Cousins, Grandma's house, Berkeley and Discovery Kingdom

The kids spent a week with their grandparents and cousins down in Valley Springs and Lodi this summer. 

 A little yardwork with grandma.

 Precious time with cousins: Amber and Adyson.

 More yardwork "posing".

 Cousins: Caiden and Kyle

A visit to a local alpaca farm.

At the end of the week, Kevin and I went down a day early and stayed in Sacramento, then on to Berkely.  We met the four cousins with their Aunt Kem at Discovery Kingdom for a day of fun.

 Caiden got selected to help get the kookaburra to call and he got to pet the bird.  yay!

The following day we walked all over Berkeley and the UC Davis, enjoying the sites, and local fun.

 A short hike up Indian Rock.  A few U-turns in narrow roads and we found this beautiful rock in the middle of a hilly neighborhood. A great view and a great way to start the day!

 The science building had some GREAT exhibits in the halls. Too bad their museum was closed though, we were all sorry to miss out on the fossils.

 The clock tower was great fun to go up in.

 A drive across to the bay and a nice walk to a discovery park.

 Caiden talking to the local bird life.

A great free park for the kids to paint, hammer, nail and zipline at. Fantastic find. Thanks to the internet!

 Then headed home.  A great weekend, lots and lots of laughs and memories.

They chose Baptism

My children had some awesome experiences at VBS this summer and some long talks with Kevin and I about Jesus and Salvation and the choices they get to make.  They both decided to accept Jesus as their savior and immediately asked to be baptized.  Just so happened that our pastor was doing some baptisms that evening, so we joined in.

 

Pastor Ken Jones and Pastor Randy Hadwick

The Boy turns 10, The dad turns 50

Can it really be a decade since we brought him home?  We were so anxious to meet him and settle into our new lives, and now it has been 10 years???  I feel like I blinked and the years went by.  Caiden is growing into such a nice young man.  He is always learning more things and is willing to share his interests with others. His favorites this year are Star Wars, Legos, Birdwatching, and drawing.

 This expression is my favorite of the photos that I took.  The gift in the box is a bird encyclopedia from Uncle Jerry and Aunt Wendy.

 We were celebrating Grandpa's birthday, and Kevin's birthday as well.  Strawberry pie (for Caiden, and Coconut Cream Pie for Ken).  Ice box dessert (Kev's favorite, and his 50th bday!!!!!) got brought out on the 4th at the BBQ.

Grandpa's.

Fourth, Friends, Fellowship and water fights

We hosted a bbq this 4th of July, one of my favorite holidays.  I love sharing the day with friends and family.  So nice to eat and laugh in the beautiful weather.

After good food, there was plenty of time to play and visit.

 Chillin by the AC, feels good on a hot day!

 Only a few of us knew that that soda box in Wayne's arms was full of water balloons.

And time to play.
If you look closely at this, I think you could write a story...

 Sweet moments like these will surely be filed in their memories.

Then there is the retaliation that always accompanies water and children....