Summertime Fun!
Our last few days of summer went quickly. We went to Lake Havasu with the Williams. It was great to hang out on the lake and go fishing. Unfortunately, Ethan ended up with strep throat and Madi got pneumonia. But illnesses aside, we had fun!

Scott got aggressive on the wake. He says he's a much better wake boarder but I just take bad pictures. I think this one shows his skills!

We went out for a night ride. It was very cool being on the lake in the dark. We tried a little fishing too. One of the kids took this picture- future photographer.

Caleb is always smiling!

This is Landon's version of wake boarding. Someday this little guy will tear it up!

I got a some video of Madison wake boarding. She is really getting good. I love her confidence. She'll bend down and touch the water with this look of "Yeah, I'm bad!" (Just like her mom)

Happy Birthday DAD!!!

What a treat to go out to celebrate Dad's birthday. With 12 grand kids and a couple on the way... it's HARD to plan an evening out to dinner with the adults. So for Dad's birthday we went out to Panda Inn. We had our own little room (baptismal font included haha) with a huge round table. We had so much fun laughing and enjoying great Chinese food. It was a real special evening. I snapped a few pics of the couples... Gary substituted for Kandice since she and the girls didn't make it. It was a real treat to be together. We just enjoy every moment we have together.

Chad and Chad jr.'s big day!! What a special day for the Wakumoto family. Chad had the opportunity to bless his baby boy. It was so sweet. We are all so happy for Chad and his sweet family.

Every Mom can relate to this one!!!

Warning: You might want to turn the volume down.

I was driving home when Landon decided to throw a tantrum because I wouldn't HOLD him. Obviously, I couldn't because we were driving! So for 17 minutes straight, this is what I heard. I just kept thinking, "Wow, aren't you tired yet?" or "That 5 point harness REALLY works!" I thought for sure he would get out and soon be on my lap. He tried everything to get out. But notice, he never lets go of the lollipop in his hand. He's got his priorities straight!

But I know every MOM has gone through this with EVERY child. So I thought I would share mine.

In defense of Landon, he just loves his Mommy. He would climb mountains and valleys to get to me.

Families are Forever!

I am so thankful for my family. It has been great to spend the last several weekends together. It is very strengthening to be together during this difficult time. After learning about Mom's cancer, I had this urgent feeling that I NEEDED to be with my brothers and sister. I even kept looking at the front door wondering when they were coming over. As soon as we were all together, I felt peace. That experience makes me believe that being together forever is so much more than we understand. We are deeply connected to each other in our family. We have to be together as a family in the next life because they are a part of who I am. I am not "me" without my family.

Summer Camp 2009

Boys! Boys! Boys!

Yesterday we started Summer Camp. I got to entertain 9 boys for 4 hours. And we had a blast! We did everything boys love to do...dirt, fire, and explosions. We started off with a hike up the mountain behind my house. It was a scavenger hike with a long list of things to find. Amazingly, they found most of the things on the list...minus the coyotes and crows. (Ben, I finally saw a crow this morning while jogging! They must be morning birds)
After our hike we came back to the house and made a fire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Everyone was safe and no one was hurt. :)
Then we made volcanoes and watched them explode. The volcanoes turned out great- they did it on their own.
It was so much fun to play with those boys all day. But by the end I was ready for a nap!



Checking out the tadpoles and then going TOO deep and getting their shoes stuck in the mud.


On your Mark, Get Set, Go!!!

My volcano shot higher than yours!!!

After the dirt, fire, and explosion's.... I was cleaning up with the hose and underneath we found a frog. I screamed and then the boys came to the rescue. They caught the frog and took it home.

Just Dance!

This year Madison has been taking a jazz/tap dance class. She had so much fun. Madison finished the year off with a dance recital. It was so much fun. She gets so excited because Mom will do her hair and make-up! (maybe too much make-up) All year long we can't see her dances. She won't practice in front of us. We have to wait until the recital to see it. This year Madison had 5 dances. This video is of Beat it. I just loved the costumes- what a flash back!

Strike a pose!

This year was fun to have cousin Megan in the same class. Because they are both so tiny they got to be partners on a couple dances.

Happy 7th Birthday Ethan!!!

We were so excited to through a party for Ethan this year. It seems like we are always moving around Ethan's Birthday. It all began 7 years ago when we moved to Fontana. We moved in 2 weeks before he was born. And we have moved several times after that- always near his birthday.

So this year Ethan started to play baseball and LOVES it. So he had a baseball party and got to take some friends to the Quakes game. It was so much fun. First, the camera man put Ethan on the score board TV. He thought maybe he was on the TV at home too. Then they asked Ethan to come dance with Tremor but he quickly said No Thanks! So Madison went instead. Later on during the game, Tremor came over and wrestled with the boys. I don't know that any of the boys actually WATCHED the game but it was a happy day for Ethan full of fun memories. Happy Birthday Ethan!