The Disney Adventure

Captain Ray after the Pirates of the Caribbean ride

Finn having a Disney breakfast

Lily a.k.a. Tinkerbell flying on a cloud

Rainforest Cafe Birthday dinner for Chelsea!

This was a first, taking grandchildren to Disneyland whilst celebrating Chelsea's 18th and Lindsey's 27th birthdays! The kids behaved wonderfully and we all had a very good time, rain and all :0) Both Abbey and Chelsea soaked up a lot of water in their sherpa lined shoes, trying to dry their feet out with plastic bags over new socks, I think it worked for C but not for A :0( It was really fun to "see" Disneyland and California Adventure through Ray's 6 yr. old eyes, everything magic and excitement. He was always asking , "is this real"? Ted and I many times "manned the strollers" but we found we liked the idea very much, Ray was big enough to ride with Aunt's and Uncle's and occasionally with Grandma and Grandpa. A fun weekend for the 11 of us!

Chelsea turns 18!

Yes , we still think of her as our baby, but it's official, she's now all grown up! We decided to celebrate her special day at Disneyland. Jordan made her "his princess" complete with tiara and sash while little Lily became Chelsea's favorite Disney character Tinkerbell, thanks to the darling costume Abbey made for the occasion :0) More Disney pics to follow soon, Happy Birthday Chelsea!

new Lily pics

Well as babies do, our Lily is growing and changing each week we see her. Her eyes are turning lighter, her hair is filling in, her cheeks are chubby and she has definitely outgrown her newborn jammies! She is altogether lovely :0)

A couple more pics

Jacob's shirt says it all, don't worry be happy :0)

Stop and Smell the ....Hermit Crab?

We've all heard, "stop and smell the roses", meaning to stop and take a little time to enjoy something just because it's lovely or whatever. Well this morning I awoke to the most beautiful day here in Pacific Grove, a sunny 67 degrees, no wind, perfect beach weather. On a Sat. there is always lots to do to get ready for Sunday but I just couldn't let the moment pass, so I called Sara and the boys to meet me at Still Water Cove with a beach towel and some sand toys. Thankfully Sara remains the most flexible of people and agreed to meet in 20 minutes :0) Ray had the idea to look for hermit crabs and so we did and we also found some very pretty sea glass to add to the treasure trove! For all of you freezing to death in different parts of the world, (you know who you are) I wish for you a "stop and smell the hermit crab" moment!

A Crazy Night in Salinas

Oy-vey, what a night we had at Natividad Hospital. The lovely Lily had to go through barbaric tests to determine if her fever was anything more than a viral cold, like her mother's. First there was the "straw test" where they put a swab through her nostral down to her throat for a mucus culture, that I can assure you was not fun for Lily or anyone watching. Then the urine test, not at all pleasant I can assure you and it took two attempts with 4 nurses. Then a blood test, more than her mommy could bear, only to be followed by a chest x-ray. We are very grateful that our dear little one only has a cold with a fever and thankfully this testing is probably not even a memory for her but Chelsea, Jordan and I won't ever forget it!

A New Year

I love a New Year, not the holiday but the beginning of a new year; it's fresh without mistakes in it, it's hopeful of better things and filled with expectation of what the Lord will bring into it! I don't make resolutions but I do have goals for 2009. I want to grow in my walk with the Lord this year, more of Him and less of me. I want to look for opportunities to show kindness to others. I want to watch my grand-children grow this year, see their little personalities emerge, see them scale new heights and achieve their potential. I want see new things I haven't seen before, perhaps travel to new lands! I want to read more and watch less T.V. :0) And I would like to spend more time with friends, old and new. I wish for you all, happiness, joy and peace in the New Year!