New Years Eve

This is the first New Years Eve ever, that we stayed up till midnight. This was the first year that New Years fell on a day when we didn't have to wake up early the next day and go to work. John and I went to dinner with some friends, while the girls stayed with their friends. After dinner we returned back to our friends house and played games and ate snacks. We counted down to midnight and rang in the new year with Lemonade and Apple Cider.

I would like to say that I accomplished all the things I hoped to have accomplished in 2010, but I didn't. We find ourselves in a new year, in the same place and in the same situation(s). We are thankful and blessed for all that we have, but are still yearning, hoping, praying and searching for something more. As we enter into 2011, we face a lot of uncertainty. Both personally and within the world we are living in. I am trying to convince myself that perhaps it's time to just let things happen the way they are intended to happen. For instance, as we approach 2011 I am faced with the possibility of no longer being employed and I am scared to death wondering how in the world we will make it. I am trying to convince myself to just let things happen the way they should and hope that it will all work out. My seasonal job is coming to an end and my part-time year round job seems to be dwindling. I have decided to renew my credential to substitute teach and will have to see where that roads leads...... Happy New Year.

Happy Day

After 7 years and 5 months of injections and implants, Ashlee finally got to say good-bye to it all. These pictures are before the surgery to have the implant removed. What do you think? Does she look happy to be done with it all?

This is Ashlee after surgery. Not so happy. She woke up to an IV in her arm and the horrible watermelon gas smell and taste that they used to put her to sleep.

4 hours later Ashlee is happy to be going home. She was starving and wanted to eat. She was told to not eat any heavy meals until dinner time, but she was just too hungry and couldn't wait. Ashlee requested to go to Baja Fresh. Needless to say, Mom and Dad gave in and let her eat. Everything went well and she is doing well. She is happy to be done with it all. Now it's time to deal with all the changes that will begin to take place ready or not!

Here is the implant. They gave it to us for a souvenir. I am thinking about asking for a pro-rated adjustment on our bill. After all we are still paying on it and will be paying on it for the next 8 months. Just a thought!

Christmas

Christmas Day we went to my Mom's house and had dinner with my Mom, Terry, Grandpa Billy and Kay. These pot holders where made by Kay's sister. They have a camping theme to them. They made us some for our trailer and my Mom some for her motorhome.

Ashlee is photographing again. She is going to take photography this year in 4-H. So I guess she is getting some practice in now.

Snowflake Mikayla made for John

Snowflake Mikayla made for me

Ashlee got some Rahl Dahl books. Mikayla got some Junie B. Jones Books

Mikayla bought Ashlee some pajamas and a watch. Ashlee bought Mikayla a manicure set.

Mikayla got a beauty shop kit. Something she loves to do is style hair.

Two happy girls. Santa finally brought them a Nintendo DS. Something they have been wanting for a really long time (at least 2 years now).

Christmas Eve

Christms Eve was at our house this year. We had my brother and his family and my Mom and Terry over. We had dinner, exchanged gifts and made smores out by the fire pit for dessert. Before bed John went over the story of Jesus's birth and why we celbrate Christmas and then we let the girls open their large gifts (mainly to get the big boxes out of the way) but they were happy and it helped ease their curiosity over what could be in a box so big. There were bean bag chairs in the boxes.

Mikayla is trying to guess what is in the box.

My niece Hailee made this jewlry box for Ashlee and Mikayla.

Ashlee decided she needed to take pictures of the place settings before everyone arrived.

Pismo Beach

Mrs. Terrones(Ashlee's 4th grade teacher) Ashlee, Sarah and Alyssa

Alyssa, Austin, Taylor, Ashlee S. Brooke, Mikayla, Allison, Heather, Riley Ashlee, Sarah

La Parisima Mission in Lompoc

Pismo Beach. A brief 15 min on the beach was all they would allow due to the weather.

Christmas Dinner and gift exchange.

Two months ago we decided that we would go camping in Pismo during Winter Break. We invited our friends the Starkweather's and the Stiles to come along with us. My mom even planned a trip to Pismo during the time we were going to be there as well. In the meantime, Ashlee's teacher assigned them their 4th grade mission project which was to be completed during winter break and turned in when school resumes in January. We figured since we were going to be down south that we would request that the girls (Ashlee, Sarah and Alyssa) receive missions that where located down south so that we could complete their assignment. Their teacher Mrs. Terrones, was more than willing to work with us. She assigned Ashlee and Sarah to the San Luis Obispo Mission and Alyssa to the La Parismia Mission in Lompoc.

As always, before it's time to leave for a trip we start checking the weather forecast. A week before we left it was 78 in Pismo. We thought we were finally going to get out of the cold fog and see some sunshine. Each day leading up to our departure the forecast showed more and more rain. We wanted to cancel our trip, but the girls had to do their mission projects. So we decided to go. After all it couldn't be that bad right???

Before we even left Turlock the Stiles had a flat tire on their trailer. They got their tire fixed, made it to Gustine and their car started smoking. Once again they were able to fix it and continue traveling. Not much further down the road, the Starkweather's blew a tire on their trailer. All this while it is raining. This was starting to turn into a bad trip. I think we all wanted to turn around and go home, but we knew that these mission projects needed to be done so we kept on chuggin along.

Shortly after we arrived in Pismo it started to rain, and rain, and rain, and rain. Did I mention that it rained? From Friday night to Sunday afternoon it rained a total of 10inches. Sunday alone was 3.71 inches. It was insane. I never seen so much rain in my life. We had to go buy rubber boots and that is what we wore the whole time. Luckily the campground had a laundry mat so we could dry and wash our wet clothes.

Saturday we went to the La Parismia Mission in Lompoc. Ashlee's teacher is from Lompoc and was down there visiting her family for the holidays so she met us at the mission. Luckily she was there, so she knows just how wet it was and all that we went through to get this project done.

Sunday we went to San Luis Obispo to do Ashlee and Sarah's mission. The forecast for Sunday was "drenching rain". The plan was to do a virtual video of the mission, but it was raining so much we just took pictures and decided to put them on a poster board. On our way to the mission there was an orchard covered in water. The water was to the tops of the trees and almost to the edge of the freeway. We started to think that maybe we should get out while we still could and head for home. We returned back to our campground from the mission to discover that the campground next to ours had been evacuated, it flooded. The only thing keeping our campground from flooding was a wall about 3 feet high and the water was already half way up the wall. By now we really started to think that we should pack up fast and get home. But we ended up staying one more night. The beach was basically off limits due to the rain and high tide. They let you park your car and go on the beach for 15 minutes but that was it. So we didn't get to see much of the beach. Sunday night we used the clubhouse at our campground and had a Christmas Dinner with a gift exchange for the kids. If you have read this far, you can probably tell we had a very wet, eventful weekend. Monday we did make it home safely. Now it's time to develop all those pictures and complete that mission project! (Homework even during the holiday's what a JOY)! NOT!!!

School Christmas Program

Tonight the girls had their Christmas Program at school. It was very nice, short and sweet. Here are some pictures. Ashlee wasn't having a very photogentic night, so there are more pictures of Mikayla than her.