Fun with the Mendenhalls

We had a wonderful visit with my family this week. We packed a lot of sight seeing into 3 short days! We also had a blast playing games and just enjoying each other's company. I especially enjoyed getting to know know my new sister-in-law, Jenny. She is a fantastic person and a great wife for my baby brother.

At the rocky beach we found several starfish, sea anemones, and urchins. Pete also climbed out to get a closer look at some seals. We had a rare treat and saw two dolphins passing by as we climbed on the rocks.

We took the family to one of our new favorite places, the sand dunes. Kyla showed grandma how much fun it can be to sled down the hill. She forgot to mention how steep the climb is to get back out!

T-Bones, Haircuts & a Fun Run

It's been so long since our last posting, I bet most haven't even seen Misty's new hair-do! Here is a pic of Misty and the kids right before we went on a 1.5 mile fun run with the kids at the school that Misty & Casey go to. Kyla rocked out on her mp3 player as we finished the run in 12 minutes, 11 seconds as a family. Later, they had a raffle drawing and I won a $15 gift certificate to Chili's and Misty won a baseball lunchbox! How could one family be so lucky?

The other day, we decided to go by the Commissary and each pick out something to throw on the barbque grill. Casey insisted on picking out a huge $10 t-bone steak, and I couldn't decide between a pork steak and a t-bone, so I let him get it, thinking that I could get my pork steak and help him finish off the t-bone. (yup, that's how I think) Unfortunately for me, Casey ate the entire steak! Here is a pic of him finishing off the last bite! This from a guy who usually doesn't even finish a PB&J!



The weather here has been beautiful! We have been enjoying getting out in the sunshine. Jake loves to go to the beach with us. In this pic, he is getting impatient with me because he wants me to throw the football in the water so he can go after it. He acts like a puppy at the beach.

Casey's Birthday

Okay, so it's been awhile since I last updated so maybe I will just put up three posts all at once to catch up. Too bad I can't back date them or something to make it seem like I am better at keeping up with this than I am.

Casey had a great 9th birthday! We had a little party at home and then went to a mall in Santa Clara, CA, that had a Build-A-Bear Workshop and Casey and Kyla built bears. The mall was one of the biggest malls I have ever been to, and we had a great time.

Casey was very greatful to everyone who sent him birthday money. He ended up with $70, which is a huge amount for a 9 year old. He added $5 from his allowance and bought a Lego Star Wars set that he had been admiring for a long time, but didn't think he would ever afford with his allowance. He is just like his dad & grandpa, his money tends to burn a hole in his pocket!

Kyla & Casey worked together for several hours (while Misty and I went out on a date) and completed the kit, which had several hundred pieces. Its really amazing how well they work together. Since Kyla is such a great babysitter, Misty and I went out for a Mexican dinner and bowling.