The last hurrah

To celebrate Kailee's birthday (July 31st) my Dad's birthday (July 27th) and Mike's graduation, we planned a trip to the Magical Kingdom. Kailee has been wanting to go for a while (all my friends have gone!!!) and Addie is now a great age to enjoy and potentially remember it. On our way home from the bay area, we stopped in A-town, grabbed the trailer, and headed to Anaheim. It was a long day of driving, but we made it! We camped 1/2 mile from the gate with my parents and their camper. $46 bucks a night! We could cook our own food (bring lunches and snacks into the park) and were "at home" in a germ free (yes I hate hotel rooms b/c of all the potential germs hiding around) bed. We got home from the parks both nights, showered up, and snuggled into our lawn chairs to watch the fireworks. No crowd fighting and cranky kids. The whole experience was amazing. The girls were a dream. Not a single melt down! It was plain old treasured family time. Being that we had such an amazing time, there are tons of pics. I have posted a very small amount....

My mom (the famous Yia Yia) bought them princess Mikey ears complete with vail!

The dads waiting (We did LOTS of that. Lesson learned: never go to the Magic Kingdom when kids are out of school!)

Buzz Lightyear ride. We beat everyone!!!!

Waiting in line for Minnie's house... we got creative with our entertainment.

Hanging out on Minnie's couch!

Our family and Minnie.

and with Mickey....

Finally on Space Mountain! We all did it, yes the girls too. They loved it! Addie got off and said, "Daddy! That. Was. CRAZY!! They need to slow down. Let's do it again!"

Snuggling in for fireworks!!

It was off to California Adventure! "A" for Addie!

We love rides!

Bumper cars!!

Yia Yia and Pa

The Mom and the Dad

And THEN we got to go to Ariel's Grotto. It was here that 5 princesses came right to our table to say hello and introduce themselves to the girls. We got to eat tiny delicious food JUST like princesses!!

We had two happy princesses!!

To cap it off, they sang Happy Birthday to our 6 year old princess.

It's a Bug's Life show. That was great! They jumped about 30 feet when the "stinger" got them in the back!

Pa's favorite was Tigger. So cute!

And that's that!

And a little fun amidst the chaos

My dear friend from high school got married August 8 in San Francisco. It was the perfect get away for Mike and I to gather our thoughts, relax, and let off some steam with friends. (Thank you Chad and Nicole for babysitting!!)


Chrissy McMorrow, you looked amazing! I am so happy for you and Tim. Thank you for inviting us to share in your big day!

The cutest couple there =)

That face was for Addie. That's her Rocker face.

Crazy Boys!

My Les-A-Lee and I.

Silly faces.

Dancing machines!

And then it was off to Uncle Bubbies!

After graduation, we went over the Bay Area to my brothers. Their Auntie Nicole had sparkling cider and mini wine glasses ready for them. They played with the camera and took these pics.

Such posers. They felt so fancy. Fun stuff!!

The next event....

August 7th was the big day, the day we waited for, planned for, lived for, for 27 weeks.

The week before graduation the cadets do a Capital Run, running from the Academy to the Capital. Here are some pics of Mike and his buddies:

Mike's roomie, Gary. A great guy with a great family. Mike was so fortunate to have such a fantastic roommate.

This is Mike's car pool buddy, Ryan. He goes to our church and they are actually living together now. Mike rents a room from him so he doen't have to rush home after a shift.

The sign at the entrance to the Academy.

These are all the guys that went to Mike's office.

The dreaded start in the gym. They got in BIG trouble if they crossed it as Cadets.

The girls the morning of graduation. Precious angels =)

All ready to see Daddy graduate!

The helicopter landed in the "round about" in front of the Academy.

Ready for final uniform inspection.

Receiving his certificate.

Handsome boy in his Smoky the Bear hat!!

I got to pin his badge on... woo hoo!

Now an official officer of the law! Look out folks!

Proud family!

The entire fam was there to support.

Officer Addie

It was an amazing experience! I am so proud of my husband and all of the hard work he put into this journey. I know it wasn't easy but he persevered, trusted God and made it! I cannot express enough gratitude to our friends and family for always being there to rescue my kids if I had to work late, cook us dinner, run miles with me if I was frustrated, plan girl nights at my house so I could play, pray for us constantly, I could go on an on. When they say, "It takes a village" they are right. I love my village and don't know what I would do without them. Thanks everyone!

In Loving Memory

We lost Mike's Dad, Jerry, August 6. It was very sudden. He was diagnosed with lung cancer 2 1/2 weeks earlier. Those of you who knew Jerry know he was, as Mike says, a jack of all trades, master of none. He had a big heart for his boys and taught them how to hunt, fish, fix an engine, cook a meal amongst other things.

Rest in peace Jer-Bear.

First Day of School!

Kailee started first grade. Her teacher is Mrs. McKee. So far, we have no complaints. She has made a few new friends and also has several kids from Kindergarten in her class. Our very good friends the Shoemakers' little boy, William, is in her class.

Kailee and William making silly faces.

Kailee said she was the most excited to organize her desk... because 1st graders get to have their very own desks with their name on it and their very own folders, notebooks, etc. Big time!!

And little Miss Addie Ray started preschool with Mrs. Jana. She told me on the way to school that she needed to call Mrs. Jana to tell her she was coming. I convinced her that she knew she would be there and wouldn't have been able to answer the phone because she is already at school getting ready! Addie had swim lessons with Mrs. Jana during the summer, so she knew what she was in for!! (Mrs. Jana that is)

And yes, the gruesome twosome is together. Addie Ray and Anabelle Lee. Good Luck Mrs. Jana. We have already gotten reports that it is really difficult to get them to separate and meet new friends. Hmm... we'll work on that. It's hard to separate best friends that have been in love since they were 6 months old!

July and August update begins!

Well, here it is again, 2 months since my last blog. Wow. A LOT has happened since then. This is, as usual, going to take a few blogs to catch ya'll up completely. So, here goes. One event at a time.

The Mid-State Fair is always during the end of July, coincidentally the same time as Miss Kailee Mariza's birthday. We ALWAYS go. This is the first year that Mike has not been working the home show area for Radco, so we only went once vs. practically EVERY night to bring Dad dinner. Fortunately, Mike was home from the Academy at least one Saturday so we could go as a family. (I went an extra night with girlfriends to see the one and only TIM MCGRAW!!!)

The girls had a fabulous time. Addie was tall enough to ride all the rides without a mommy or a daddy. We may have still hopped on one or two just for old time sake.

We visited all of the animals and shared frozen lemonades....

And of course rode the neigh neighs =)