Back Home, but more to tell...

Mornings in California were cool, but that is okay because as soon as the sun breaks through, the days could not be more perfect! It took Gabby a few days to get over the constant noise and pounding of the waves, but after a bit, she relaxed and...

had fun playing and, of course,



pushing her brother around.

Owen screamed and yelled at and chased the waves for days...
He was enamored with the water, the ocean, the sand, the rocks, the sunsets...all of it!


I can never take for granted our opportunities and the joy my kids have in simple things...even Owen's bestest friend: Bear-B (he told me how to spell that) :-)


I want them to know that there is such a big world out there and that the street we live on, the school we go to, the stores we shop at...those are not always a reflection of all there is.
I want them to know that life doesn't have to work out one way...
You can have expectations, but if it doesn't turn out that way, there are a million options, opportunities to grab, places to live, people to meet, other streets to walk, beauty in creation to see...

My boy grew so much during this trip. A bit taller? A bit leaner?

That's not what I noticed.
He's braver...
He's funnier...


He's more observant...to name a few.
And...
He's in love with the two most important girls in his life: Mommy and Sister.

I have never been so desperately loved by anyone...
(don't worry...I've already told Roger about this and
Roger would be a goof to not notice Owen's affection for his momma.)


The purest, sweetest, most needy love.

And for Gabby? The most nurturing, protective love that I hope only grows.
I will protect that for as long as they are in my life and I in theirs.
Yet another man showed Owen another side to life:

Mario taught Owen some soccer moves,


how to pick up the largest rocks and throw them at the waves,

and all about surfing.

This is the boy who won't let me take him into the "deep" end at LTF...It rarely gets deeper than 4 feet there, but Owen let Mario take him out into the Pacific Ocean, out past all the other surfers!

One of the few times during this trip my little boy let go of me...



Proud Mommy!

To be continued...(I'm working on getting another video on here but it's taking too long!)


There are so many more pics of Xavi...
(ignore the black blur through the photo; Owen was trying his hand at photography and the dumb strap ended up in the picture. :-)

And much more to say about those we shared all this with in CA!

**But...there is more to CA than I can say in one night!
Good to be back at home so stay tuned for more!

Utah, Nevada...California!

To get into Arches, Zion, Grand Canyon, etc...

Grampa was so proud of his "Senior Pass."
You know what kinds of discounts you can get with this thing????
:-) Too bad Grampa lost his pass at the bottom of the Pacific when a surf board and "bigger waves than he'd seen in Hawaii" took him out.
Too bad his wallet was in his swim trunks...hence more than the pass was lost.
Good thing he's strong, healthy, has a good chiropractor and accupunturist...
and that his name is in a database so he can still get his "senior" discount!

After Arches, we saw the rest of Utah, sweat through Nevada/Las Vegas, and pressed on!

We made it to California quite late but were so relieved to be at our destination and to be able to stay for quite some time. Considering how our trip had begun, we managed to get back on "schedule."

Our camp site was perfect: a hundred feet from a playground, a hundred feet (or less) from the ocean waves, plus all the amenities (showers, laundry, a px...), and the best part?

seeing MB, Xavi, and Mario everyday we were blessed to be there!

**Much more to come...!

Utah...

The Trough Road was quite the trip!
Grampa white-knuckled it from Julie's to get us to Rifle, CO.
We looked out and were amazed at the views.
I heard later that Gramma kept saying, "Look, Phil!"
He responded by saying, "No."
I don't blame him. This view was one of the gorges where a train was passing through.

We didn't get the chance to stop to take better pictures, but for being out the window...
these are pretty cool!

At a rest area just entering Utah (probably the Visitor Center to get a free map),
Gabby and Owen ran around, climbed, and looked as far as the eye could see...One thing about this trip...Owen and Gabby (and the rest of us) had the opportunity to see so many different kinds of terrain...landscapes...beauty in all forms...Utah brought us to Arches National Park...after the kids went to bed,
I got to go see a late sunset...

Then, the next morning (after Owen found a 3-legged grasshopper...)

we all got to visit the park together.
The kids enjoyed the first stop and climbed and had a blast...

but after that, no snack or cajoling could convince them that they were seeing a National prize!
Appreciation for other things...hmmmm

The only thing that changed Owen's attitude a bit was seeing a desert lizard darting among the cactus...He has now learned that it is tough catching those little ones!

**For family who are curious...we were in California for 5 days (or so...it all melted together, this trip...) and then we saw the Grand Canyon. Today we saw New Mexico, a bit of Texas, the arm of Oklahoma, and are now in Kansas. I will be posting those pics soon enough!
We plan to be back to our point of origin by Saturday and home by Sunday...
MUCH more to come...

Last Few from Colorado...

I have only a minute, but thought I'd share a moments of our final time at Julie's:

The road through town heading back to Julie's from fishing...

We got out the Dora and Cars fishing poles, hitched up the sinkers, hooks, and bobbers...

and Grampa did most of the actual fishing!

There were only a few moments when Gabby and Elodie sat by each other.
Terrorizing Taz was their favorite pastime
poor guy!

To get all three to sit?...

Gabby did have a turn on the pump track too...when she did it herself,
she took the bike up the burm and sent the bike down...by itself.
So, I helped her out...

She had a blast

Uncle Todd sure was helpful...racing around and teaching Owen about bikes!

Parallel play?

Found time to relax...

played "tigers" with Owen...

the boys...

and a four-generation trip!

A rainbow over the truck...sign of promise and protection??

It's so nice to see Grampa smile!

Bike Riding

Here is a short one...Gabby makes an appearance too.
He isn't cruisin' as fast as I had seen him, but he shows his skills.
We didn't get to ride again today because the track got wet with rain...
Tomorrow morning? Our last morning?

Another day...

Soaking up sun, love, snacks and "poc-icles,"

we are still hanging out in Colorado and enjoying ourselves.
We've taken time to just BE, go slowly, read a book or two,
and even go out for ice cream!

Another day so busy that Owen fell asleep by 7...
Two nights in a row.
I am not complaining.
On the contrary, he fell asleep tonight without having dinner.
Now that's a tired boy! No...That's a tired Owen.
But doesn't it look like fun?

Gramma Momma has been feeling much better and was let out of the hospital to celebrate Julie's birthday and to spend time with all of us...
On the condition that she would return twice a day for her IV fluids/antibiotics.
If the culture is negative tomorrow, we are free to leave...
Owen will be sad to leave but excited to see what else we have planned!
The highlight for Owen so far?
T.O.'s pump track!

Owen started out slow a couple days ago, but now he is cruisin'!
We started calling him Boomba McQueen--he's so proud!

(You'd have to know him to understand his "boomba" language and he has a close connection to Lightning McQueen...what 5-year old does not know LM?)

I took a video of him riding two days ago,
but he's gotten so much better...I won't post it.
I'll get a good one tomorrow!

Grampa even took a turn!
Now...does this look like a guy who was let out of the hospital less then a week ago?

workin' his way around...

But then...one turn did him in and he realized he needed to take a breather.
We can at least tell his doctor that he is building that strength back up!

I am glad to be here...we all are.
We know God has a plan and will take care of us.
Kinda like Grampa takes care of his little ones...


And he takes good care of me!

Our hearts are good...
a rainbow between the camper and the mountains reminds us of God's promises.