We Love Cousins

 Emily and Owen spent the day at our house. 

Cousin time!

Both Owen and Dave-o have come so far with their swimming skills. At the beginning of summer, neither one new how, but now they are swimming like sharks.

A Note for her Father

Kirsten met with the Bishop for a birthday interview. While she was there, she got her first dance card. Bishop Black sent home a note for Kirsten to give to her dad.

 It was written in jest, of course. 

But seriously!? 

Kirsten going to dances! 

I can't believe she's at that age already.

Crochet Character Hats

Many tourist traps were visited when I took Deborah's kids to SF.  Street vendors lined the sidewalks hoping to lure our children over. The crochet character hats where the most popular. So, I promised them I would make them one. I made Leeah a Pikachu and Kamea (who I forgot to take a picture of) an owl. This evening, I finally finished Daveo's Spiderman hat. He is so excited to wear it.

Class of 2015

Steven's High School diploma finally came in the mail. He and I have spent the past couple of days getting him registered for classes at West Valley College. He'll be taking English, math, computer programming (Java I), and will be trying out for the college orchestra as well. 

Congratulations Steven! I knew you could do it!

Downsizing

(Picture by Deborah)

My house feels so empty. So quiet. 

We are now back down to eight. I drove Deborah and her children to the airport this morning. It was sad to see them leave, yet life moves on and we each have to get back to our responsibilities. However, it would be nice to play "vacation" all the time. 

I had a blast being a tourist in my own back yard these past two and a half weeks.

(Picture by Deborah)

 A few hours after they left, Dave-o says to me, "I don't know what to do without my cousins." He's having a hard time. He especially misses playing tea parties with Kamea and Leeah. Apparently, Kamea is the only one who does it the "right way".

I miss having my sister here to talk to and laugh with. It was fun being able to hop in the car and do girly things. It was nice having someone to ask, "How does this look?" and get a straight answer. When I ask my family that same question, I get this as a response, "I'm don't know." or "I'm not the right person to ask."

I am eternally grateful to my Father in Heaven for giving me a little sister.

Micrel Legacy

On Friday, James gave the last talk at Micrel. He spoke on "The leadership qualities I have learned at Micrel." Preparing for this talk was stressful for James, however, he felt honored being asked. It's been a hard month and everyone as we sadly count down the last days of Micrel. I have seen tremendous growth in both David and James as they have worked at the company. James told me that he would have worked as an intern for free just for the experience alone.

Three generations of Micrel legacy. 

Visits, Rebuilding, and Dog Sitting

Deborah is great at keeping in contact with people. I, on the other hand, am not. She arranged a lunch date with Dale Lee and Kim who we knew from Pacifica. It was a lot of fun catching up with them and their families.

While we were having fun, David and our neighbor were busy tearing down our fence and putting in new posts.

And Loni drove Max crazy around the house in her doll stroller. We love it when Mike asks us to watch Max.

Kirsten came home from her week long YW's camp. She had a blast! I am so glad she's home safe and sound.

Pacificans

We went back to our roots today. Pacificans. That's who we are. First, we ate lunch at Taco Bell in the Serramonte Mall. Then, we drove by our home to make sure it was in good shape. I love that the planter box under the window sill is still there. 

Then we showed the kids the neighborhood playground. It's overgrown with weeds, but then I think it always was. The kids overlooked the ghetto appeal, and had a blast. This would make for a great Eagle Scout project.

We of course ended up at the beach.

We told the kids it was too cold to get wet.

But of course they did.

(Picture by Deborah)

(Picture by Deborah)

Before leaving, we said hello to our high school, Oceana.

I go to Pacifica a lot, but it was more fun having Deborah with me to reminisce. Makes me want to move back there.

In the evening, Aaron was complaining of a sore that he's had on his arm for a few months. The sore was getting bigger and Deborah noticed red lines going up his arm. So, we took Aaron to the ER at Good Samaritan Hospital. They took good care of him there and diagnosed him with staff infection. However, Aaron was given strict instructions that he couldn't go swimming for a few weeks. Good thing this happened at the end of their trip. 

The Beauty of the Redwoods

I'm so glad that Deborah's children love exploring just as much as mine. Playing in the redwoods is always a great way to spend the afternoon.

Can you guess who's who?

(Dave-o, Leeah, and Kamea)