16 years ago....

16 years ago today, God blessed us with a beautiful baby girl with big green eyes and a smile that would light up the room. Even though it feels like just yesterday we were playing dressup...well maybe it was yesterday, but this time there is no bright red lipstick and princess gowns...Part of me wants to cry but more of me wants to celebrate this wonderful day. Katie is having her sweet 16 today. She is still beautiful, with big green eyes and her smile still lights up the room...now we just have to fend off the boys!! haha..

My request for you today is, hug your kids, kiss them, call them, tell them you love them, are proud of them and that you are so gratefull for having been able to spend so much of your life with them...I know I sure am....oh and Neil and Stewart, I love you too....haha...

So let us sing " Happy Birthday to You, Dear Katie...you look like a monkey and smell like one too!!!"

Just kidding!

ain't No rest

Within the first few weeks of July, we have not had too much down time. The weather has been absolutely beautiful! The kid's have made several new friends in the last week or so and so have we. With this I give you another little video montage to show you what we've been up to........wish you were here!

Stewart did make it home safely and we have been busy just enjoying the heat wave that has hit San Diego. It felt like it was never going to warm up, but now, “The heat is on!” The kid’s have made some new friends who are here for the summer. In addition to Summit and Miel we now have Ryan and Dylan who are 17 year old twin boys from Texas to add to our list of “regulars.” These two have such thick accents that it was hard for Neil and I not to sound like we have just left the Midwest ourselves, ya’ll!

We went and spent the Fourth of July weekend in Mission Bay. This time there were close to 100 boats anchored in that little cove. We, having been there so many times, backed Hand Full right up to the shoal where the dinghy, behind us, was in the shallows. One little leap and you were standing waist deep.

We took all four kids in addition to our own two. Thank goodness for the side panels and the hammocks as this provided the overnight accommodations for all the boys. We spent the majority of the weekend in the water, literally. The weather was hot and the water was perfect. I even cleaned Hand Full’s bottom with just the thin “cat suit.”

We did a little knee boarding, swimming, jumping off the bow ( Neil devised a makeshift swing using the knee board tow handle and the spinnaker pole), snorkeling, diving, and eating a ton of hot dogs and s’mores!

We saw a lovely show of fireworks from Sea World and could see the show from San Diego Bay which had four simultaneous displays. It was a fantastic way to celebrate this Independence Day. Below is a little video to show how it went…hope you enjoy!