2 Moms, 8 Kids

Two moms, eight kids, two trailers (Mel did have a 5th wheel), a whole mess of sick kids (including two throwing up simultaneously in a 29 foot trailer), two moms also catching the lovely bug, a few trailer plumbing issues, SeaWorld, Old Town, bike rides, Point Loma Lighthouse, rollerblading through Mission Bay Park and endless hours at the beach, all of this added up to a priceless vacation that we hope the kids will never forget!

Favorite quote from a store employee in Old Town..."Are you a school group?"

Favorite quote from Sea World...Rio to Sea World Staffer about celebrating her 4th birthday at Sea World, "Actually, I wanted to go to Disneyland."

Better Days

Since my last post we are all seeing better school days.  Isabel is making a few friends.  A sweet girl invited her to sit at her table at lunch.  It is amazing what one small act of kindness can do to one's confidence.  Don't get me wrong...she still doesn't want to go to school but at least the tears have stopped and I have seen a few smiles.   

Here are a few pics from the first day of school for everyone.  Caroline is making friends and is a helper during the morning announcements with the coveted job of calling the office to say they are ready to begin.  She missed out on camera man or announcer.  Charlotte is friendly with everyone but would like to "skip school" to sleep in.  Grace continues to love her preschool and is even talking to her teacher and some friends this year.  She would not talk to her teacher last year until around April.  Here's is hoping all of you (my 6 readers/friends) had a wonderful start to your school year.

a hope, a wish, a prayer

What do you do when your oldest heads off to a new middle school without any friends?  What do you do when 6th grade girls don't seem to notice your sweet, adorable, daughter after 4 days?  What do you do when you are both in tears over moving her from some of the best role models you could have ever hoped for?

Keep on hoping, wishing, and praying for a friend like this one to come into her life.

Coldest Winter I Ever Spent...

...was a summer in San Francisco.  Love this city, love the food, love seeing family we haven't seen in a while, love the cool weather.  Loved this short sweet weekend away!

Way back in June we were lucky enough to head to Berkeley, CA for my beautiful cousin's wedding.  The bride was gorgeous and the groom as equally handsome.  Somehow I don't seem to have a picture of Andrew and Megan together.  I really need to work on my photo skills.

Grace loved being part of the wedding day activites.

Before the wedding we hurried off to San Francisco for a quick look at a few of the town's sights.  Pier 39's sea lions.

A quick trip to the Golden Gate bridge.

No one wanted to miss out on Berkely's famous concrete slide.  What kind of parents would let their children ride down this thing on cardboard?  

Uncle Richie had too give it a try too.

Pests

What we left behind in Gilbert....

our new best friends, roof rats.

Which one would you prefer?