Cambria, Sweet Cambria

Despite all of the negative issues Californians are dealing with--the state budget, the housing market crisis, increasing taxes--there is no denying our gorgeous beaches and the sweet, convenient access we have to them. A short drive gives me and my children a long day's break from the Bakersfield heat to enjoy a taste of paradise.

Something about Cambria has made it a favorite . . .

Baseball/Softball

This was Sally Jayden's first season playing softball, and she did great! We had so much fun--awesome coach, awesome season, awesome learning experience. Here are some pictures of her looking cute:

Seth loves this game. He has been playing since he was four years old. He especially loves shortstop, but this season he got put at catcher most of the time. We could say a lot more about how and why this happened; however, we will say only that we're glad this season is over and look forward to a much better experience next year. Nonetheless, without complaining, Seth donned the catcher's gear every game and made the best of it. And I have to say, he became a fabulous catcher in these short weeks.

We hope you've been enjoying a fun and restful summer as well.

More Track

Here are some cute pictures of the kids and their friends at the school track meet.

And here's Sally at the hammer throw. She rocked this one! She threw it over 50 feet and took first place. Blew the others away! We were quite proud, and that was the highlight of the day.

Track

Okay, so we've been a little busy and I'm a bad blogger. I feel like I'm on the computer all day long, but this blogging thing hasn't quite made it into my routine of checking email, facebook, online classes. . . .

Seth's latest endeavor is track. He runs the 100m, and he's on the 1600m relay team. He also does the long jump, but he's not particularly proud of that one. He looks so cute in his jersey, and we've enjoyed the experience, but we're not totally sold. Track meets are chaos and it's hard to get any good pictures. The event times are scheduled loosely, and everyone spends the morning running around, trying to figure out where to go next. It's much easier to watch (and play in) an organized baseball or football game.

But here are the best results of the few available photo ops I had:

the relay team

Our Globetrotters Tradition

So we saw the Globetrotters again on Thursday night. We love them. This has become an annual tradition for us. And finally, we have the whole experience down to a science.

We pack a purse full of snacks and goodies, so we don't have to buy the over-priced ones at the arena.

We buy our souvenier program early in the game, preferably before half-time, so we're ready to get autographs as soon as the game is over.

We take our silly self-portraits, and we predict what's going to happen next in the "game."

Then as soon as they will let us, we run onto the court and make our way around to each of the players, sending Seth up to wiggle in front of people to get autographs. When we get about half the team, Sally and I stand in line for one of our favorite "star" Globetrotters (this time it was Flight Time), and we wait for our chance to get a picture with him. In perfect timing, Seth finished his rounds just as we were next in line, and the three of us dove into a picture:

And just like that, the horn sounded and time was up, and all the team members filed into the locker room, while the ushers pushed everyone else out of the arena.

And I'm sure we'll do it all again next year.

Boys' Mountain Weekend

So I took Seth and some of his buddies to the family cabin for a weekend of stomping around, getting dirty, shooting pellet guns, and tubing in the snow. Boy paradise!

This is what he wanted to do to celebrate his birthday. And to be honest, I was a little apprehensive at first. Maybe it's the mom in me. It just sounded like a stinky, sweaty pain in the butt. But now, I gotta admit, this was one of the most fun birthday adventures I have ever planned. (And I have planned some kick-ass parties, let me tell you!)

Anyway, here are some pictures to give you an idea. We ROCKED that mountain!

I even took a turn or two! (I thought for a minute that I was going to die, but it was AWESOME!)

My Boy Is 9

Today my boy turned 9 years old. Where did those years go?

He's turning into a little man--definitely the alpha male of my household, and I love it. I couldn't ask for a better guy.

Like all mothers, I clearly remember the day he was born. Unlike many mothers, I had the insane idea to do the "natural" childbirth thing. Boy, was that nuts! They say you forget the pain after awhile. They lie.

I vividly remember hallucinating about Austin Powers and other such nonsense between contractions. I was going out of my mind, and I thought my body was going to explode in every direction. Scared, exhausted, confused. . . I remember apologizing to everyone in the delivery room because I didn't know what I was doing.

That just isn't a very pleasant place for me to be--the realm of utter cluelessness. I don't like being totally out of control and unable to predict what's going to happen next. No lamaze class or video can fully prepare a woman for the reality of that miracle.

And what a miracle! Out of chaos comes perfection: a healthy, spotless child, screaming to the world . . . loudly proclaiming the beauty of God's sweet attention to detail and His boundless grace. The depths of His love are seen in the precision of every tiny finger, down to the unique pattern of the prints. I stand in awe now, as I did then, that He would place this tender life in my care. And I try now, as I did then, to maintain control.

Ironically, God has spent the last 9 years teaching me how totally out of control I am. Every day.

But fortunately, I'm also learning how totally in control He is. Every day.

Starting a New Year

My dear friend Angela gave me a blogging 101 lesson and convinced me to give this a try. How hard could it be, right? So here I go, jumping on the technology bandwagon in yet another venue. Let's see where this year and this adventure take us. . .