Lil' Abby

I have been meaning to put this on our blog...

For those of you that have followed the story of our friends Ryan and Kelly and their 3 little girls I'm happy to report that their surviving triplet Abigail is home and doing well. For those interested in seeing current pictures of her and reading her story go to www.abbygupdate.blogspot.com or click on the link to the right.

Now the yard is really finished

I just noticed that we never posted pictures of the yard completely done with the patio cover, fountain and furniture. We love spending time in our backyard. The patio cover has helped with the horrible California heat we have gotten this summer. The furniture has turned our yard into a second family room. We are still missing the corner cushions on the sectional but we are pleased with how much seating we have. Derek has taken to falling asleep in the backyard now that we have the furniture. We love the sound of the fountain and really couldn't be more pleased with how the whole yard turned out

Rock Creek

We got back last week from our camping trip to Rock Creek in the Sierras. We fished, hiked, played UNO a ton, and basically just had a ton of fun.

Nate caught the first fish of the trip and he was thrilled. Denise didn't see any bears which made her happy. Derek accidently threw our car keys into Rock Creek where they are now lost forever at least until someone fishes them out. In an effort to get into our car Derek got to know the ranger really well and can now tell you anything you want to know about Rock Creek.

Here are a few pictures from the trip. I'm trying to get some downloaded to a photo site with a link to it so I don't have to download a ton of pictures to this blog.

4th of July fun at Grammy Bakers

We spent the 4th of July at Grammy's house and had a blast. The kids enjoyed the silly string and water fights but mostly enjoyed being with all their cousins.

Dodgers Game

So, we are still trying to catch up with pictures from the last few weeks.

On Monday July 3rd we went to the Dodger's game. Derek and Denise hadn't been to a Dodgers game since we were a lot younger (Go Angels) but it was fun to be at the game with so many family members.

Derek's sisters Dena and Ann and their families were in town as well as Derek's brother Darryl. Those 3 families as well as us, Gail's family and Dave's family and Grammy Baker all went. It is nice to have all the cousins together. Bryce's family was missed though.

Megan had fun at Girls Camp this year - it was her first year. The theme was Superheroes...arise and shine forth so the girls sported cute capes throughout the week - that's what they are wearing in the pictures. These are not the best pictures. These were taken with Denise's camera but since Denise was busy during a lot of camp with the Stake and not with Megan all the time she didn't get many pictures. Megan's camera probably has a ton mopre pictures on it.
Megan met a ton of new friends and as a mom, Denise was pleased with how well all the girls treated each other.

Enjoying some camp songs.

Evidence of the resident bear. This shot looks like a handprint but it really is the paw print of one of the bears at the camp. Megan's cabin was right near the trach cans so the bear would come by at night looking for food. This is the wall surrounding the trash that he tried to climb. As in previous years a few lucky(?) girls and leaders got a glimpse at the bear.

Complete transformation

Here are the comparison shots from when we started the project until today. We've come a long way.

Backyard at night

Here are some shots of the yard at night with our new lighting

The Yard - almost complete

Here are todays pictures of our backyard. The yard is now complete with the exception of the patio cover and the fountain. The 3 orange little posts you see in picture one are where the patio cover will be. The patio guy should be here in the next week or two to get it done. The fountain is being delivered in a week I think and will go in the middle of the half circle part of the retaining wall where the stone is. We are excited to have the yard looking so nice.

Piano Recital

So we are a bit behind on pictures.

A few weeks ago the girls had their piano recital in San Diego. They both did a very good job. They each played a solo piece and also a duet. Megan got to play Emily's duet piece with her so that was fun. Megan played hers with her teacher - Julie Ann Ballard. We are so glad to have her as a teacher. She is amazing on the piano and so kind to the girls.

After the recital we stopped for a bite to eat and then headed home so mom could finish up the last few things she needed to do before Girls Camp.

Finally an update...Backyard Day ???

Denise has been away at Girls Camp with Megan (more on that later) and Derek was home without the camera so there have been no backyard pictures. Well, Denise is home and so is the camera so here are the recent shots of our backyard progress.

Backyard Day 11

The pictures from today are at a bit of a weird angle because we couldn't get out the door or through the gate because of the cement. The cement is in and wow is it a lot. It looks so different seeing so much hardscape in the backyard but we are excited to have a yard that is a bit more maintenance free.

There will be a break from work for the next few days so the cement can start drying and then on Monday work will begin on the retaining/sitting wall and the fireplace.

Backyard Day 10

Moving along

I can see clearly now

On Tuesday Megan moved on from glasses to contacts. She is doing pretty well getting the contacts in and out of her eyes so far. Occasionally she has some trouble but she thinks it's worth a bit of trouble to be rid of her glasses.

It's time to sink or swim

The boys started swim lessons this week. They go Mon - Fri and have one more week of lessons. They look forward to heading to the Tesoro High pool every morning and practicing with their teacher Tyler.

Luke had a rough start and spent the first lesson crying and hanging out on the side of the pool. At the very end of the lesson his teacher coaxed him into the water for a short time and since then Luke has gotten right in the water for every other lesson. He isn't learning much and is much more content to hold on to the side of the pool and kick his feet but it's a start.

Nathan has no fear of water and jumps right in everytime. He improves with each lesson but still has the uncanny ability to kick hard and do big swim arms yet not move forward in the pool. He moves his body side to side in a way that keeps him in one spot even though he looks like he is swimming for his life.

Backyard Day 7,8,9

Here are some pictures covering a few days of work. The jackhammering didn't stop - the ground was so hard that the loud little machine had to be used to dig the trenches for irrigation, lighting, electrical, etc.

Up to this point quite a bit of framing has been done and we are getting a better idea as to what the yard will look like. The area dug out in the second picture is the start of the fireplace. We are excited about that feature, especially Denise. She has been researching fireplace cooking on the internet and is convinced that she'll be able to whip up gourmet meals during an emergency with the electricity down. She is constantly thinking emergency preparation.

Our Daddy is the best!

Here is Derek celebrating Father's Day with all his gifts - a tie, a guitar and a nap. Derek started guitar lessons with a guy from our ward so Denise got him the guitar for Father's Day. The kids made the tie at a Primary activity. It was quite a sight seeing all the dad's at church on Sunday with such "unique" ties. The nap was probably the best gift of all. I can't think of a time when Derek has actually gotten to rest a bit on Sunday so I am sure he enjoyed it. The nap must also prove what a good guitar player he is since he actually put himself to sleep with his own playing.

We are glad for such a wonderful dad. Happy Father's Day Dad - you're the best!