We packed up Mallory and had to say goodbye today! I knew the time would come when Mal had to move out and continue to pursue her dreams. We prepped Connor and Maddie for it over the last few weeks, but I wasn't prepared for just how hard Connor took it. He woke up the morning of, and I told him to tell Mal "Happy Moving Day!" He immediately burst into tears. After a long time snuggling and talking it through he held it together while we loaded the last few things into her car. As she drove away, Connor began crying again and said, "It feels like I'm saying goodbye forever." Although it is so sad to see her leave and to see Connor upset, I'm so thankful for the special relationship they have developed. Having Mal live with us for the last 2 1/2 years has been such a blessing. My children adore her and she has been such a help to Michael and me- offering to babysit and help with the kids whenever she could. We will miss her living with us, but we thank God that she found a great med school so close to our home! I have a feeling we'll be making the drive to Mare Island often! Mallory- I am so very proud of you! We will pray for you and support you in any way we can during your journey to becoming Dr. Mallory!

Squeaky Clean!

The kids had their 6 month dental check ups today and we went to Children's Choice Pediatric Dentistry. I was so proud of them… the dentist said their teeth looked perfect! Yay! I knew Connor would sit still for the cleaning… but I was amazed by Madeline. She sat still, followed directions, answered questions clearly, and allowed the hygienist to clean her teeth without any problem. Such a difference to the last appointment when she screamed and we had to hold her down. I was very proud of both of them!

Summertime continues...

Riding bikes and unexpectedly getting rained on!

Fun at the state fair… Connor milked a cow! 

Mal and I got creative at PaintNite and had a blast pretending to be artists.

Another summer movie date with the kiddos. This time, we saw Kung Fu Panda 2.

Playing board games and escaping the Sacramento heat.

Celebrating CJ's 3rd birthday at Freedom Park.

Maddie's recent play activity… packing up and pretending to move out with her babies.

Being creative and making Mal good-bye cards.

And of course, more time at the pool. The kids both started another session of swim lessons to finish off the summer!

The Jungle Book

Connor and I went to see Brooke star in The Jungle Book performed by The Harris Center for the Arts. It was a fabulous play and Brooke did an amazing job as King Louie! Connor loves going to live theater! In fact, shortly after this play, he went to The YES Company's performance of Peter Pan at the Gallo Center with Poppy and Mimi and loved it! They had front row seats and he got sprinkled with fairy dust!

Summer Trip to Oregon

We had an amazing trip to Oregon to visit my parents' beach condo! It was such a relaxing, fun trip! The kids were amazing in the car and Michael drove the entire 10 hours there and back! Poppy and Mimi showed us a great time and it was just wonderful to get to spend a whole week enjoying their slice of heaven! It would be a very long blog post if I mentioned all the fun adventures we had, but here are a few of the top memories we made:

• Building sandcastles, flying kites, playing football, jumping waves, and relaxing by the beach.
• Swimming in the pool and relaxing in the hot tub.
• Crabbing! This was a first for all of us! It was an adventure and so fun! We only caught one that was big enough to take home, but we had a blast doing it!
• Exploring the tide pools at the bottom of Cape Perpetua and the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. We saw sea urchins and starfish.
• Hiking and picnicking at Cape Perpetua. It was the most beautiful view of the coast!
• Having fun at the local county fair… it was pretty "red-neck," but the kids had a blast and the motocross show was amazing!
• Exploring the Newport Aquarium again. It's such a nice place with an amazing shark tunnel!
• Resting in the condo… reading books, playing games, going on bunny hunts, riding bikes, etc.
• Golfing… the boys went golfing twice, once taking Connor for a round of 9 holes. He was so excited to get to golf with Daddy and Poppy!
• Playing at the park, sliding down the ginormous mountain slide, and then enjoying Tillamook ice cream!
• Picking fresh blueberries from the blueberry farm.
• Shopping at the outlets (while the boys golfed).
• Enjoying a bonfire at the beach and roasting delicious marshmallows.