Friday, November 9, 2007

A new look at grandma's house

One of the things we have been focusing on is landscaping Lavona's home. From desert (cactus and all) to paradise, the transformation is amazing!














Weeds galore, prickley bushes with lots of roots, to abundant rocks, we faced it and overcame it.

All who pass by comment at the change.

By the way, these pictures hardly show the transformation that has taken place.



We have now turned our attention to the back garden.

Steve & Shellie

It's official there is love, and it is even better after all these years (23 of marriage - almost 19 of that in Australia)!!!

Lavona's 80th Birthday

We celebrated Lavona's 80th birthday for a whole weekend. I am sure we all gained some weight as we shared some "beautiful" meals together. Family from out of state and out of town flew or drove in to be here. There were special audio-visual put together of her life, a special song sung by Natalie, amazing food and great stories. This was a spectacular weekend marking a woman's history and legacy.

Thank you everyone who made this weekend so special! And mom, we love you so very much!!!
Here is pictured Lavona with her sister (Wanda) and brother (Tom).
Our boys met family members for the first time. How sweet is that!!!

Lavona and her kids

Here is Steve, Vicki, Lavona and Ken sitting on "grandma's" new couch.

Presto's 16th Birthday

On October 14th, Prestin turned sweet 16. He is such a gentle giant, now standing over 6'2". We ate some sort of Thai meal. Presto's cake was a mud pie (made of fudge, coffee ice cream, sprinkled with crushed english toffee and an oreo cookie base). Notice Prestin is enjoying one of his favorite drinks, sweetened iced tea.

It is so nice to be able to celebrate holidays and birthdays with family. We love you guys!!!
Presto is adding to his wardrobe with a new official Angels baseball shirt!!! He no longer needs to borrow one to go to an Angel game!!!

Hiking at Mt Baldy

One of the things that we have done since arriving is head to the mountains for some hiking. We have been trying to get up there every week (it's only a 20 to 30 minute drive to get there), but we have been well below that goal. Still we have loved the new adventure of going higher than we could in Australia. It is also a great opportunity to get some fresh air and exercise!!! From the steep climb at Baldy Smmit to foresty valley climb up through Ice House Canyon we have just begun to explore the vastness of these mountains. Jasen is usually the first amongst us to find a stick.

Praise the Lord for the beauty of His creation. It truly displays His majesty!!!

Jasen's new "cool" glasses

Jasen's new cool glasses (that he got from our friend Paul in Huntington Beach in September) inspired Scott (Jasen's cousin) to get a pair just like them!!! We are loving being around family!!!

Thanks Paul for all the eye care you provide for us!!!

Los Angeles County Fair

In the second half of September we took a day adventure to the LA County Fair. An very interesting experience for the boys who had never been to anything like this before. The smells, the things being sold and the exhibits provided several hours of memories!

Arbonne Pure Oasis in Palm Springs

In September Shellie had the sweet opportunity to attend her first Arbonne conference, which was held in Palm Springs, California. It was a lovely time for her to meet more of the people who are a part of this great company. Steve and the boys hung out at the unit where they ate, swam, watched TV and played tennis all while Shellie did her Arbonne stuff. We all had a blast!

Thank you Matt & Debbie for letting use your condo!!! Thank you Sheryl for introducing us to Arbonne!!!