Straight to Heaven

Danielle and Jarrett have been attending "summer school" this month, mainly so we could have some time apart and possibly still love each other by the end of the summer. On their last day, when I went to pick-up Danielle from her class, her teacher told me she was so excited when it was Danielle's turn to pray (the classes were at the Methodist Church). She said her prayers were so sincere and she wished she had a way to record them.

Danielle does say the sweetest prayers. She's really in tune with our family's needs and tells Heavenly Father in the sweetest ways. When we've made plans to go somewhere for the day, she'll ask for specific blessings for where we're going (Disneyland: "please help us to have fun on It's a Small World and Winnie the Pooh . . . and please bless me to get a treat.") She also seems to sense when I need some extra help and she'll ask to bless me to be a good mom. A few days ago she even asked to help Uncle Tim take care of "our" house. I know we're blessed because of Danielle's prayers.

So Long So Cal

I can't believe we're leaving So Cal--I've lived here longer than anywhere else. But my country roots have been aching to stretch somewhere else, especially since my kids are getting older. And the city we're moving to is by no means a small town, but there are orchards and hills, and only one nearby highway.

We'll certainly miss our friends and family here, but have confidence that this is the next path on our journey. I also know we're going to miss being 20 minutes from Disneyland, but at least we'll come back to visit often.

We decided to head for the beach to take some photos to commemorate our time in So Cal, and here are a few:
A BIG thanks to our friend Angela for helping make this time so much fun while she took the shots.

Liesl Turns 2!

The Queen has officially entered the "Terrible Twos". (She has been practicing for this moment for a few months now.)

I made the mistake of taking all the kids to Target to pick out presents, and spent an hour in the video, book and toy aisles while Danielle and Jarrett kept bringing Liesl the presents they wanted in hope of her wanting them too. Liesl finally made her choices, and we went home to prepare for a little party, for which she had chosen Sponge Bob decorations (another aisle we spent a lot of time in, and I still have no idea why she ended up with that choice).

We had a few friends and family over. We ate a spaghetti dinner first, then opened presents. After all our searching, it turns out her favorite gift was a Kit Kat bar from Sophea:
A few days earlier I was looking through a magazine and was drooling over a recipe for cream filled chocolate cupcakes when Liesl came up and said "want that." "You want those for your birthday?" A nod was all I needed to run with that idea.
The cupcakes were yummy, but Danielle insisted they needed sprinkles. That was fine with the birthday girl:
And of course the party wasn't complete until Jasper arrived (oh, and Uncle Tim):
Thanks to those who came. It was as much fun for Robert and me as it was for the kids.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIESL!

Independence Day

We had a nice, relaxing July 4th. Well, as relaxing as it can get with your children screaming in fear and clinging to your legs for dear life. Luckily Russ and Lisa provided us with a little frivolity:This was me most of the night--armed with the lighter while Liesl superglued herself to me:
She wasn't very fond of the spectacle. Neither was Jarrett:
Poor kids. I remember being scared of fireworks too, especially the big, booming ones, so I can't fault them for being this way. Danielle used to be scared, but she's gotten better. She actually held a sparkler this year:
She even climbed onto the roof to watch all the neighboring cities' firework shows with Robert, Lisa and Russ:
Wow--overcoming her fear of fireworks and heights in one night. I think she's gaining a little independence!