At the Beach

So I am finally getting caught up on some vacation photos. We loved going to the beach and actually went four separate times. Editing these makes me want to go back! You can see our attempt at family pictures at Coronado Beach on my other blog: Here

We stopped midway between Anaheim and San Diego at Oceanside. It had a great pier.

We went to Mission Beach in San Diego for a couple hours on two different days. Carsyn did finally warm up to the beach thing and we could put her down for a little while.

Yep, the whole ocean is out there, and my two little rednecks found their own "mud hole."

Our Newest Additions

We sadly lost our dog, Paige, in April. She was Ronnie's and my baby, but she wasn't exactly crazy about the kids. Well, the house just felt too lonely without a dog, so we started looking. Meet Rein -- she is a pound puppy, and we have decided she is a heeler from the neck down but we have no idea where that head came from! The kids are in love. Carsyn calls her "my baby" and though Rein is getting bigger, Carsyn keeps doing her best to mother her.

Yep, we are pretty crazy about her!

So crazy we decided we needed another one. (It took two dogs to even come close to my Paige.) Meet Ginger -- she is a Plott Hound. Ron used to work with Ginger's owner who is really into hunting with dogs (bears, mountain lions, and such). Well Ginger didn't quite have the hunting instinct so he was looking for a new home for her. I was a little -- ok a lot -- worried about how this would work out, since Ginger had been on a chain in a kennel most of her life, but she has truly been terrific and won all of our hearts. I haven't gotten any pictures of the kids with her yet, but it is on the to-do list for this week. Ginger and Rein are the best of buddies by the way!

Tee Ball

This was Gatlin's first year of tee ball. It was interesting! Ronnie coached his team this year, and Gatlin came a long way. By the end of the season, Gatlin actually made a few plays and had learned to run to first base rather than the pitcher's mound! Here's a few pictures from throughout the season.


I love these three. He almost always sticks his tongue out when he bats, he is actually fielding a ball, and the last one is his "ready" position (it always cracked Ronnie and me up).

A Sad Start

I decided to have a personal blog where I can share more pictures of the kids and our family's doings. I wanted a place to share with all our more distant family and friends. Last Friday night, I got the new blog header and background set up and called it good for the night. The next morning, I got a call that my Aunt Jo had passed away.

I am truly blessed with a wonderful family on both my Mom's and Dad's side. I have the best aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmas anyone could ask for -- and Aunt Jo was truly one of the best. I hope she had even the slightest inkling of how much she meant to me. Jo was always so good at keeping up with me through letters and postcards for the kids (not to mention the occasional loooonnnnngggg phone call). I admired her adventurous spirit, crafty hands, and out-going nature.

When I sat down to talk to Gatlin, he immediately was worried about not receiving any more postcards (I think Aunt Jo would actually have appreciated that). Then he said something wise, like those little kids always tend to do. Trying to comfort his crying mama, he said, "It's OK Mom. We can still love Aunt Jo in heaven." And he's right.

I will miss her dearly. She always gave me a big hug and kiss on the cheek and said, "Love you sweetheart!" Right back at you Aunt Jo.