back down the mountain.

we just returned from an amazing week of family camp at forest home. it was such a fun week. a time of spiritual rejuvenation for jenny and i, and pure fun for our kids. the highlight for our children was definitely the zip line. when we went last year, the boys were so bummed because they didn't meet the height requirement. so this year when we measured them the first day of camp, they barely made the cut. you've never seen such excited kids! and poor kaitlyn cried for 5 minutes straight after we measured her and she was a few inches too short. i have to tell you how proud i was when we climbed up to the zip line platform, which was at least 35 ft high, and both the boys never hesitated. they just stepped right off with no fear. and then, when we did it again, they both zipped upside down! well the story doesn't stop there. the last day of camp, we hiked back to the zip line because the boys wanted to do it again. this time though, the zip line operator asked kaitlyn if she wanted to go...even though she wasn't tall enough. kaitlyn was so excited! and again, i was a proud papa as my little 3 year old climbed up and stepped right off - no encouragement needed. i thought i have to coax her into it once she got to the top, but nope - not at all. here are a few pictures from the zip line. i actually took some of these pictures "in flight." it was a bit difficult to get myself facing the correct direction as i slid down the line, but it was a fun challenge.

getting geared up

the intimidating staircase

the second zip line day

micah on his way to upside down

kaitlyn on the platform before the ride down

even mid flight she never stopped smiling

after a successful ride

noah turned into an absolute nature boy. he lived for using his hands to catch creatures most would refuse to hold. his empty water bottle was always filled with everything from giant ants to crickets to lizards. here is a picture of a "stink bug" he caught despite our warnings and also a blue belly lizard.

cowboy micah. even though he was a little under the weather, micah couldn't be held back from riding the horses.

have you ever seen a happier kid?

i know i put a lot of kaitlyn in this post, but she is just so darn cute i can't help myself!

gone fishing. I'll be back on saturday the 19th.

i'm going to be up in the "mountains" for a week with my family at forest home family camp. i'll be back on the 19th. i'll be checking voice and email when i return.

i also wanted to post about a fun experience i had this week. as you know, i have twin boys - which always makes finding time for them as individuals a challenge. so, this week we made a point of giving them some individual time. i took each of them fishing for the first time. i woke them up at 5:00 in the morning and made it to lake cachuma just as the sun came up. noah went the first day and caught his first fish ever! the next day micah got to go, and he caught his first fish ever! they were not exactly big enough for dinner, so we threw 'em back in the lake. but, they can't stop talking about their first fishing trip ever!

i have so much more to blog about when i return. including a beautiful engagement session and an amazing wedding from yesterday.

i'm back!

my wife and i just got home from an amazing vacation to celebrate our 10th anniversary! we had an absolute blast, and everything was perfect. the weather was perfect, the food and service at pacifica was great, and we didn't get eaten by sharks! the only problem i have with this post, is how many pictures of yours truly there are - i definitely belong on the other side of the camera :)

this is the beach in front of the resort where we spent the majority of our time.

pacifica is located at the south end of ixtapa and the resort is spread out all over the hill on the point. here is the view of ixtapa from the top of the resort. this also happens to be the location where all the ixtapa postcards' photos are taken.

my gorgeous wife relaxing on the beach!

our anniversary dinner at the incredible el faro restaurant that overlooks all of ixtapa. to get to the restaurant, you can take the gondola top! want to have your reception here? let me know, i got all the details from the manager.

so...many of the locals called us "loco", the tourists thought we were stupid, but i just can't pass up big, beautiful, warm water waves. my buddy todd (also staying at pacifica last week) and i surfed several great breaks while we were down there. this sign was placed at the location of one of the, now famous, shark attacks. we got by far the best rides of the trip at this spot. so it was well worth it.

about to head out.

Home again!

i had an incredible time with friends this weekend. we stayed at a beach house just across the border near rosarito. we surfed ate surfed played beach volleyball ate surfed and slept - pretty much in that order - everyday. no phones, no computers. ah, what a weekend. we ate twice at my favorite restaurant down there called "la flor de michoacan." i love it because instead of ordering something off the menu, you order the food by weight! both times we ordered a kilo. you don't even need to tell them what you want a kilo of, they just go get you a kilo of carnitas, and then bring you "all you can eat" tortillas, beans, rice, guacamole, onions, salsa etc. awesome!

i hardly pulled the camera out at all, but here is a shot of the view from the deck.

the sign on my door says it all! i'm heading south of the border for some much needed r&r. i'll be without phone or internet until tuesday. so, if i don't get right back to you...i apologize. i'll catch up when i return. don't forget to check out my free wedding photography contest. see the post below for more info.