Grant, Sophia, and Jackson

I am a proud aunt. I hope my brothers and sisters don't mind me posting first names and pics of my beautiful niece and nephews, but I couldn't resist! I have been thinking about them a lot lately and missing them like crazy. Our sweet Grant turned 6 years old today. Happy Birthday Grant!
This is an old picture, but I couldn't resist posting Sophia showing off her "cute face". I happen to think ALL her faces are cute!

Sophie and Brandon last summer.

This is the newest addition to our family, Jackson! He hasn't met his daddy yet who is training up with the AirForce in Mississippi, but they will meet very soon! You did well, Jenny! I love this picture of him sleeping.

Sweet baby Jackson

A few more belated vacation pics

Here we are at Sea World. Poor Brandon's face is covered up, but it's the only picture of all 7 of us together so I wanted to post it!
We sat on some rocks right at the edge of the water to watch the July 4th fireworks. Casey decided to sport some gel for the occasion.

We love dinosaurs!

Here is the birthday boy showing off his Shamu birthday pin.

Unfortunately it was too cold to really enjoy playing in the water, but we enjoyed some beautiful coastal scenery.

Grrrrr! (Universal Studios)

My boy

Since we only have a year left in Monterey and we couldn't afford to fly anywhere, we decided we should check out southern California and take advantage of the special discounts and offers for active duty military.

We started off by visiting the Natural History museum and the Science Center in Los Angeles. The kids got a kick out of the dinosaur bones.
We went to Universal Studios and got to ride some cool rides, check out some awesome shows and even tour some Hollywood film sets, including this one from War of the Worlds. We also went to Hurricane Harbor, a waterpark, but we didn't take any pictures there.

On the 4th of July, we headed down to San Diego and met up with Misty's parents and brother, Dusty. Brandon toured the deck of the U.S.S. Midway, an aircraft carrier that saw quite a bit of combat action during Vietnam.

Later, we watched an impressive fireworks display over the San Diego bay. We sat on rocks right on the shore as multiple firework shows lit up the bay. Several docked Navy ships added to the patriotic setting.
The San Diego zoo was very impressive and we thought it lived up to its reputation as the best zoo in the world.
Our last stop was Sea World - see the killer whale in the background? By the time we finished up with Sea World, we were all pretty exhausted and ready to head home.

Summer Camp

Kyla and I drove Casey up north yesterday, to a beautiful christian camp called Daybreak. He has been really excited to join his friends from church for a week away from home. I took this picture because there is a deer in the background to the left of the sign...not sure how well you can see it. Kyla and I spent the first few hours at the camp helping Casey get settled in and checking out the facilities. I was amazed at how many great activities were planned in just the first few hours! Kyla and I had planned to stay the first night, but once I realized I was the only mom left there, we decided to say our goodbyes after dinner.

Every day the kids will participate in a praise and worship service with lots of singing and a bible-based message from Pastor Matt, our youth pastor at Calvary Chapel. It was great to see the kids eagerly digging into their bibles and listening to the word of God. This year they called the experience "Camp Rock". I'm excited to see Casey grow into a deeper relationship with our Savior this week.

The camp is situated in a small redwood forest. These aren't the biggest redwoods I've ever seen, but they sure beat the trees we see around the peninsula.

Casey and the other boys in his cabin, the "Blue Sapphires", decided to build a bridge out of fallen sticks during their free time this week. I can't wait to see what it looks like by Friday!

After check-in, Casey tried out the pool. It was nice to take a dip since it's about 15 degrees hotter in Felton than we are used to here in Monterey.

A super-soaker water gun was one of the needed supplies on the camp packing list. Casey and the other boys in his cabin made good use of them right off the bat. It's only Tuesday and I can't imagine being away from my little man until Friday, but I am very excited about the opportunity for him to develop some independence and grow spiritually.

Busy kids

Wow, it's been a really long time since we've posted! Our kids have been very busy during their last week of school. Kyla recently competed in a swim meet with her school and came away with several ribbons! She won 4th place in the backstroke, 3rd place in the butterfly stroke, and 1st place in the freestyle! We are so proud of our little mermaid.
Casey thought he won the jackpot when his teacher chose him to take care of Gizmo, the bearded dragon, for the summer. She has been lots of fun, and we are really enjoying having an extra pet in the house for a couple of months.

Jake has taken to Gizmo as well. He's a jealous little puppy, but doesn't mind sharing the limelight once in a while.

Field Day

We decided to have a family field day over the weekend. We took to the field with frisbee horseshoes, jumpropes, a basketball, and of course, the football.
Despite the wind, we had a lot of fun throwing the frisbee horseshoes. This day it was "brown eyes" vs. "blue eyes".

Casey and I, also known as "blue eyes", held our own. Casey was the big scorer on this game!

Kyla schooled us all in a friendly game of horse, but Casey showed us a few moves as well.

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!