Annual Training

Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort
Newport Beach, CA

As a Reservist Jeff is required to serve two days a month and two weeks a year with the US Navy. He loves serving our country and I am a proud Navy wife. Like any job, there are a few perks. One being that when he serves, the whole family jumps on board!
The past several years, Jeff has served at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach. The kids and I tag  along, and the whole family camps at Newport Dunes so we can be together while he serves. It is always a fun family time filled with friends, swimming, boating, BBQing, bike riding, kite flying, volleyball playing, and overall enjoyment of the surrounding beach area. Jeff's family lives very close by so we always get to have a few days of fun family time with them as well. Of course, our favorite part of each day is when he gets off work and can join in on our fun!
This time our first stop was Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana. It was Bubblefest time and we spent the day blowing huge bubbles and watching Nolan shoot off water rockets. Afterwards, my brother-in-law, Noah, introduced us to a charming restaurant called the Beach Pit. This place was great! As the kids played on the play equipment in the twilight, the adults shared a glass of wine and some great conversation. I especially liked the t-shirt that hangs inside declaring, "My kids run wild while I drink wine at the Beach Pit." hahaha We also got to have breakfast out with Jeff's parents and take a look at their house, checking out all of their new renovations.
One of the best parts of our Newport Dunes trip is the time we get to spend hanging out with our friends. Some of them come out to visit and hang for the day, grabbing some beach or pool time with all of the kids. This year seemed quieter than most, I think because it is still spring and school is not yet out for the summer. However, one Friday the Brown family came out and joined us, bringing their own visiting family from Virginia. It was a great bunch and we had a blast picnicking on the beach, using the paddleboats in the bay, and splashing in the swimming pool. Later on in the week, my sister-in-love and brother visited. I was having a particularly bad day, homesick and grumpy, and thank goodness they came and cheered me up. Our camping neighbors  keyed us in to a great Japanese market in the area so Kim and I went on a little adventure. We told the boys that we were going to pick up dinner and decided that under no circumstances were we going to buy anything American! Shopping the aisles was really fun as we tried to guess the contents of various packages. Needless to say we ate some interesting food that night! It was adventurous and yummy to say the least, plus I laughed so hard my cheeks hurt!
Our last week at the Dunes we became friends with a family camping in the next camp space. They had three kids who were about the same ages as ours, plus their eldest son was named Max, so he got along quite well with our new puppy of the same name. ;) This family was particularly amiable and we spent a little time most days swimming or hanging out by the campfire. Being that they were from the Netherlands, we enjoyed introducing them to fun American foods like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and S'mores and in return the kids taught us a little Dutch....a completely unsuccessful endeavor on my part, but quite amusing to the kids. We hope to keep in touch with them as it would be a great idea for the kids to be penpals. I was especially impressed by how many languages the kids spoke and the quality of their English. Amazing! I am really going to make foreign language a priority for my kids next year!
There were plenty of rainy days on this trip, but the sunshine days made up for it. Plus, with rain comes wind and nothing is as fun as flying kites at the beach! All in all it was another fun year at the Dunes and Jeff has fulfilled his annual training for 2012.

The Brown and Davidson clans; the older girls enjoying lunch on the beach; kids in the pool with Jeff; Katie and Nat joking around at Roger's Gardens; Katie, Zee, and Natalie flying a kite; Max, Zee, and Natalie playing with the puppy; the kids on the paddleboat; Natalie picks up some groceries at the market; Chad and Jeff flying kites in the rain; Ellie and Nat on the beach; Katie and Max testing out the water

In Memory

Grandma Davidson
Long Beach, CA

Robert and Dorothy Davidson

May 17, 2012 would have been Grandma Davidson's 100th birthday. For the last several years our family has been awaiting the arrival of this landmark occasion with excitement and anticipation. I think all of us privately marked off the date on our calendars knowing there was going to be a great celebration!
Unfortunately, after grandma passed away in January, the approaching date took on a different tone. The family decided that this would be the ideal date to scatter her ashes at sea, reuniting her and grandpa.
Arriving just in the nick of time at Pier 22 in Long Beach, CA, Jeff and I hopped on a boat teeming with Grandma and Grandpa's closest family. There were mixed emotions as we pulled away. We knew that they are together in heaven and they lived such long and full lives; it was easy to celebrate these amazing people! However, we missed them so much. I did not have the opportunity to know Grandpa very well as he passed away in 1997; however, Grandma has been a part of my life for almost 20 years now!
After we motored out into the sea, the captain turned off the engine and allowed us some quiet moments to share stories and memories of the two. I cannot begin to describe to you the events that transpired. I wish I had the words for the beauty and respect that was conveyed by our family. Children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, everyone had some praise to sing. One of the things that stood out to me was when Rob (grandson) spoke about Grandpa and the way he used to shop at antique sales. He would walk up to something and gently stroke the top of it then tap it gently. To everyone around him, that meant that he had found a quality piece. It was lost on no one that he was a man that recognized quality....and that's how he ended up with Grandma. This was a quality woman. Many, many, many people shared memories of events and their time together, but mostly we shared how we felt when we were with her. She was not a complainer, and that is an understatement. She was the type of woman who worked with her husband at his various businesses during the day and came home to tend to three kids at night, cooking dinner, and never complaining. She was sweet to all she met and conversations with her were dominated by the events of our lives and opportunities and challenges we faced. She was genuinely interested in our lives and experiences. She lived by herself up until a few years ago, and every Sunday night was family time at her place. Grandkids and kids (and great-grandkids in tow!) would drive from different parts of Southern California to spend Sunday at Grandma's and she would take the whole family out to dinner. It didn't matter who showed up, out we would go! The beginning of every meal was spent praying and thanking the Lord for His blessings in our lives, but the end of the meal she would pipe up with "Thanks, Bob!" Always keeping Grandpa's memory alive for us.

Noah, Dad, Rob, and Alan

Aunt Linn aka Queen of the world. (She may kill me for this!) :)

We made tiny sachets of flowers to scatter around their wreath. It was a heartfelt memorial.

Dad praying over our family.

Joe speaking about Grandma and Grandpa

Lorraine reading an amazing letter that she wrote. It was touching and well written.

Rob sharing about how Grandpa "knew quality" when he saw it. We all joked that was how he ended up with such a wonderful woman as Grandma.

Preparing to scatter their ashes together

At rest, at sea

Lorraine and Kimberly

Joe and Virginia, possibly the most adorable couple I know!

A small memorial: grandma cooking and Grandpa in the hallway at home amongst his clocks.

After the memorial we visited Grandma and Grandpa's old house in Long Beach. I grabbed a picture of Jeff, Robby, and Julie standing in front of the house. I can recall Katelyn toddling up these steps in her rainboots and jacket.

They lived at the corner of Roosevelt and Olive and we spent some time on the street corner reminiscing. It was beautiful listening to my husband and his cousins tell stories about growing up here: Grandma sewing Julie's "knickers" after a  skinned knee on the skateboard, the boys swindling the neighbors with a Boy Scout story. They were lucky kids.

Cafe Bixby on the corner! The Davidson clan spent many a Sunday night here together. We would walk here from Grandma's house, have dinner together, and walk back with a take out box of pie. I clearly remember taking these walks with my first born new baby in my arms.

 To sum it up she was completely old school and full of all kinds of class. She was a big lady at 6' tall and earned the nickname "Tall Grandma" from my kids. But a woman that tall leaves a mighty big hole when she leaves and we will work hard to keep her legacy of family, integrity, and hard work alive. An understatement it may be, but it must be said: She is missed.

ENC

Environmental Nature Center
Newport Beach, CA

 One of my kids' favorite places to go in Newport Beach is the ENC. We have been here dozens of times, but nonetheless, whenever we are in the area, they beg to go again. It is a simple little place with no roller coasters to ride, waves to surf, sand to dig, movies to view; however, the kids ADORE it! I like it because it's FREE.
The nature center resides on three and a half acres directly next to Newport Harbor High School. When the dirt for the high school swimming pool was excavated in the early seventies, it was dumped in the empty lot next door. Science teachers and student volunteers soon came up with the idea of developing the landscape into a nature center where the public can learn about different local habitats. There is a woodland walking trail, butterfly house, cactus garden, Native American exhibit, picnic area, and amphibian exhibit all available for our enjoyment.
We decided to hit it up on one of our rainy days in Newport. We of course first stopped at Dough Boy Donuts to pick up some sandwiches with which to picnic. My cousin, Christen, introduced us to this sandwich shop and it is hands down our favorite place to grab some lunch. The sandwiches are made on fresh, warm croissants! mmmmmmm.
With ham, cheese, and croissants in hand we headed over to the ENC. We first walked down the nature trail to the small stream and found a picnic table to hang out. We enjoyed our lunch beside the beautiful stream and small waterfall and the kids were in heaven! The only sound you could hear from our crew was the sound of the stream and chewing.

 My favorite part of going to the ENC in the spring are all of the flowers in bloom. The poppies were out in full force and even the cacti were blooming.
Unfortunately we missed the opening of the Butterfly House by just one week! After our yummy sack lunch, we ambled on down the nature trail. It was Natalie's turn to lead the way and choose our route. She had so much fun deciding which way mom and big sister were going to go. When we came to the end of the trail we turned around and came back to the beginning. Along the way back we stopped at the wetlands exhibit to study the habitat and examine the different types of animals that might live in this environment. We also talked about the animals that "stop by" during migration or mating. Science for the day? CHECK. ;) We also stopped at the trail entrance to examine the cactus garden (not without injury, of course!!) and look at the compost bins (extra fascinating!!).
Inside the building we took out the animal furs (this never gets old) and took turns guessing which fur goes with which animal. They had a new exhibit this time that connects animals in the food chain and we played with that for a little bit. There was also a smelling exhibit where the girls could smell the fragrances of different habitats. California Sage and Ponderosa Pine were two of the specimens that the girls liked best. Finally, we were just in time to see them feed the snakes! YAY! Eventually it became time to go and meet up with Dad. I think the girls could be happy hanging out there forever! Fun Adventure!

Smelling the Ponderosa pine. It has the slight scent of vanilla.

Checking out the food chain

Yikes!

Natalie leading the way!

Bubblefest!

Discovery Science Center, Santa Ana, CA

Bubblefest

During our stay in Newport Beach, we decided to head over to the infamous Bubblefest at the Discovery Science Center. We have been in the past, but this year was going to be double the fun because our nephews were to join us! We couldn’t wait to see what Nolan was going to do with all of the bubbles he was going to make.

We began with the Dora Adventure Zone. Nolan loved gathering the plastic balls and pushing them through the sorter and going through Dora’s Jungle Maze. He relished the crocodile that was lurking in there, but he refused to lift the flap where it was hiding!  Natalie enjoyed the rock-climbing wall and then we took in a science demonstration explaining the properties of surface tension. I especially appreciated that the demonstration explained the concept in 1^st grade terms; that was helpful once she was outside with the hands on experiment portion of the museum.  This year the outside display was not very impressive. There was a carnival type super slide for the older kids and only one bubble display for the kids. Fortunately it was “the BIG one” and all of the kids/adults had a great time creating huge mega bubbles with the wands and bubble stands.

Nolan & Katie making giant bubbles

 After a short lunch at the yummy Viking hot dog truck, we hauled the kids out to the cube where they shot off water rockets to their hearts content. This became Nolan’s favorite part of the day and each time we passed by the entrance he would say “rocket, rocket.” He somehow was able to convince my MIL to take him up there several other times that day as well! ;) While Nolan was blasting off, Uncle Noah took the girls on a scavenger hunt in the outdoor Dino Quest Adventure, and then all of the kids played in the small play area.

The best picture we could get of all four kids. Too bad Derenger isn't looking!

 It was finally our time to see the amazing Deni Yang perform a special laser light bubble show. We packed onto the metal bleachers inside a small warm tent. Natalie preferred to sit down on the floor in the front in the little kid bubble mosh pit. I have to admit, this was quite the show. Thousands and thousands of bubbles flooded the room while loud music inundated the area. The mosh pit went NUTS! Kids were everywhere, jumping, cheering, and trying to catch the bubbles with their hands. Deni Yang finally made his appearance and you would have though the guy invented juice boxes. The kids LOVED this guy. Even the adults were pretty impressed with his smoke in bubbles tricks and colored laser lights.  I have seen this act before, but it never seems to get old. He is an entertaining guy.

After the bubble show, we wandered upstairs and took a look at the Eco Challenge area. This was a new display since I was last here and it was really cute.  They have built a very realistic and high tech grocery simulation where kids shop for items in a grocery store while exploring the environmental impact of various items and their packaging. 

The shopping carts are high tech and equipped with computer scanners and lists of items for the kids to shop for

After all of our “shopping” was done, we moved to the “Race to Recycle” portion of the Eco Challenge. This was an interesting simulation where kids have to sort through various forms of garbage identifying e-waste, hazardous waster, yard waste, landfill waste, and recyclables, all within a time limit. I double failed this challenge! It was a fun game though!

One display that we missed this time was the Science of Hockey. Earlier this year, the kids went to see a Science of Hockey presentation at the Honda Center, but I missed that as well. I will have to catch it next time we go back.

All in all, this was one of the best days we’ve had there, mostly because we got to do it with family and see it through the fresh eyes of my 2-year-old nephew, Nolan. Can’t wait to take him back!

More pics of our day at the cube:

Rosie on the rock wall

The girls experimenting with surface tension

Katie built her own bubble frame out of straws

Natalie rocking it out in the wind tunnel

Girls' Getaway

Palm Springs, CA

At the beginning of this month, my oldest daughter and I had our own little getaway. We snuck off for a few days to the desert where we took advantage of gorgeous weather, substantial shopping opportunities, extensive pool time, and some quality one-on-one time. I truly enjoyed getting to know my little girl better and I appreciate all of the time we got to spend talking about life in general. When we got home, Dad gave Katelyn a beautiful promise ring, symbolizing the relationship that all three of us share, tied together by the metal that binds us...God.

Pool time!

Mom & Kate

I really just can't believe that this child is 12-years-old already! It seems like yesterday that I walked out of the hospital with her in her car seat thinking, "Okay....what NOW???" Nonetheless, she is growing into an articulate, sensitive, beautiful young woman and I am quite excited to see what the Lord has in store for her future.

It's My Birthday

True story: last night as I pumped gas at a gas station close to Balboa Island, a guy came over and chatted me up about the "Navy Wife" license plates on my car. He told me he was "fascinated" by the military life and asked all sorts of questions about where we have lived and why we were "here" indicating this particular area. I explained our situation and the circumstances that led to our stay here. He in return told me about his life, his 55' boat, and how he lives out on the island and was feeling sorry for me because I am poor. Yes, that's precisely what he said. I drove back to the Dunes pretty floored and really gave my husband a earful about this guy. Finally, I meet the guy who gives Orange County people such a bad reputation! hahaha
Today is my birthday. It was a crazy day and had nothing really to do with me. I had to drive back to Riverside to take Katie to a doctor's appointment and to her Tuesday night Bible Study class. Plus I went to the gym, paid bills, and spent an inordinate amount of time at the bank fixing a mistake that they made with our account over the weekend. Not exactly a pamper yourself type of birthday. Whatever.
I had the beginnings of a migraine by the time we headed back to the campground tonight. I put on some music and listened to my 12-year-old tell me about every facet of her day....
Then it happened. I had one of those moments. A Taylor Swift song had come on the radio and Katie cranked up the music and violently started singing along. "I love this song, Mom!" I looked back at Natalie in the backseat with her sunglasses on (in the dark because she is that cool), her sequined jacket (that she wore on purpose for the camping trip), and the glow of the car electronics on her face. She was staring at me and smiling. They were happy. They were healthy. They were mine.
As I begin my 36th year on this earth, I want this moment to be the one that sticks with me. The one where life is as simple as Taylor Swift on the radio and Katelyn happily singing in the car where Natalie is looking at me with contentment, where my wonderful husband is waiting for me at the end of the road, and I have the peace of knowing that God's grace and love completely surround me no matter what this year will bring.
So really, gas station man can kick rocks, because I am RICH.

My hubby decorated our camping trailer in honor of my birthday

This is what I returned "home" to tonight

My Rosie with whipped cream on her nose ;)

Puppy Love

The day we left for Europe (February) was a busy day! Lots of packing, printing off information, and making plans. Add to that confusion a vet appointment for our dog, Puggy. That is when we found out that she was expecting....in just three weeks! Because we would still be in Switzerland during that time, we needed someone to step in and help us out with this new development. Thankfully my brother and sister-in-love were up to the task. They came and picked up Puggy and took her home to care for spoil the new little mommy-to-be. She was as happy as a clam there basking in all of her new attention. The good news is, she knew them very well and loved being at their house. One Saturday morning, we were preparing to visit a local farm in Morrens, Switzerland, and we got a Skype call. It was my brother, and Puggy was having her puppies. What a blessing that through modern technology we could watch this event live from another continent!
Puggy had seven little puppies, but one passed away before we got home. Arriving home, we suddenly had a houseful of dogs! Eight in all and it was non-stop busy! It was a lot of work, taking care and keeping track of all of these pups, but we grew quite attached to them as the weeks wore on. We adapted the new additions into school work as the kids measured and weighed them each week, charting their growth with a line graph. Each night, our little family sat around the living room cooing and petting some little bundle of joy in our arms.

Soon, the time came for each pup to go to their new homes. It was a sad, rainy day that the first to leave, Dottie May, drove away. The sorrow was compounded because she was taking our dear friends and family, The Hunters, with her across the country. My cousin called me and told me, "You should put bows on the puppies and take some pictures with your kids."
What a great idea! I thought. I imagined my girls in beautiful spring dresses in a lush green yard cuddling all of our little pups sporting long, flowing giant silk bows. The boys would have blue bows and the little girl Zoe, a pink one. Even the edges of the pictures were fuzzy. Needless, to say...this is MY life and it didn't quite go that way. First of all our yard has been severely neglected lately because we are NEVER home! Secondly, my oldest daughter practically refuses dresses at this stage in her life. Thirdly, well....they are puppies. Enough said. Here is the reality of our puppy photo shoot:

 Between all of the biting, yelping, running, rolling around in the grass, choking each other with the bows, and 132 shots later, I was fortunately able to get a good picture!

Later that day we had some tearful moments as each of the pups went home. When we found out we would have puppies earlier in the year, we were shocked and a little scared, but it turned out to be one of our most fun adventures yet. I truly hope their new owners are enjoying them as much as we did!