Summer in San Diego at Belmont Park...

On Monday I took Patrick, Emily, Aubrey, Julia, Michael and 3 friends to Belmont Park. It had been very cloudy and over cast here the last week, but Monday ended up being a beautiful day! It was the perfect day to go. The kids all got wrist bands so they could go on unlimited rides. They had a great time!! It originally was supposed to be a "special time" with Aubrey and I. A "special time" as we call it in our house, is one on one time betweeen one parent and one child. In this case is was supposed to be Me and Aubrey. Well, Aubrey decided that Julia could go on her "special time"and that way she could go on Julia's "special time". It was a 2 for 1 deal!! Anyway...long story short.....we ended up having most of my kids and 3 friends! I got some great pics of the kids...

A little case of the worries...(shocker!)

I just can't help but continue to worry about Michael. We were worried for quite a while because it took him so long to smile and make eye contact with us. When a baby has such a lack of oxygen the way Michael did, you don't always know the repercussions of that for some time. He has finally started to make eye contact and smile and actually smiles a ton now. But, when I hold him up in front of me he constantly looks to the side...the right or the left but mainly to the right (my right as he looks at me). I try to get him to keep his head straight and all he wants to do is turn to the side. I am doing his neck exercises when I change his diaper...which he hates!! He screams when I do them, which is probably mostly because I am holding his head in one position and wont let him move it.

He is probably just a little behind because he had such a difficult start, but he just seems a little off to me. (He will love reading this when he is like 17 and just fine!!) I am most likely just paranoid. I am most definitely a worrier...BIG TIME...so, I will TRY not to worry about things until I have something to worry about! He will be going for all of these tests that the pediatrician has ordered within the next month, so we will see. Hopefully everything will be just fine!

By the way...you have probably noticed that I have been writing a lot more lately. I have decided to use my blog to update family and friends, but also as a journal. I don't write in my own journal nearly often enough and I enjoy doing it this way! So, hopefully I won't bore you too much and feel free to check in less often if I do!!

Missing my kids...

I am missing my kids! It sure has been quiet around here this last week...(well, quiet relative to what it usually is) with Patrick and Daniel at Scout camp and Emily was also gone to Young Womens camp. Emily got home yesterday and I was glad. I really missed her. Patrick and Daniel come home tomorrow and I can't wait to hear how they did camping all week. It is the first time either of them have camped for this long!! At least their packs will be a lot lighter hiking out then they were hiking in. I'm sure Daniel will be really happy about that!! I will be happy to have them home safe! I am really grateful for the wonderful experiences that the church gives them though!! I am sure they learn so much while they are there...about themsleves, their testimonies and also about helping and serving others!! Those lessons are invaluable.

Emily's trip to Joshua Tree with the Pettijohn's

In May, Emily went to Joshua Tree with her best friend Hannah and Hannah's dad, Patrick. They went rock climbing there for 4 days. Emily has gone with them before and it is quite an adventure. Some of the rocks are really scary...Emily was older this year than the last time she went, so she was able to climb rocks that were more difficult! There was one rock that she just couldn't do...it was TOO scary. Like, if you move the wrong way you fall 50 feet to your death kind of scary!! She had such a great time! It is really beautiful there and the sunset picture says it all!! I am SOOOO glad she came home safely!! I have to say, I have a tone of faith in Hannah's dad, Patrick. He is a good guy and we have become great friends with Patrick and his wife Susan. I knew he would keep Emily safe. Thanks, Pettijohn's, you're awesome!

Prom...

Patrick went to Prom in early June. His friend Irlanda asked him to go with her. They had gone to another dance together last year and had fun, so I guess she thought she would ask him again! They had a good time and they looked nice together.

Off to the Kern River...

In the car getting ready to go...you read that book Daniel!! Mom... that is the 3rd in the Fablehaven series that you gave him for Christmas!! He LOVES them!!

All of the boys and leaders who went on the camping trip.

Patrick and Daniel...I LOVE this picture!!

Patrick and Daniel left on Monday for 6 days on a Scouting backpacking trip with the boys and leaders from our ward. They are heading north 6 hours to hike down to the Kern River and then tent camp by it until Saturday. The hike down to the river is about 2 miles.

I have never had to pack that kind of backpack before and I was sooo stressed! Did I get the right food?? Did I get them enough food?? Did I get food they will like?? Holy Cow!!!! I took Patrick with me to pick everthing out but he wasn't totally sure either. He had never done this type of trip before! The packs ended up weighing about 50 lbs each! Daniel put his on the night before they left after one of the young mens leaders (THANK YOU Mike!!) came over on Sunday night and helped us pack the backpacks. When Daniel put his pack on, he almost fell over!! He wasn't looking foward to having to carry the pack 2 miles down to the river! In fact, he was pretty stressed about it!

I asked Patrick to keep an eye out for Daniel and help him!! Hopefully they both did fine. No news is good news, so they must all be doing well!! These pictures are really cute and I don't get a picture of just the 2 of them togther very often. It will be funny to compare these before pictures with the after pictures!!

Aubrey and Julia...

I took these pictures of Aubrey and Julia at the Little League closing day ceremonies . I just love these pictures of them! The other girl in the pictures is their friend who's brother was on the same team as Daniel. They always make good friends every year with the siblings of the boys on the team. Aubrey and Julia go with Pat to the baseball field all the time... they LOVE it and Pat is always willing to let them go with him. We have decided to let Aubrey play softball next year. She wants to soooo badly...it is ALL she talks about these days!! It will be fun to go do something that is just focused on her. I think she needs that!! So, we'll add one more practice and game that we need to go to on the already long list of places to be!! GO Aubrey!!!