Skip and Ollie

Losing Jake and Abby boy all in the same year was pretty tough on our family. We thought we would try having no pets for a while, but that didn't last long. The house was too quiet, and before we knew it, we found ourselves at the animal shelter peeking at kittens. Meet our new babies, Skip and Ollie.

Oliver (Ollie) came home first. This little guy is the most beautiful cat you've ever seen with the personality of an angel. He is so lovable and the calmest kitten I have ever seen. He loves to cuddle, but hates kisses!

Skippyjon Jones (Skip) joined us a few days later. For those of you that know the book series starring the character Skippyjon Jones, he has exactly the same personality! He had to have surgery, so he wasn't ready right away. He is full of energy and a joy to have in the house. It's hard to get a picture of him straight on because he's always so busy! He does a great job getting Ollie up and about, and they love exploring the house and playing together.

These two cuddle bunnies aren't natural brothers, but you wouldn't know it by how much they already love each other. No pet will ever replace Jake and Abby, but we are so excited to have these two new little boys!

In Memory of Jake

We had to say goodbye to our precious dog, Jake, on August 13th. It has taken us this long to make a post because we couldn't stand to look at pictures of him until now because we loved and miss him so much.

He has been a part of our family for nearly 12 years, and it was really hard on all of us to say goodbye, but we are glad to know that he is no longer in pain.

You can't replace a dog like Jake. You can just remember him fondly and be glad for the time we had together. He was more than a pet to us....he was family.

Memories

I have been having a great time going through some of our old family photos. Here are a few oldies of the kids that I thought I'd share.

This is a super hero costume designed by Kyla.

What a great fashion sense!

This will make a great blackmail photo when Nate gets older!

So beautiful.

These two have loved each other since day one. I've never seen siblings with so much compassion for each other. What a blessing.

The Casinator!

I love this picture. Look at those beautiful blue eyes!

First day of school

Here are my babies off to their first days of 8th and 5th grades. Where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday that.........
.....well, you get the picture. Some things never change. ;)

I think I really do still see them this way! It's hard to let them grow up, but I'm reminded every day of how independent and mature they are becoming right before my eyes!

Kyla loved her first day of 8th grade. She was really itching to get back. She is very excited to be one of the oldest kids in school. Kyla got to have lunch with some of her old friends from last year and you all can look forward to more pictures of her next dive in Monterey Bay in a couple of weeks!

Casey was not quite as enthusiastic as Kyla to start school back up, however, it didn't take him long to make a new friend and bond with his teacher, and he literally ran into my classroom after school full of stories and excitement for his new class!

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.