Walnut Creek City Meet

Scott experienced his first City Meet. Fun times! You have the rec teams from Walnut Creek race each other. Scott had a lot of fun. He won the B division in free which he was so excited about since it came with a medal. He was so excited to hang out with and cheer for his buddy, Kai. He experienced his first clerk of the course. I love the expressions of the 6&Unders. They all look so scared. Great time, great friends, great swims and of course lots of candy packed into a day. The kids swam great and Cudas got the gold!

BESTS of "Lago de Los Pinos"

Tyler's favorite activity....HOT TUB. He actually learned how to swim on top of the water in the hot tub this week. Yeah. Now I just need to get him to do it in the pool. That is my goal for the summer.

Best Dessert...Lindsey made this yummy arroz con leche. It was soo good. She is such a talented chef.

Favorite Kids Dessert...Otter pops. I think we went through all 100.

Best Educational Experience. The Gold Mine. Grateful for my job as a coach.

Most Tired...Tyler! Unfortunately lack of sleep means added tantrums and whines. I still think that it is worth all the fun you can jam into a day with cousins.

Best Movie...Cars 2.

Most Patriotic Moment...4th of July Parade. Planes flying overhead. Kids catching Candy. Motorized Sofa. Fireworks at night.

Best Game...Some game that David's neighbor invented that has you lead a ball around certain obstacles..

Best cuisine....Crawdad Dinner caught by the kiddos. They had so much fun catching these creatures and even dared to eat them. Brigham and Jades face is priceless!

Best Craft...Stevens Scavenger Hunt! We were all in charge of a craft and this one was the very BEST!! It started in the morning with the kids chasing Adam around the house and yard as he was making the map. So fun and ended at night with them finding the clues. It was so fun! The kids had a blast working together to find their treasure chest!

Best Part...Hanging out with family and building relationships. I am blessed with great in-laws. My kids are blessed to be with there cousins. I am so excited that after Tyler's surgery we will be able to visit Utah more and continue to build relationships. Right now we only go to Utah once a year and Tyler stays with my parents. As soon as his surgery is over, we can go whenever we want. Scott loves hanging out with Jade, Tyler and Brigham are so cute together and I think Lily and Kira are going to be little buds. My kids talk about their cousins for months after our yearly McMillan vacations and nothing compares. That was the highlight of the trip for me.

Lake of the Pines

We spent six days with my folks and sibs at the Lake of the Pines resort near Auburn, CA. We rented a home on the water and had a great time.

I have never seen my dad so motivated as when he fishes. This time, he got a big payback in the form of a 2lb largemouth bass.

Heidi did an open water swim alongside our craigslist raft

Kira fell asleep in the tube

Adam boiled some crawdads he had caught. Hey, everything tastes good when cooked in butter and salt!

Scott wasn't a fan of the boiled crawdad.

The best picture I've ever taken of the kids!

A not-so-relaxing lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Auburn

We Moved

We were going to move 2 years ago but needed to figure out some life lessons. Danny considered specializing so we lived at my parents to get out of debt. Plans changed and Danny found a practice he loves with the highest of standards, great patients and great community. He rides his bicycle to work which takes 5 minutes and loves it. It only took two years to figure this out, which in retrospect is really no time at all. Some people never figure out what they want to do. We feel so blessed! I am so proud of Danny and the journey he is on.

In the meantime, my parents graciously turned their house over to my kids and family and we were the recipients of extreme kindness and love. As a result, my kids have an amazing relationship with my parents, we saved money, and had time to figure out our future. I learned patience, humility, reliance on the Lord, reliance on others, submissiveness, love of my family, ward and friends and so much more. I came away a better, more refined person learning little and big lessons along the way. It wasn't always easy and there were definite times I wanted and needed my independence and space, however, am grateful that our lives don't always go as planned and I had this time to grow as a family and individual. I have the most amazing family and friends and will cherish the time I had at my parents house and in the Northgate 1st ward.

It is amazing how everything has fallen into place. Danny's job, a perfect little house for us and a community we adore. We are excited for our future in Brentwood. Our neighbors are so welcoming. Life for me is still split between Walnut Creek and Brentwood. I am in Walnut Creek about 80% of the time. I leave every morning for work in WC and don't get home until night, so the moving process is a little slow and I am not at all familiar or a part of this community, but look forward to that in the fall. So far I love everything about Brentwood. Everything is new. It has great schools, a ton of kids live on our street, there is a great LDS community, it is affordable and people are friendly. So if you are looking for a place to move, come and visit and be our neighbor!

Here are pictures of a huge truck we rented. I spent the month of May packing boxes, the Elder's Quorum took about 30 minutes loading them up in WC and 30 minutes unloading them in Brentwood and here we are. It has been over a month and there are still things that we need but no time to get settled with our busy schedules. I only had one mental breakdown the first week I was in Brentwood. I was trying to unload and clean a filthy house, worried about my commute and swim schedule and majorly sleep deprived. I missed three weddings in two weeks, and a fun Delta birthday party, but it has all worked out far better than I could have ever imagined. There is a time and season for all and right now is swim season. There is not much time for anything else during swim season but that is alright. We are all loving it and that is all that matters. Here is my cute family on moving day. I love them!

Summer

Heidi doing her thing. I'm glad she's wearing that hat.

Scott during 'cuda practice

Cap'n Crunch for breakfast

Tyler didn't feel like smiling

Sweetie pie Kira. At church, she just wanders around, smiling and talking to people. We're not sure what she says, though.

Tyler was up way past his bedtime. He wanted to hang out with me while I posted on the blogs. Then, he climbed under the rug because he was cold, and fell asleep.

Mr. T goes to the dentist

Tyler had some work done by his friendly dentist: his dad. He did better than I expected but there were still some tears. Scott still maintains that he has my teeth, while Tyler has Heidi's. Well, he's right. But Tyler also has a vicious sweet tooth. So does Heidi.

Valley Vista

I am coaching the 8 & U at Valley Vista. It is actually a lot of fun! Tyler and Kira go to Kids Club, Scott hangs out at the pool for the 7-8 workout and swims during the 6&Unders. It has been a great experience for all the kids and me. I love the kids and the other coaches I work with. Overall great summer thus far. It has really helped Scott become independent. He needs to go and find friends to play with during practice or meets and take care of himself while I am working. Anything social for Tyler is great. Kira is getting used to being without mom. Scott did great at his first meet Sat. morning. I can't believe he knows how to swim. He is growing up so fast. I am so proud of him. He enjoys everything about it and I couldn't ask for anything more.

Doesn't he look professional....

Think again...And THIS is why I LOVE coaching 6&Unders. They always make you laugh. I think this picture sums up our practices and meets. He actually can now dive thanks to Aaron.

This is what his free and back look like. This pic happens to be free.

His Numero Uno Cheerleader....I love this girl so much. Her hair is always kind of out of control. I need to do a better job doing something with it. I pretty much need help with little girls. At least she still loves me.