OK, First of all, aren't they cute? This was Sunday morning before church and they both just looked so nice. Second, Don't they look tan??? I put so much sunblock on them, but still, there is so much glorious sunshine here that they still have a tan!

We were at the park playing the other day and Sarah looked up at the sky and said "Look, it looks just like heaven!". It really was beautiful!

Flying Joshua! You have no idea how many times I've asked them NOT to jump from the table to the couch!

Stepping stones from a dear friend!

Most of you know that we lived in Chico the first two years we were married. I was teaching at this time in a community near Chico. I made some really wonderful friends there and have stayed in touch with a few of these special people. They have each had a profound influence in my life in some way and I feel blessed to be able to see them all again. They have each welcomed me and my family to Chico with so much love! The stepping stones that appeared on my front door step while we were out was just the latest of the welcome we've received! My friend and mentor, Richard, made them for us! When I moved here after we got married, I needed to find job (Donald was a full time student then and I was the bread winner). I finally found a teaching job that was exactly what I was looking for with one exception. I had to teach one period of science! Ahh, I don't know anything about science! Fortunately for me, I was teaching that period during Richard's prep and using his classroom and equipement (and lesson plans and ideas and help,etc). Now, I was very nervous to teach history, let alone science. But, being the wonderful teacher that he is, he held my hand and taught me all I needed to do to survive. He was truly my mentor! Before anyone suspects anything unseemly, you should know that I was the youngest teacher on staff and he was the oldest with (at that time) over 30 years of experience! He always had wonderful stories to tell me and inspired me in so many ways!

Bubbles in the Backyard!

Joshua with his pig from Libby! He loves his piggy bank!

I had a GREAT birthday! Donald and the kids had fun shopping for me this year and I will admit to making several requests! I got the bike I wanted and had been hinting at! It was a big bike day for everyone but Donald (his turn will eventually come). Along with my bike Donald got Sarah her first "big girl bike" with training wheels. She really wanted one with streamers and a basket (we got a basket later). Joshua then got promoted to the red tricycle. He was thrilled. We've taken a few spins around the cul-de-sac and I've been out riding on my own a lot. The goal is, when it is cooler, to take Sarah to school in the bike trailer and when she is older to have her ride her bike to school.

Also, Donald got me my favorite, ice cream cake! We couldn't lite the candles as we had to get rid of our candle lighter before the move (it has flammable liquid, so the movers wouldn't take it and we didn't want to bring it in the van) and we hadn't gotten a new one yet! They sang Happy Birthday anyway and I still made a wish!

Do you like the birthday hat Sarah made for the "party"?

Here are some before and after pictures of Sarah and I doing our hair donation. Can you believe how long her hair was? You'll have to look back at other pictures to see mine. She said she misses her hair a little bit, but really likes it short, especially in the pool! I have to agree with her, it is much easier to care for when she gets out of the pool. Hmm, I'll have to find some swimming pictures!

Sarah's first day of kindergarten was a success! This is her this morning at home and then in her classroom. Mrs Aldridge is her teacher and we've heard nothing but glowing reports about her.
Sarah is really going with the flow as we ended up switching her school at the last minute. Her name was drawn in a lottery for a really good charter school here in Chico, but it is kind of far from us. The local school, Shasta is less than a mile away. When I first contacted them, they said there were too many kids enrolled and the extra would be bussed to a school in the district with openings. I didn't want that to happen, so we stayed with the charter school. Then we heard at the last minute that they had formed a whole new class, a K-1 combo class. After much discussion and prayer, we decided to switch her 2 days before school started. We both feel great about the decision and after a great first day, I think she does as well. She was happy to know that since she has first graders in her class, she plays on the bigger playground, the one with the tunnel slide. Now, why didn't I factor that into the decision to switch schools?

You may have noticed a difference in Sarah's hair from the last post. We finally cut mine and Sarah's hair to donate. I have pictures that must be on the other computer. WE both ended up cutting 13 inches off to send to "Wigs for Kids". There are a lot of great hair donation places out there, but one of the reasons I like this one is that they send an acknowledgement of the donation and they allow the person donating to to send a letter or pictures to be given to someone who receives a wig. I thought this was an important part of the process for Sarah. I gave her so many chances to back out, but she just went for it. She loves her new short hair do (so do I) especially in the pool.

We had a great morning at the park wading in the water and collecting tadpoles. Well, we only caught one, but the kids loved looking at it and touching it before we let it go. I know we will be back for more!

Sarah loves to wear hats out in the sun, but Joshua will never wear one. WEll, we were in Target and saw this Cars hat and he asked to get it. He loves it! This is him in his PJ's with it. I thought he looked like a real race car driver.

OK, so Grandma didn't just come to see us. She wanted to see cousin Keilana in her latest play. Donald stayed with the kids and I went with grandma and Clayton. The play was wonderful. I loved the story and especially loved seeing my talented niece in action. The kids love her just like they love Jessica and are happy that she is here in town and we can see her frequently.

Dinner with Grandma Peaches and Clayton.

Grandma and Clayton visited to see the new house and to help the kids with swimming (they are doing great!). We had a nice visit and hope Grandma will visit again soon.

Joshua grooving to some tunes along the way. Either that or he was watching Scooby Doo. They watched way too much Scooby Doo on the trip. Thanks Auntie and Uncle Ash!

Our next stop after Yellowstone was Rexburg, ID to see cousin Jessica. She had never met Joshua and Sarah was about 19 months old when we saw her last. The kids loved her and I hope she had fun playing with them. It was a memorable stop for us!

Are our kids spoiled? Yes! Sarah had seen a pink cowgirl hat at the hotel giftshop (conviently you had to walk through it to get to breakfast!) and really wanted it. We said no, then later found this one (cheaper) and got it for her. This is just after we saw the wolf. You can see how happy she is!