library puts on a reading program for children and teens. This year it's called "Paws To Read" and the boys received a chart to fill in as they read along. You color in 1 paw for every 1/2 hour of reading and you color in 1 ball for activities that you do. I'm proud to say that the boys have completed their chart early! YAY!!! It's been a great incentive to encourage them to read.