We Love the Beach!

We've heard that October is the best time to visit Southern California, so we finally had a chance to decide for ourselves. We found a hotel to stay at right on the PCH in Capistrano Beach, California. The beach wasn't that great, but we were in such close proximity to some other wonderful beaches that it was the perfect location! Kylie's at such a fun age now and she's becoming less fearful of the ocean everytime we get to it. One of her favorite activities was chasing the birds along the beach, building sand castles, and exploring the sealife that we found. Here are some of the highlights of our trip!

Back To Sea World








The TidePools at Dana Point Ocean Institute





San Clemente Beach - Our Favorite!






Dolphin Cruise





My Favorite Photos

My mom, My Hero!

I had the opportunity to go to williams arizona with my mom on a retreat with her church. We stayed at Lost Canyon, the Young Life camp here in Arizona, and there was always something to do to keep us busy. It was such a fun time to just hang out with my mom and enjoy a great break from the heat. One of the highlilghts was the zipline that they have going from the mountain into the lake. We both decided that it would be a great experience and were ready to conquer our fears and come back with great pictures. Well, the morning of our activity, there was a consistent rain and it was super chilly that day. So I, being the wiser and more mature of our pair (ha ha ha!) decided it would best for my body not to subject it to the intense zipline activity :) However, my mom, the adventure woman she is, had no problem with the cold & rain and decided to show up her daughter - I guess that's still her place, to put me in mine! She's the one that lands in the water first, and so gracefully I must add! Here you can see a video I took of her launch and landing. I love you mom!

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Ballet class

As a mother, I was very nervous to try another activity, since my last attempt at swim lessons caused my almost perfect daughter to be asked not to come back - as if!!! I can't imagine who wouldn't want to see her precious face every day, even if it was covered in tears, lol! I'm not sure who was more devastated by that event, but we decided to try it again, so this time I enrolled her in wee ballet. This is a parks & rec class designed for 2 year olds, so I knew Kylie would fit in well - at least with her correct age group! This class has been a great test of my patience because I want Kylie to be good at everything as soon as she starts it. And I want her to listen to all the teachers because then everyone will think what a great mom I am! Yikes, did I spell selfish correctly?!? Well, the Lord decided to humble me really quick having Kylie in this wee ballet class.

Please don't get me wrong, she is doing really well and I love watching her interact with the other kids. It's just so easy to start to compare your kid to everyone else's and I have to remind myself that she is a God created individual with her own timeline and talents and behaviors. One of the things that made me most frustrated was that she wouldn't listen to the teacher very well. My first instinct was to punish her in time out until she would listen and respond to the teacher, but I quickly learned that we would be missing the entire ballet class while sitting in time out :) My own mom then graciously reminded me that a)she's only 27 months old and that b)she is a really good kid!!! There are characteristics in her that the Lord specifically choose for Kylie's will and I get to thank God everyday for those traits and learn how to gently shape her into who God has designed her to become and not me :)

I now try to get ready for ballet with a much better attitude that this is simply fun for her, and if she only runs across the classroom without pointing her toes or doing a "pleat" (I don't have a clue how to spell that one!), it's okay because she's learning new things everyday and this is one more thing that is making her into God's not-so-perfect Kylie. But then again, if she were perfect, what would our need be for a perfect God? Thanks Lord for giving me this insight and I pray that I keep it close at hand!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A visit to Grandma Ester!

When Eric & I got married 6+ years ago, Grandma Ester was able to fly to Arizona and celebrate that occasion with us. Since then, she hasn't been able to travel and so she had never met Kylie and we hadn't seen her since 2002. Our parents graciously invited us to come back to South Dakota and visit Aunt Vanessa & Uncle Dan's ranch, and spend some long overdue time with our extended family and Grandma Ester. It was a wonderful time with our generous hosts and we can't wait until we get to entertain the Hight's in Arizona! The boys took an afternoon on the 4-wheelers, Eric got to feed a baby cow, and we traveled several hundred miles of South Dakota exploring the Badlands and Mt. Rushmore. It's so magnificant in person and I'm so grateful for that opportunity to visit! Kylie was a trooper once again on the plane, and she made friends with another little boy in the airport who was also traveling back to Arizona. We love you dearly Grandma and are so thankful that we got to spend some quality time with you. Keep smiling and we'll keep thinking of you :) Thanks mom & dad for the wonderful memories!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A visit with friends

This month started out with a surprise visit from my dear friend, Jade, who lives in Northern Ireland. It is so special to share a friendship with someone that no matter how many months go by without any communication, our friendship seems to just pick up right where we left off last time. Erin, Lenka, Jade, & I were all such close friends and it's been such a joy to watch our families expand! It was such a treat and I can't wait for her to come back at Christmas. I love you Jaders!

Kylie giving Jade a kiss

Lenka & baby David

Erin & Caleb (?!?)

Kylie, Anna, & Shay - Friends Forever!

A few of my favorite things

Here are a few of Kylie's favorites at 27 months old:

Songs:
Jesus Loves Me (On several occasions, she's burst out in tune while we're in the middle of the store and I couldn't be more proud!)
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
theme song to The Wonderpets
He's got the Whole World in His Hands

Foods:
Cheerios or Kix
Cheese sticks
Crackers/Goldfish

TV Shows:
The Wonderpets
Sesame Street, more specifically Cookie Monster

Phrases:
"I see you in the morning"
"And then can we get some crackers?"
"And then can we go to the pool/park?"

Places to go:
the pool
the park
church
play with...(anywhere to play with any of her friends)

Did I miss anything?!?