Back in California

Well we have been back in California for a little over a week now. It has basically been a whirlwind since we got here. We are pretty well settled in our new home and getting used to living with another family. They are very easy going and kind! During the past week we have seen our families numerous times, gone to my brother's graduation and graduation party, enjoyed a "welcome home" dinner hosted by our Sunday group, attended our Sunday group twice and done a whole bunch of other stuff in between.

Sound busy? Yep, it has been. We are working on establishing a routine that will work for our family. Think of us as we endeavor to do this! Oh and there should be a lot of photos to show you, but I have been slacking and really have not taken any since we have been back. Oops!

Road Trip Memories

For the past two weeks we have been making on way from Ontario, Canada to California. We have made many stops along the way. Many dear friends along the route have housed us, fed us delicious meals and provided us with wonderful opportunities to reconnect with each other! We have had a great time, but we are definitely ready to settle back into a normal routine. The boys are good travellers and they have had fun. Here is a recap of all the stops we have made:

We left on Friday May 25th and headed for Michigan to visit with Jeff's Uncle, Aunt and Cousin. We were able to spend the afternoon with them and the boys even enjoyed some time in their pool.

Our next stop took us to Western Michigan to visit some dear friends who we had not seen for 2 years. Unfortunately I forgot to take out the camera and so I do not have any pictures from our time there. We had a wonderful time chatting, going to the park and spending time with their adorable son, Levi!

We left Michigan and headed for Wisconsin. We stayed with the wonderful William's family! They let us stay in their house for 4 nights! Wow, you guys have some real patience!! While we were in Wisconsin we visited with several friends and even had the chance to take the kids to an indoor playground to get some energy out!

After we left Wisconsin we traveled just a few hours to Dubuque, Iowa where we got to see some dear friends and former classmates! We had not seen them since graduation 2 years ago! What a sweet reunion it was! The kids had a lot of fun together.

Next we went Des Moines, Iowa where we visited with some more friends and former classmates. We had a good time catching up and letting the kids play together. We had lots of good food and good conversations!

Our next day of travelling took us to Nebraska. We stopped first to meet some distant relatives of mine and to pick up a high chair that my great grandma's dad made for her when she was a baby. It was neat to hear some stories about my grandma and to meet this sweet couple. After that we headed to Lincoln to stay at a friend's house there. Unfortunately our friends were in California, so we did not get to see them. Thanks you guys for still opening your home for us to stay overnight!

After Nebraska we went to Denver. We were able to take the kids to the Children's Museum there and they had a blast!

We knew we were getting close when we came upon our favorite burger place ever...In N Out!! We are now in Utah and will arrive in California tomorrow! We enjoyed a delicious dinner and are very excited to get to our final destination tomorrow!!

On the road

Well we officially left our home in Canada on Friday. We had a few hiccups trying to pack and clean and graduate all within the span of a few days. Thankfully we made it out with no complications. We are slowly making our way to California with several stops along the way. Think of us as we travel. I will try to post some pictures over the next few days.

More family pictures

Here are some more of the photos that our friend took for us. I am so happy with how they turned out. Logan was the only one who did not want to smile and I think it was because he was cold and ready for a morning nap!

Running

Yesterday was field day here on campus. Both of the boys were very excited to watch the events and participate in a race of their own!

Here they are waiting for the events to start, drinking their smoothies. Even Logan was having fun!

Carsten was up first in the 25 meter race for ages 1-2. He came in second place!

Rylan was up next in the 25 meter race for ages 3-4. He won his race and was smiling the whole time!

Next they did a race for the women, so I decided to participate. Boy was that a mistake. I am too old and too out of shape! I am still sore today!! I came in 4th out of 6 people.

It was a really nice and warm day outside! We all had a good time!

Recently Rylan ran the 400m with his PE class. His time was 2:44. Pretty good for a 4-year-old!

Boys on the bridge

Here are some more photos that our friend took the other day. There are none of Logan yet, but here are a few of Rylan and Carsten.

Family Pictures

We are very fortunate to have a good friend who is also a great photographer! She offered to take pictures of our family at no cost! We are really excited about the few we have seen so far. I thought I would post our two favorites, but there will be more to come!