Family Trip To Santa Barbara

We were glad to be able to see my brother Georg, his wife Jacqueline, and their 4 children in Santa Barbara for a few days. They are always super hospitable and gracious! This visit also enabled us to see my dad again (he lives close by) and my other brother John, his wife Marcy, and their 4 children, who I haven't seen in 5 years. The 12 cousins had a blast playing together.

The 12 cousins: Fletchers and Naumanns (only 2 Copelands missing)

Playing at the beach was a blast! So much can be done with some sand, water, kelp, and rocks!

Chatting with my sisters-in-law, Marcy and Jacqueline.

Here they are in order from oldest to youngest! Kurtis, Johanna, Allison, Philip, Magdeline, Louise, Christine, Kari, C.J., Sophia, Lilyana, and Carl.

It was neat to see Marcy, John, and my dad.

We also went to the Santa Barbara Zoo and Ty Warner Sea Center.

This is a lot of people to feed! Thanks Georg and Jacqueline!

My brother Georg, Vati, me, and my brother John.

And now some bonus Carl and Lily pics:
I took these photos of Carl and Lily a week ago--super cute!!!

There is a family tree I worked some more on and completed--of the Naumann/Berg family going back to the 1600s. It's in German, but I can send you a pdf if you're interested!

Camping at Gerle Creek in El Dorado National Forest

What a wonderful time we had together and with the Wilsons the last days camping. I was once again amazed at the vastness of God's creation. I enjoyed the wild flowers, a stream where we could wade in little waterfalls and search for interesting rocks, all the wild critters, a lake where we swam to an island, and a thunderstorm. Lily thought, "Someone knocking" (thunder) and "Somebody taking my picture" (lightning). Trey liked digging in the dirt, ashes, rocks, sand, and getting so dirty I can't get the stains out of his clothing. Hanna and Maggie enjoyed helping train Blossom, the Wilsons Portugese Water Dog, wading/swimming/jumping in the water, cranking old fashioned ice cream, and attempting to make biscuits on a stick. We are so thankful to God for the provision of this time.Notice: Trey is in the ash pit! His sisters are lounging, while Carl unpacks and sets us up.

Little Lil'

Cuddling in the tent trailor--Trey is trying out Hanna's new toothbrush.

Some swam and some rowed out to the island. See us on top?

Trey says, "Dirt, dirt, I love dirt!!!!"

Hanna and Maggie had a terrific time climbing on rocks. One boulder became a favorite spot to sit together and sip hot chocolate in the morning.

Encouragement Via Media and the Church

I added some stuff in my profile today. I've been thinking of who I would like to meet, casually, just to chat about God and things that matter most. There are some writers that craft words which, when I read them, give me a real "YES" moment. Andree Seu, writing editorials for "World Magazine" http://www.worldmag.com/andreeseu is one of these, Jenefer Igarashi from "The Old Schoolhouse Magazine" www.homeschoolblogger.com/JenIG/ is another. A dear friend gave me several homeschool encouragement websites too, if anyone is interested. I love when I read, hear, or see something that encourages me or challenges me.

I guess a good "media watch" verse would be Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things."

By the way--the church is also a MAJOR encouragement!!!! Here are some photos of our church hanging out at the beach in the end of May...

Julia caught a fish or a Carl...or is it the other way around?

Brent and his crab!!! He pinched Brent repeatedly, and now the crab's going to get eaten!

Opa and Oma Heidi come to visit

We had a few days with my dad and stepmother. I finally found out just what my dad's occupation is! Crazy how I know so little about people I've spent so much time with. It was special for grandkids and grandparents to spend time together also!

We went rollerblading/biking to Sebastopol, where (of course) we needed to stop at Screamin' Mimi's for some ice cream. I got Lavender and Hazelnut!

Trey fell asleep on the way home...
We also went to the Spring Lake Lagoon for a picnic
dinner. Maggie swam and swam. Trey dug in the dirt/sand and was lying in the water blowing bubbles. Lily loved paddling around, and Hanna floated and tried to relax after her long rollerblade in the morning.
Lots of fun!