Praying For Angel

Today we are praying for our friend, Angel. He is receiving a transplant of several organs at UCLA. Will you join us in praying for a successful surgery and recovery? Thanks!

The Beach

One of the great things about living where we live is our proximity to the beach! We thought (or at least I did) that our Spring Break would not be complete without a trip to the ocean. We found some willing friends to accompany us and made a day of it. We couldn't have had more perfect weather and had a great time relaxing. We even got to see some friends from the Central Valley who were vacationing nearby. To top off our day Scott ran into the Westra clan who were camping and invited us to join them for dinner. Nothing better than carne asada tacos by the beach. With sun-kissed, tired kids in tow we made our way back to Redlands after dark thankful for a great day at the beach!

Brave boogie boarders ready to catch some waves.

Don't know why this won't flip, but proof that the kids got in the chilly water.

Julie found a huge sand crab.

Sofia tackling a chapter book with Katie.

Galaxy Game

Our Spring Break is off to a great start! My parents came to visit for a couple of days and we have been gradually winding down after a busy month of school and sports activities. For a special treat Scott found some LA Galaxy (soccer team) tickets online and surprised the kids for our first spring break outing. Troy has been wanting to attend a game for a long time. On Saturday we loaded up the minivan and made our way over the busy Southern California freeways to Home Depot Stadium. We had a great time experiencing our first professional soccer game. Unfortunately we had a major downpour during the game, but because we bought the cheap seats we were way up high under the awnings! Always up for famous athlete sightings, we enjoyed watching Beckham play for the first half and also the new star, Robbie Keane. Unfortunately our Redlands hometown boy, Landon Donovan, was not playing in this game. The kids were quite entertained by the loud British guy behind us shouting obscenities when things did not go his way and also the fan club a.k.a. "crazy people" in the area behind the goal chanting and jumping the whole game. We're definitely fans... Go Galaxy!

Waiting to get in the gates. Scott's deal got us all bright green Robbie Keano t-shirts.

Getting close to the famous trophy. (Scott was pretty excited about this.)

Before the game. By start this was packed full.

David Beckham

Beckham and others warming up.

These fans behind the goal are literally crazy. They chant, jump and holler the whole game.

By the end, we were pretty cold and tired. :)

A Great Evening!

I love it when God takes your plans and changes and expands on them without you realizing what's going on. Yesterday we had a day like that. The story begins with Kristin hearing about a family picture-taking opportunity at the beach. The price was reasonable and all the proceeds would go to our dear friends, The Perrenouds. Scott put on a happy face and dressed in his matching outfit and drove us all to the beach. The photographer wanted to meet at Laguna Beach. It ends up this is a hot spot for photographers and a special spot for this photographer. She is also the mother of a child waiting for a transplant, except her baby never got the liver she needed. Ani quickly shared her story with us with tears streaming down her face. She had taken us to the last spot where her family had their pictures taken before her little girl had to go into the hospital and wait for months for a transplant that never happened. We felt blessed and honored that she had shared her story with us... We continued with the picture taking and all of us survived with great attitudes, even. As we were finishing up, we look over the rocks and here come the Perrenouds for their turn. We were both happily surprised to see each other. (This family is in an isolation of sorts in their home as they wait for word of organs for their son Angel.) Ani had blessed them by volunteering to take their family photos in this beautiful spot... We made plans to meet up after the shoot at a restaurant for dinner. The kids all got to be kids in a corner booth of a noisy restaurant with Katie supervising and we got to catch up with Nick and Sarah in the next booth eating yummy, unhealthy food and even laughing together. What a night of blessings!... Now we'll see how the pictures turn out! :)

Troy Boy Strikes Again!

We had to laugh this morning when after receiving a text from a friend, we discovered Troy gracing the sports page of our local paper. What a fun thing! The joke is that Troy always seems to attract the photographer's attention (unknowingly). He's been photographed for the paper just messing around at his sister's soccer game already too. Anyway, a fun thing for an overcast Friday morning. Go Troy!

Troy's Turn

So after watching many softball games of Kamryn's, Troy gets his turn to play baseball officially on a team. He had his first game on Monday and loved it! He is the oldest boy on his team, but is doing well with the younger kids. I love to see the relationships formed between teammates. He has some great coaches too. This age group is coach pitch, so some of the boys are still getting used to being pitched to rather than hitting off of a tee. Troy played short stop and first base and had a great game. He was pleasantly surprised to receive the MVP award after the game. The boys were just all too cute and so much fun to watch. We're looking forward to a great season!

All suited up before his first game.

Mighty number 30.

Ready to hit.

So cute.

Ready!

Safe at second.

This is Troy running in after his home run!

Great play at first.

Snack time-the best part.

Troy and Dane rehashing the game.

MVP-Wow!