Ferry Ride to Coronado

We took Emily and Stephen to downtown San Diego to see the big ships in the Harbor and to ride the ferry to Coronado. Aaron was fascinated by the U.S.S. Midway and loved the ride to Coronado. Stephen had to hold onto his shirt to make sure he didn't go overboard. Aaron in turn helped Isaac stay aboard ship as well. It was cute to see him with his arm wrapped around his little brother in such a protective way. Aaron was full of chatter the whole day. I'm not sure which was better for him, the ferry ride, or the ride in Emily and Stephen's car at the end of the day. He seemed pretty enthusiastic about both.

I have loved living in such a military hub. The presence of the military is all around us. We live right outside the gate of the Camp Pendleton Marine base and many of our neighbors are current or retired military officers. There are many opportunities to really feel a sense of gratitude and patriotism. We have met so many wonderful people who have sacrificed so much of themselves for our country. We are grateful to associate with them.

Because there are so many military families in our school, they have an extra emphasis on the hymns of the armed forces. As we walked from the monument to the cruise ship, it was fun to hear the girls recall the hymns they have learned, some of them I'm not very familiar with so was impressed with their memory. I love going to the Monday morning assemblies because they always sing the songs and every time I get lump in my throat.

From the Halls of Montezuma,
To the shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country's battles,
In the air, on land, and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
Of United States Marine.

The Covey's Come to Oceanside

Our first visitors for the summer came the Monday after school let out. We loved having Emily, Stephen, and Baby Stephen stay with us. The kids waited all day to go to the beach with them, so even though it was overcast, we still headed out early that evening. Sometimes the grayness can be relaxing.

Everyone had a great time until Isaac saw Stephen and Joseph running into the water. He became so upset! FYI: It's marker gracing his face, not bruises or raised veins :)

Chillin' at Home

Stephen spent the day with one of his friends who lives down here, and we spent a day at the pool and hanging out at home. Aaron also finished his last day of preschool while Emily was here. Isaac was fascinated with Baby Stephen's binky. Whenever the binky was lost, we always checked with Isaac first. We loved having sweet baby Stephen in our home. I loved having my sister here to visit with too. If I had it my way, Emily would be my next door neighbor. I loved being with her.

Hello Summer!

Our neighbors/friends in the culdesac a few houses up the street invited us for a school's out bash. We're looking forward to spending some beach days with them each week this summer too. Everyone had a great time. Their culdesac bought a bounce house when they all moved in to share between all of them and they've put it to great use. The kids danced, bounced, sang, rode scooters, ate dinner, dessert, and played some more. We started partying at 4:30 and about 9:30 we had to drag our kids home while things were still going strong. They were filthy, but so happy.

On Saturday night after our trip to Costco we stopped at the beach to eat pizza and let Brynn and Abby try out their new boogie boards. It was so fun to watch them ride the waves. We're excited for a fun summer!

Isaac and Mom's footprints. :)

School's Out!

Today was the last day of school. Each day when I pick Abby up from kindergarten, there is a constant flow of talking....without a breath, for about 3-5 minutes, giving me a full report of the day's activities, events, happy/sad moments. At the end of today's verbiage she said, "Wahoo! School's out, no more tennis shoes and socks. Its time for flip flops, crocs, and chacos. Now, this is the life!" We're excited that summer is upon us. We'll have lots more time to really dive in and explore our new area.

We've had an interesting week with opportunities and decisions that have come our way. I'm always amazed at the irony of blessings. It seems that trailing behind are often a set of challenges and choices. It shouldn't be surprising, but it always is, and I've had to step away to see things as they really are.

Memorial Day

We went to Del Mar beach on the Camp Pendleton Marine Base for Memorial Day this year. A few of our new friends are doctors in the military, so we were able to get on base with them. Joseph has been on a base before because he worked as a law clerk on the Fairchild Air Force base, just outside of Spokane, and he was born on base at the Air Force Academy in Colorado. (I think his dad got his Ph.D. through the Air Force and then did his payback years teaching at the Air Force Academy). It was my first time on a military base. How apropos to be there on Memorial Day. It was cool to drive through. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if Joseph would have accepted the JAG offer and had become an attorney for the Air Force. I think he wonders too. I feel stirrings of partiotism and think that would have been a great way to serve our country, but after praying about it a few years ago, we felt that the path we are on was the course we should take. There are other ways for us to be patriotic and to instill those values in our children. I admire those who have chosen that course and serve our country well.

We had a great time playing with our new friends. They all live within about a mile of us but our ward boundaries are a little funny, so we are actually in a totally different stake. They drive about 7 minutes to church and we have to drive 30 minutes, but we're okay with that because we really like our ward. Anyway, I met some of them through Aaron's preschool and a girl's game night that I've gone to a couple of times and a few of them live in our Arrowood development so we've bumped into each other at our neighborhood pool. I am so happy because I love people, it's been fun to make these new connections. One of them is a good friend of Scott and Annette's neighbor and friend, Rachel. They went to high school together in St. George. Her husband, Matt, served in Joseph's mission. They overlapped by about 6 months and Joe thinks that he was AP when Matt went home so he was at the final testimony meeting with him, but they don't remember each other. They joked that they all knew the same people except for each other because Matt finished in a remote area of the mission. The world is so small, it's hilarious! We keep laughing at all the connections that keep coming up. We barbecued with a few families last night after the beach and found out that one of them has a brother who went to law school at Gonzaga and graduated the year before Joseph did. One of these days I should write a list of all the connections we've found with the people in all the places we've lived. It's like a web. :)

We just snapped a couple of quick shots at the beach. We had too much fun playing to stop for photos. The water is still a little cold, but we've been told it will warm up in the next couple of months. We're so excited to play at the beach this summer. We tried the boogie boards yesterday and it was a blast, so we've got to make sure to snag some for next time. We tried to get a cute family picture, but Aaron kept running away!

Brynn and Abby Piano Recital

The girls had their first recital with their new teacher. They are having fun and so am I because she comes to our house to teach lessons. One less place for me to drag all my kids to! I love it!

Heritage Park

Last week we went with Brynn's 2nd grade class on their field trip to Heritage Park here in Oceanside. The kids received a tour from a funny old man named Sheriff Cobb, I 'm not sure if that was his alias or if that was his real name, but he was a funny guy. We were able to visit the old schoolhouse, the old jail, the blacksmith shop and the livery. As parents, we provided a western lunch of fried chicken, apples, homemade cornbread, watermelon and homemade apple pie. After lunch the kids performed a square dance and then did relay races. It was fun to get to know some of the students and parents better. I love Brynn's school and her teacher. She is a seasoned teacher and goes above and beyond with everything that she does. It has been an amazing experience for Brynn to be in her class for even these few months.

When we first met her, she thought we were a little crazy for uprooting our family in the middle of the school year, and as former school teacher, I know how hard it is to get a new student in the middle of the year, but after getting to know Brynn and what a great girl she is, she has told me over and over what a wonderful daughter we have. We have felt so many tender mercies over the last few months. We know that Heavenly Father is watching over our family.

Joseph spent half of the field trip with us too. The girls thought Joseph was so handsome and giggled at how cute he was with Brynn when he square danced with her. One little girl said, "Brynn, your dad is HOT!" Brynn came home from school and blushed a little as she told us. I am so happy to be married to him and I am so glad he takes the time to show Brynn how a girl should be treated. Someday I hope she and Abby find someone just like him!

St. George Highlight Video

When I view the video I have to make sure the HD button on the screen is turned off in order for it to play smoothly.

Thanks Uncle Stephen for making the video highlight movie of St. George. We love it!

http://www.vimeo.com/12004928