California McMillans

Tyler is having a great experience with baseball.  He is naturally gifted and seems to understand how the game works.  He plays short stop the most and at his last game, at Adams Middle School, he made four outs and three runs.  The best out was where he realized he needed to tag out the runner.  He got this look of sheer determination in his eyes and I've never seen him run faster.  His will to tag-out the runner outweighed his physical limitation, so he chased the kid back to first and tagged him out.  I was pleased.  He also doesn't stress about how he performs, so even when he drops it or strikes out he doesn't cry.  He hardly ever strikes out, though. Pop, Heather, Jason and their kids came to the game.  We had pizza and it was fun. Go, Tyler!

Heidi's birthday was on Wednesday.  She bought herself some presents on craigslist:  A Wii with 16 games, 3 remotes and 2 accessories, a used Weber propane barbecue, and a lifetime plastic table with eight chairs.  I got her a scanner and her dad got her a bunch of dishes from Sur la Table.   We invited the Roos and the Olsons for a barbecue on Friday.  It was super fun.  The barbecue worked well and we enjoyed each others' company.  Heidi likes entertaining in the new house.   The Wii was a hit. That's the chandelier I installed last week.  Nice.

I don't have many weekdays off, so when I have a day off, we usually leave town.  Friday we went down to the Santa Cruz area with all the camping stuff.  Heidi had contacted several places about availability and whether or not we could show up without a reservation. Well, to make a long story short, there was no availability in three of the places we selected.  We made the most of it, though. We hung out at Sunset Beach in Watsonville for a few hours.  The water was chilly but the kids enjoyed it. Kids digging holes.  Timeless entertainment. Then I got real bad allergies and I already had a headache.  Heidi got a migraine, so we decided to just go home.  There was a grand piano I wanted to check out in Santa Cruz, so we made arrangements to view it on our way home.  I had to pull over so Heidi could throw up and then I checked out the piano. I drove until the bottom of Vasco road and then needed Heidi to drive because I was too exhausted.  The next morning, I took

Parker is such a great baby!!  He is 3 weeks old and doing great.  He is a good eater, up to 9 pounds at his 2 week check up and we are so in love with him.  The kids love to hold him.  Scott attempts at diaper changes, Kira strokes him and holds him and Tyler is so sweet with him.  Blake calls him Baby Parker and loves him but is acting out quite a bit which could be a result of not being the baby or moving or turning into a strong willed 3 year old. Parker sleeps most of the time.  He makes noises and grunts when he is up and loves to look around. He will sleep through anything and anywhere.  We went to the jelly belly factory when he was a couple of days old because the kids were on break and he did great.  He hangs out at the park, my work and is held and adored by all. He is an easy addition to the family.  He sleeps pretty well at night.  Is usually up 3-4 times at night which is pretty typical of my kids. So grateful for all the help we have received.  I realize with every k