Coming Home!

Shyla is coming home tomorrow evening!

We've missed you!

Since Shyla's Been Gone

A couple of days ago Jake and I realized that while Shyla has been gone for a while already, she's coming home in 1 week! We are getting a lot done with the house BUT I still can't wait to have little Miss Shyla Marie running around here again dragging things all over the floor, feeding the dogs things they shouldn't have, screaming while I'm on the phone because she wants it, and waking up at 7am and wanting to lay in our bed.

SHYLA HAS BANGS! She got something stuck in her hair and Gramma had to cut it out. She's still a cutie!

Since she's been away we've been able to work (a lot), work, work on work, work on cleaning out the garage and get it ready to house my car! We have been able to hang some pictures on the walls to give them some character. We've had a pool fence installed (it'll actually be installed tomorrow!), got all the bedrooms put together (well, for the most part put together, there's still some decorating to be completed but the stuff is in each one nonetheless), have 3 working bathrooms, our spa is cleaned out and hopefully soon we can fill it up! We're still working on growing the front lawn, but it's looking a LOT better. And some other random things that needed to get done.

Favorite shots of Shyla in Oregon.

She's having a great time with her Bess family!

Shyla, MOMMY and DADDY miss you so much and can't wait for you to come home!

Motorcade for Sgt. Paul Starzyk‏

Today was a special day. It was a day of remembrance for a couple of occasions. The first: to remember September 11, 2001. To remember the innocent lost.

This is an emotional tribute and well worth watching. Get the tissue ready though, it's very heartfelt: http://www.jontzen.com/tribute.htm

The second reason for remembrance today is for Sgt. Paul Starzyk‏. If you haven't already heard, Martinez Police Department lost their second officer in the history of their department. The first one was, I don't know the exact date, but about 30 years ago. The short version: a gentlemen went into a nail salon looking for his estranged wife. Confronted the cousin of his wife. She ended up getting killed. There was a shootout in a nearby apartment and the officer was shot. He was taken to the hospital and died. Then the guys causing the problems was shot and killed at the scene.

Jake and I were able to watch the motorcade from the Laurel Rd overpass in Oakley this afternoon. It was about 30 minutes in length and had hundreds of vehicles involved. We arrived a little before the motorcade began so while we waited, we chatted with officers, firemen, and a photographer for the Contra Costa Times. With Jake now heading into law enforcement it made me watch the motorcade with a sense of pride and a sense of sadness more than I would have normally felt.

Here is some footage we were able to capture.

Labor Day PART 2

Before we left and got our day underway, Shyla wanted to ride the pony swing.

Our first year up to Oregon we went on the Jetboat Excursion on the Rouge River that takes you through Hellgate Canyon and loved it. This year we got to do it again with Shyla. She liked it better than I thought she was going to. The only part she didn't really like was when the driver turns the boat to make it spray us.

This is how Shyla spent most of the trip. When the boat was moving it was really windy so I kept Shyla covered. The wind also made things very loud so I didn't want her ears to hurt either. That clippie in her hair stayed in the WHOLE TIME! Normally she finds them and pulls them out, but this time it didn't move the whole trip. I thought for sure the wind was going to make it fall out.

Osprey feeding it's baby and an osprey nest.

Fun pictures from the Excursion. Hellgate Canyon. Jake's parents property includes the access road to the restaurant you visit while on the jetboat. It's the only time you can eat at this restaurant. It's part of the Excursion. You get to take a trip down the river for about 45 minutes or so and then stop to eat at the OK Corral for dinner, and then make the trip back upstream. The last time we went on the jetboat the new restaurant was just starting to be built. This time around we got to eat in the new outside building. It was very nice. AND there was lots of good food!

This is the old building. I'm not sure how many people fit there but the new building holds many more.

Here is the new building. Even though it's an oudoor restaurant, it's covered, so it's a calm and relaxed atmosphere.

Shyla playing in the grass after dinner before we headed back.
On the way back we got an inpromptu fishing show. Whenever we pass by someone fishing, the boat has to slow down. This guy was in the middle of catching a big fishie so we stopped and waited. A few minutes of us and another boat cheering him on and this is what he caught!

This poor guy. He was in the first row on the left side of the boat. This particular "splash" he had so much water hit him his glasses came off. We waited while he looked for them, when he found them he continued on down the river. HE GOT SOAKED! EVERY time the boat sprayed us, he got SPLASHED! I talked to him afterwards in the gift shop and asked if he knew he was going to get that wet. He said "No, but I think they do it to make you buy their clothes." He got so wet he had to buy some clothes to change into. He was a good sport though and he said he had fun so that what matters.

SHE MADE IT!

Labor Day Trip PART 1

Every year we go up to Oregon to visit with Jake's parents for Labor Day. This year was our 5th year going up (we've been there a few more times for other occasions). The first year we went as a dating couple, then as a married couple, then I was pregnant, then with Shyla as an 8 month old, and this year with Shyla as a 20 month old. It's been fun to think back to how far we've come from the year before.

Shyla liked to wear Malachi's jammies that are too small for him.

This time around we've left Shyla up there for a few weeks. His parents will be coming down to visit us at the end of the month and they will bring Shyla back then. At first for some reason I thought it was only going to be 2 1/2 weeks and I thought it wasn't going to be too bad, but then I realized that it's really 3 1/2 weeks! It's been about 5 days since we've seen her and I totally miss her. I know she's having a BLAST up there so I'm not overly worried. She's getting to play with her cousin Malachi, he's 1 year older than her. The other thing I like is that each year we go up there, Malachi is the age Shyla will be the next time we are there. It's like a mini glimpse into her future.

When we first started going to Oregon we used to sleep in the house. Then we got a tent one year so now when we go we set up our tent and sleep in there. Last year Shyla slept in the tent with us but since the new office is done being built she sleeps in there, undisturbed when we get ready to go to sleep. Our "bedroom".

The weather had been fairly hot like it was in Antioch, but maybe we bring the cold weather. The first night wasn't too bad, but the next few nights it was pretty cold at night. We started off with a sheet and 2 blankets, the next night we had 3 blankets, and by the end we had a blanket under us on the air mattress, a sheet and 5 blankets on top of us. Brrr.

A new goat was added to the property while we were visiting. His name is Merlin (like the magician) because he's making all the grass disappear! They will never have to mow the grass on their property anymore. The kids loved him. Maybe because he isn't much bigger than they are.

During the weekend we learned that Jake's grandma, grandpa, and aunt were going to be coming up for a few days as well. We only got to see them twice but it was still a fun surprise. They live in San Jose and we joked about how we all have to drive to Oregon just to see each other! We went out to eat at a Chinese buffet place called Tin Tin. It was yum yum!

Here is Shyla looking at the Koi fish in the pond before sitting down to eat.

Malachi eating octapus, blech!

Shyla enjoying her first ice cream cone. She's had ice cream before but not in a cone. The cones makes all the difference!

The kids being goofy after dinner.

Our trip wouldn't be complete without seeing a deer. On our way back home, we had just left the house and hadn't even made it to the main road when a momma deer crosses our path. Baby was just behind her.

Every year we take a picture of what level the water is at Shasta Lake. This year is the lowest we've seen it. Areas that are normally covered in water had trucks and boats parked on it.

Goodbye Oregon, Hello CALIFORNIA!