Oh Baby! A Little Hewel On The Way.

Did I tell you I get to be an Aunt? I do! Chris and Kim are almost 14 weeks pregnant, here are there ultra sound pictures from yesterday. The baby is perfect and healthy and Kim is doing great.

Side profile of the baby's head, sucking its thumb!Head, arm, torso.

Boy or girl? Not too long before we find out!

Sucking its thumb again.

I love these pictures, from the front they always look like aliens!

!

Candice

This is Candice. She's my 21 year old, cutie-patootie, pain in the butt, creator of half the bruises on my arms, favorite niece. I just love her to pieces. On Thursday she came up to spend the night, on her way back from Los Angeles where she was in the process of getting her passport. Last night Candice boarded a plane to Malawi, Africa, where she will do some missionary work for one year. This is her first trip on an airplane, first time out of the country, first time away from family and everything she knows. She only just got called to this mission less than two weeks ago. Candice will be substitute teaching preschoolers at the African Bible College out there, while attending the college herself. She is going to try and send me lots of pictures so we can start a blog for her, following her adventures this coming year. I'm also asking for lots of prayer for Candice, prayer for protection, guidance, wisdom, and for Candice to allow God to take complete control of her life, in every area. She's an awesome girl, I'm going to miss her, but I am so excited for her and this great opportunity that God is allowing her to be apart of.

Candice and Tyler, the day before she left.

Christmas 2008

Disneyland 2006, I think...

Laguna Beach, 2007.

Visiting My Reno

This is my town, I used to live here. Lots of times. As a matter of fact, if you asked me what I considered my hometown to be, I would say Reno. I miss it, I hate it, I love it, I would move there again if life permitted it. Don't get me wrong, I love Orange County, I am not moving for a very long time.

But I left my heart in Reno.

So my brother Chris and I drove up at the end of July, we had some things to take care of and people to see. Chris had a show to play, Brett flew to Las Vegas to help his aunt and mom drive a moving truck to Reno. His aunt was relocating to be closer to Brett's mom. I just wanted to visit everyone.

I got to hang out with my very good friend Julie and her kids at Lake Tahoe one day.

Lake Tahoe is a very good thing about Northern Nevada. No sharks in this water, no giant waves and undertow trying to hurt you.

I love the calm, clear, waters of Tahoe. So does Matt.

So does Julie. She's cute.

We had a little early birthday party for Matthew. Matt made his own pinata. He didn't want to ruin a perfectly good pinata, so he took a paper bag, colored it and filled it with candy. Totally worked.

This is April and her daughter Havannah. She drove up from Chico to see me. We have been bestest friends since high school.

My other best/favorite girls, Lori and Elizabeth. Can I tell you how happy I was to see these girls? They have been there for me for YEARS. Elizabeth watched Tyler's birth.

Sawyer, Elizabeth and Jim's first baby. So cute.

I just liked this picture. My puppet attacking a freshly woken April. Creepy.

Anniversary

Brett and I got married eight years ago today.

OC Mud Run, Irvine

Today we ran the Mud Run in Irvine, just a fun 5k. This was James' first run, he even had his dad Scott come out and run with him. It was Scotts' first race as well. We were excited to do this race because it was only fifteen minutes from our house, and the course looked cool. It was interesting, to say the least. I guess the course was on the grounds of an old zoo, and from the smell of some of the mud and water we went through, I believe it.

Me, our niece Candice, James, Michele, Scott, Alex, and Brett.

James did awesome, finished in an hour.

Waiting for the start.

The course bottle necked at all the obstacles. Brett was waiting patiently.

Nephew Alex, waiting for his turn.

Michele.

Candice's rear end. Ha ha!

This was a pain, and not very well thought out. How are inflatable inner tubes supposed to support the weight of three thousand people? It wasn't pretty.

Brett is on the right. Supposedly, this is the water that the hippo's lived in. It was the blackest, smelliest water I have ever seen. We went through it three times.

Laguna With Moms

This week my brother Chris and his wife Kim have her mom out from Placerville. My mom is still here too, so we took them to our favorite beach in Laguna. It was one of those perfect days, water was great, not too many people, nice and relaxing. My kids, Tyler especially, are getting really good at swimming in the ocean. It's a little scary to watch. The rip tide at this beach is always strong, but they always have lots of life guards around.

Here is seaweed head Chris.

Kim headed back for a swim.

James, a football, and a jawbreaker?

Matt's going to boogie board. Or just stand there.

Oh! Now he's going to skim board.

Me, swimming in the waves. Which I never do. Sharks and seaweed normally prohibit such activity.

James, me, Kim, Chris and Patsy (Kim's mom) frolicking in the ocean.

Fourth of July

This year we had a bit of a shindig at our house for the fourth. We had Brett's sisters and families, his parents, our neighbors and lots of neighborhood kids. Oh, and my mom! The fireworks are done right across the street at our lake, so we just walked on over to watch. We also did a little of Tyler's birthday, which was the seventh, the same day. Lot's of fun!

Brett got us a spot on the lake, right behind a tree.All the boys of the neighborhood.

Michele, Brett's sister. Don't let the smile fool you, she's a tyrant. She's also the one who makes me run half marathons.

Our niece, Emily.

Cake pops.

Tyler opening presents. This year he wanted airsoft guns, he got some targets for them.

Priscilla, Alex Jr., Alex, and Erica.

Brett's sister Doris and her hubby Aaron.

Michele and Desiree.

Making cotton candy with my mom.