Olympic Games

Brandon and I were able to go with Kyla this year to the Monterey County Special Olympics. Kyla spent her time between events interviewing other athletes about their experience.

Kyla's first event was the standing long jump. Here she is mid-jump!

Getting measured...

Kyla's second event was the softball throw. She has quite the arm!

Here is video of Kyla's final event.....the 100 meter dash. She is the second from the left. I don't think anyone had a chance against her long legged best buddy, Xavier, but she held her own! We were so proud!

Carmel River Beach

We decided to enjoy the unseasonable 80 degree weather at the Carmel River Beach. This is a beautiful area where the Carmel River runs into the sea. There is usually a lagoon that the kids love to swim in, but we were surprise to see it all dried up! Hopefully it will return soon! The kids had fun being able to walk across the river since it was so low.

Kyla and Casey rode their air mattresses down the river.

Kyla drifting out to sea..........

She saved herself!

Caseynator, el Luchador

Weighing in at a stout 70 pounds of muscle and hailing from Monterey, California, is the fearsome luchador, the Caseynator.

Taking inspiration from the wrestling epic, Nacho Libre, Caseynator emerged to take on any who would oppose his wrestling prowess. As one takes in his awesome form, all must wonder, "Who is that masked man?" Does anyone dare challenge him?

Kyla was the first to take on the Caseynator.....poor girl. Don't worry, she is recovering.

Another masked man emerged to challenge the Caseynator, but he, too, was soon left begging for mercy. The paparazzi are in love with the Caseynator. An exclusive and rare clip of the Caseynator appears below.

Fun with the Owens Clan

We had so much fun with Brandon's parents and his grandma this past week. Here are a few more pictures to highlight some of our good times.
Casey makes it look a lot warmer than it actually was!

Kyla and Casey enjoying some quality time with grandma.

The kids with their Great Grandma Smith at Asilomar Beach.

Jake decided to come along and take a swim in the ocean.

Seaside Beach

Our beautiful girl.....

We are having a WONDERFUL spring break visit with Brandon's parents and the grandma we lovingly call "Smith". We went out to Seaside Beach to watch the sunset.
This picture is 'so' Casey. From the sassy look on his face to the dirty legs....that's my boy!

Relaxing and taking it all in.

One, two, three......kick up!

Trek to Utah

I just recently returned from a trip to Utah. Sadly, I returned for the funeral of my dear Grandpa Mendenhall. He died at the age of 91 after a long and fruitful life. I am saddened by the occasion of my return home, but thoroughly enjoyed the time I was able to spend alone with my parents.
This is my Grandma and Grandpa Beardall. (ignore me in my PJs!)

My beautiful, vibrant mom and I took a drive up to Zion National Park and hiked up to see the three Emerald Pools. It was such a blessing to spend time with just her.

It was a beautiful hike and a great time to rejuvenate my mind and soul.

Double Digits

Our little man turned 10 years old today!

Kyla made Casey an oreo ice cream filled chocolate cake for his birthday. She could give Dairy Queen a run for their money!

Casey showing off some of his loot!

A boy with a credit card......thankfully it has a limit!

CW3 Owens

I spend a lot of time on this blog bragging up the kids, and now it's time to brag up the daddy! Brandon amazes and inspires me on a regular basis with the way he lives his life. Not only is he the most loving husband and caring father, but he is always working toward bettering himself as a person. Brandon was promoted to CW3 (Chief Warrant Officer 3) this week, attaining yet another goal that he set for himself. I am so proud, and wanted to share some pictures of the ceremony with you!
This is Brandon's Operations Officer from the battalion in Fort Lewis helping me pin on the new rank.

Congratulations Bran....you earned it!

Short update

Brandon and I have been extremely busy the last couple of weeks at work and have not being doing very well at keeping up the blog, so I just wanted to post a few quick pictures to let you know what we have been up to. Kyla won the Principal's Award at school along with only a few other students......4.0 baby!

Grandpa Mendenhall sent the kids some really funny stories he wrote for them, and it was the highlight of the their week. They worked on writing some comic strips to send back to him.

Casey reading his story from grandpa.

Kyla has been a sushi lover for the last couple of years, and it's her favorite treat for a special occasion. We usually go the mild route, but got very adventurous the other night with some raw eel, tuna, salmon, and some other interesting things. I made a point of telling Casey he didn't have to eat it all, but I wanted him to at least try a small bite of each type. Turns out, he was much braver than I, and ate everything on his plate!

We took another hike through the forest and along the coast at Point Lobos. We have really come to enjoy the beauty of that place. The kids found a natural seesaw.

Brandon and I found a cave. That's our last couple of weeks in a nutshell! We miss you all.

Christmas Time

Christmas time in our house is usually a mixture of many different things. Above all, we celebrate the birth of our Savior and the amazing gift of grace that he offers to all of us. We watched "The Nativity" on Christmas Eve, and it helped put our minds in the right place for the holidays. We are blessed in so many ways, especially for having each other. We also enjoy some other fun traditions of Christmas time. Even though our kids are passed the age of believing in Santa, we still have fun pretending and making cookies to set out for him on Christmas Eve. Can you believe that pig ate them all?!?

It has been a tradition for as long as I can remember, since having the kids, for the Owens grandparents to send them a pair of pajamas for Christmas, and we always let them open it on Christmas Eve. Here is a picture of this year's models! Kyla loves her footie pajamas, and believe it or not, Casey actually fits in a size 12/14!

A little excitement at 5 a.m. on Christmas morning (that's right.....5 a.m.).

Kyla showing off gifts from both sets of grandparents.

The kids made gingerbread houses on Christmas Day. As soon as Casey was finished, he asked when he could eat it. He's been a little sugar baby this Christmas season....time for all of us to detox!

San Juan Bautista

Casey has been working on a project in school researching, writing, and making a model of Mission San Antonio de Padua. He presented his project to the class this week and did very well. He had lots of help from his big sister on the model. This is Kyla in her "weekday" glasses, as she calls them. She looks adorable in them and is already used to wearing them with no problem.

This is Casey with a partial view of his completed project.

I was able to take the day off and go with Casey and his class to the San Juan Bautista Mission. It was an amazing place and we had such a great time together!

Casey and his teacher in front of the mission.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! We finally have all of our Christmas decorations up and most of our shopping done. We decided to do something new and different, and start a tradition of having a white tree. I remember many Christmas holidays spent in Cedar City, Utah at my grandparents house. They had a huge white tree that was always decorated in blue and silver. I loved that tree! Hopefully our kids and grandkids will look back fondly one day on memories of our own family traditions, just as Brandon and I look back fondly on ours.

We had a busy weekend trying to catch up on some chores and decorating. Brandon took Kyla to the optometrist this weekend, and it looks like she's going to need glasses. She is very excited about it and picked out two cute pairs.....pictures to come.

While Bran and Kyla were at the eye doctor, I took Casey to a skating birthday party. Funny story. Casey was skating along when he decided to take a break at the table where the party was being held. The other kids were still out skating. One of the adults at the table offered Casey a piece of cake. He never turns down a piece of cake, especially if it's Oreo flavored. He politely took the plate and proceeded to eat the entire piece, then he said "Thank You", and went back out to skate for a while. When he returned to the table later with his friends, he realized that the table where he ate the cake was the wrong party.....he had sat down to eat cake at someone else's party! He said that he had never been so embarrassed in his life! I wish I had been there to witness it. He happily ate a second piece of cake....this time at the right party.

We hope that everyone has a very blessed holiday season this year! Merry Christmas!