Elise's Talent Show Entry

Elise's class was having a talent show recently.  Unsure what to do and wanting to participate, she turned to one of her favorite activities - bouncing on the trampoline.  We weren't about to try to port the trampoline over to classroom, so she opted for a video shot in the backyard.  Sorry for the poor resolution, but I think this brief video still shows off her talents quite well.  She's mostly self-taught, and we're proud of her for the progress she's made!  So without further adieu, here's Elise...

Little Surfer Girls

 

Last summer I took the girls to see Soul Surfer at the theater. Fabulous film.. If you've not yet seen it, check it out. Ever since then, our girls have had their sites set on learning to surf this summer. Thanks to a wonderful uncle who has two soft long boards, they finally got their chance!  Elise, Chloe, and Grace all had opportunities to stand on a board, and the older two got to enjoy the thrill of riding some waves.  Too bad they can't do much surfing in AZ!

It's Not Quite Christmas in July, but...

A new milestone - all four girls are now in school!

Some people enjoy Christmas in July.  Here in Arizona our girls enjoy(?) their first day of school in July!   Yes, it's true.  Today was back-to-school day for all of our girls.  The big change this year is that all four of them are now in school as Brooke has made the leap to a big Kindergartener.  While Christmas sounds much more appealing than the first day of school, given the heat & humidity of July in Arizona (it's now monsoon season), being back at school with friends really is a great thing!

Pier Therapy

Janelle & the girls with their Nana & Papa on the Redondo Beach Pier

Who doesn't need a little therapy now & then?!  For us, one of the best forms of therapy is an evening stroll around the Redondo Beach pier.  We hit it just right tonight - a school of bait fish rolled in right by the pier, attracting the attention of nice pod of dolphins, some sea lions, and lots of pelicans.  They all put on quite a show for us as they enjoyed their feast.  That along with some churros and chocoloate-dipped soft-serve ice cream left us relaxed & ready for tomorrow's drive back to Arizona.

"Just one more...."

Waiting for one final wave

With our return to Arizona just a day away, we had to make the most of our remaining time here in the South Bay by hitting the beach one more time.  Grace couldn't resist staying in the water till the sun set to enjoy a few last thrills in the water.  That's our little Soul Surfer!

One more reason...

Enjoying another fabulous Redondo Beach sunset

Just one more reason we enjoy our visits back in California! 

Enjoying Some Virginia Green

Elise & Grace testing their balance on a fallen tree

A real treat for Brad, and for all of us, while in Virginia is being able to enjoy big trees and lots of greenery - a nice change from the desert scenery of Arizona (which we've also come to enjoy).  We took time out this morning to enjoy a brief hike in one of my favorite spots in Virginia Beach:  First Landing State Park (formerly Seashore State Park - the name was apparently changed in 1997).  The girls enjoyed hiking some different terrain, seeing some critters (including a small water moccasin), and testing their balance on fallen trees - all in the shade of a beautiful forest just minutes from the ocean.

A Taste of Georgetown (Cupcakes, that is)

 "Please, Daddy?!  Please?!"  Who could resist?  Besides, it was my birthday, and being on the road for the day, I figured this was my one opportunity to enjoy some cake on my big day.  So we took a detour on our way from No.Va. to Richmond and headed to D.C. to see if Georgetown Cupcake (made famous by their DC Cupcakes show on TLC) was worth all the hype.  God blessed us with a coveted free parking spot just a block away, and with an arrival just prior to the huge crowds.  The girls were in food heaven as they chose their flavors, then enjoyed them while watching the cupcake chefs work their magic for the long line of customers that had amassed after us.  The verdict?  Delicious!  Almost as good as my 10-year-old Elise makes at home (and that's quite a compliment to Georgetown Cupcake!).  Our recommendation, based on our limited sampling:  go with the Lemon Berry.

Springtime Fun in Arizona

Things heated up unusually early this year here in the Phoenix area, but we were able to enjoy a visit from Janelle's parents during a wonderful, brief reprieve from the early heat.  We took advantage of it one day by heading up to nearby Canyon Lake, a man-made natural area created by dams on the Salt River.  We threw in our cheap (but fun!) little inflatable kayak so we could do a little exploring.  We've only been up to this lake a few times, but it is always a lot of fun!  The winding road through the foothills surrounding the Superstition Mountains is part of the fun with great vistas and some very cool rock formations.  And, of course, no trip home from the lake is complete without a quick stop at the Goldfield Ghost Town.  Come visit us sometime.  We'd love to show you around and have another excuse for some Arizona fun!

 

Kayaking Canyon Lake

Enjoying Goldfield Ghost Town

Perhaps this could have been theirs had they been born a 100 years earlier!

The view form Goldfield Ghost Town

Signs of Spring: England

A recent trip to England found me enjoying some unseasonably warm, dry, sunny weather that made the daffodils only too happy to bloom.  Here are a couple creative shots of the blooms...

 

 

Don't it make you wanna smile?

Brooke loves the camera, and the camera seems to love her, too. Photos of her always make me want to smile! We thank God for our precious youngest daughter (and for the 3 older ones, too!).

Pier Birds

One of our favorite spots whenever we are back in So. Cal. is the Redondo Beach pier. Always full of interesting sights (like the birds below - blue heron and pelican), and they've got the best churros around!

"Catch a wave and you're sitting on top of the world..."

The girls have learned to love the Beach Boys, so it is not surprising that they're favorite pasttime now when we are in CA is boogie boarding! This is Elise catching one of her waves. She seems to have a great eye and good patience in picking out the waves to catch and the ones to skip. Grace, on the other hand, just walks down into the water and stares at giant waves with utter delight and absolutely no fear. Her comment of the day: Whenever I see a wave I remember that God made them!

The Great Haboob of 2011

Fortunately, or unfortunately (would have been amazing to see this!), we were too busy enjoying the beach in CA when the great haboob of 2011 hit the Phoenix area a few days ago. Take a look at this amazing time-lapse video of the storm hitting.

* Haboob is the Arabic term for a dust storm, and the term that is generally used in Phoenix for some reason.

Sunset at the Redondo Beach Pier

One of our must-do family outings whenever we are privileged to spend a little time back in the South Bay area is to head on down to the pier in Redondo Beach to watch the sunset, check out the fishing action, and enjoy one of the wonderful churros. We went a couple of nights ago with some of our extended family and couldn't have enjoyed it more!

the sun setting over the pier

Janelle & the girls with her mom, brother, & niece

love to colors at sunset!

Grace gives our pier visit a thumbs-up!

Cow Appreciation Day 2011

With appreciation for good, clean humor and the need to be able to laugh at yourself (and let others do the same!), the extended family headed off to Chick-Fil-A today for the 2011 Cow Appreciation Day. I had my favorite - the spicy chicken sandwich deluxe, yet as tasty as it was, I am not certain what was mor enjoyable - the food, or making people in the mall laugh as we made our way to & from CFA!

10 Awesome Years

We hit a milestone last week: 10 years of marriage! The traditional & modern gift for 10 years of marriage may be tin, but for us it was golden. Our good friends the Phillips & Driggers graciously watched the girls for the night, allowing us to enjoy not only a rare date, but an even rarer night away. God blessed us with an awesome find - The Inn at Eagle Mountain, located in Fountain Hills AZ. For under $100 we enjoyed a spacious room with a great view, nice balcony, gas fireplace, and oversized jacuzzi tub, along with a heated outdoor pool & jacuzzi a couple minutes from our door. If we were golfers, we had a gorgeous course just a few feet away, as well. But for the non-golfers, the cart paths are open for walking & jogging and are as scenic as they are tranquil. Of course, it was most enjoyable simply because we were together, and we had the awesome privilege of celebrating 10 wonderful years together! A happy anniversary, indeed!

Family Time: Uncle Dave & Aunt Marsi

One of the great blessings of being in America for this extended season has been the opportunity for Janelle & I and the girls to get time with friends & family. Late November brought a very welcome visit from my Uncle Dave & Aunt Marsi. Dinner at Joe's Real BBQ, playing games, and lots of laughter made for a very fun & memorable visit!

Science Lessons

My parents bought a group birthday present for me and the girls over the summer - a trampoline! We were excited to give them another outlet for some exercise at home in our small backyard. Though it takes up a good part of the yard, and is not the most attractive thing to look at, it really has been a lot of fun AND great exercise. It has also been the source of good object lessons in science. Grace (above) learned first-hand the effects of static electricity generated from bouncing on the trampoline!

Kicking Goals for God's Fame

Elise & Chloe, who have been involved in ballet for the past few years, decided they wanted to give a go at soccer, so this fall they traded in their ballet shoes for cleats. We miss seeing them dance, but we were excited to have them get to experience something new, especially something team-focused that would teach them things like sportsmanship and working together with a team toward a common goal (pun intended!). Janelle was team mom for both teams, and I served as assistant coach for Chloe's team, so it made for a busy fall, but it was well worth the investment. Though it was a steep learning curve for the girls (neither had any experience), they had a blast, learned a great deal, and both of them actually developed into solid players (proud dad speaking here!). One of our favorite experiences was seeing God show His love to the girls in an interesting way. Half way through the season, neither had scored a goal and desperately wanted to. One Friday night, I was moved to pray very specifically that God would allow them to score the next day. As I drove Elise to her game early the next morning, I felt compelled to tell her that I had prayed for her to score a goal, but then hesitated. "What if she doesn't score? What will that do to Elise's view of prayer -- and God? Should I really put my faith and God's reputation on the line over a silly goal?" I wrestled with these questions for a moment, but believing that God had really led me to pray for them to score, I went ahead and told Elise. Wouldn't you know that both she and Chloe scored their very first goals that morning?! May God's fame grow.