Superhero VBS

Haley and I spent all last week at the Flipside (our church) for VBS (vacation bible school). Haley had a blast! You can see in one of the pictures, her and Hunter (Hunter came for like one day) on stage dancing away! The theme was Superhero's of the bible... Joseph, Jesus, Esther, Ruth (I think) and I can't think of the other one... David? I spent my whole day at VBS in the "kitchen" helping with lunch!... One of the pictures is of my awesome lunch ladies :).... then there is one of me with Melissa, who was just a God send to me this past week! Thanks Lunch crew!

On Friday, all the kids got soaked... Flipside brought in a big water slide thing and little kiddie pools for the little kids. Haley was pretty scared of the big slide so she stayed in the safe zone. In the last picture, you can see Haley with her friend Grace. Haley, in the end, did go down the slide with her leader Blithe. I am not sure she liked it, but I was happy to see her try it!

Over all, we had alittle over 200 kids there all week. Everything seemed to go of really successfully! It was fun to be apart of this event!

High School Friends Get-Together

Well... I just got back from Jim and My high school friends get together. Included are the pictures of me andthe girls (look at blog: "I married my high school boyfriend" for a picture of us girls 9 years ago.) Also included is Jim and Erin, Hunter and Caden (Erin's son) and Dave, Debbie, Aimee, and Adam (Dave was our youth pastor). For more pictures... visit the Houghton's blog... Mindi got a lot of really good ones... I got some, but if they were taken long ways, they are coming out crooked on the blog... oops.

After reading Mindi's blog on this same event, she helped me remember a lot of good memories... I, too, want to stay better connected with old friends.... even just threw email, or threw blogs... or some way... just to know what is going on with everyone.

A Family Affair!

This past Saturday we had a nice lunch at Helen and Bud's house. Aunt Merrie Jean, Leah, Dan, Gabe, John and even Dave Arambel came out. Len brought his girlfriend, Jenna.... we had a very nice visit and lunch! Take a look at our family picture (of those with us saturday!)

Happy Birthdays - PAPA and PAPAPA

My dad and my grandpa (to the kids- papapa) had their birthdays this week and we celebrated them Friday at my parents house. My Dad turned 57 and my grandpa turned 75.

In one picture you see that I caught Hunter in mid air. He loves to be thrown up like that (sorry Helen for putting this picture for public to see) .

One picture is of my brother, Scott's fiancee - Jenny and Haley! Haley can't wait to be in their wedding! She tells me all the time that she can't call Jenny her aunt until they get married at their wedding. It is very cute!

I married my high school boyfriend!

Can you believe it has been ten years since I walked down Chaffey College's football field to get my high school diploma? Yes, my ten year reunion is this year. I am a graduate of Alta Loma High School (class of 1996). I went to Alta Loma for my Junior and Senior years of High School. For my first two years I was a cougar over at RCHS. Here is a picture of me with my senior prom date... and then us ten years later at his grandma's apartment for mother's day. We haven't changed a bit have we? :) (the answer is, "no... you haven't at all!") :)

The other picture is of some really good friends of mine from high school ... It is 9 years old... I believe it was take in 1997 when my friend Kim was getting married. We were celebrating with her. In a few weeks we are having a get-together with old friends from our high school youth group. It will be fun to catch up and see where everyone is in life. I am more excited about this than my own high school reunion. I will write more and show pictures of that once the party has actually taken place :)

God Knew What He was doing When He Made the Two Year Old Cute

Hunter is just the cutest thing there is! His personality is unique and fun. His smile is just adorable and let me tell you about his run! He cracks me up! However, when it comes to him being a two year old, and discipline, I cringe! He throws fits for the strangest reasons... his favorite words are, "Hunter's turn" or "mine" or "NO"

It is funny, a few years back a friend of mine (Kim) was talking to Jim and I about her youngest son. His teacher had described him as having a lot of energy, or being very active... my friend had laughed when telling me... being that we (Kim and I) are both teachers, we knew that was code for pain in the booty! Jim and I laugh at that now because that is Hunter... he will out grow this stage, right?

The last picture you see with him sleeping... that is just recently when he had a fever of over 104 :(... Jim and I both had to take cold showers with Hunter to help break his fever. He looks so peaceful!

On a sweet note... I love it when he comes up to me and kisses me for no reason other than to be sweet. I love his hugs and when he says I love you too... I love my son very much!!! That is why God knew what he was doing when he made the two year old... :)

Where is it the hottest?

Ok... I have lived in Southern California now for all my life and it seems to me that our summers are getting hotter and hotter. Is this me? Am I just a big ol' wimp? Jim's older brother Chris and his family (Wife- Chenoa, their kids- Adam, Maizie, Caleb, Shelby) live in Tennessee. We thought about going and visiting them, but I can't imagine going out during the summer... Could it actually be hotter than out here? Or is it the bugs that people say you shouldn't go visit the mid to east coast in the summer? (I REALLY LOATHE bugs!) Honestly I have never been out there... any time of year. I don't mind California in the summer with a pool or water close by... Or of course air conditioning.

Both of these pictures are taken at my parents house - Father's day.

Governator here we come!!!

June 30 we loaded up the car and headed for our States Capitol to visit Jim's cousins. We got to meet for the first time, Gabe.... born to Dan and Leah June 5, 2006 (yes, an hour before the birthday of 6/6/2006). He is adorable! Dan and Leah are very blessed!
The kids did a great job driving up there. Thank you technology for inventing the portable DVD player! We hardly get it out. We like to save it for big trips in the car. It is funny how the same DVD they watch a thousand times at home is all the sudden NEW when it is in the car!
Once we got there it was so refreshing to sit and relax and not be on the constant go go go. We swam, we visited, we ate... we napped (my favorite) :).... We played memory (as you can see in the picture). It is wild how a three year old can remember better than a 28 year old! Haley ROCKED! Hunter, well... he liked the same two cards.
While on our trip we did get to do fireworks (thanks Dan) ... legal up there. (It isn't legal down here in Rancho)
The other pictures are of Jim with his cousin Leah and all three second cousins (I think that is what you would call them... am I wrong?) my kids look ready for the picture <> and the other of Haley, Gabe and Dan... doesnt Haley look older than she really is?
Over all we had a blast and cant wait to see them again!