My baby's going to preschool!

Liam's been looking forward to going to preschool for a long time now. What could be better than going with your "best buddy", Conner. Of course in true Liam spirit, he changed his mind at the last minute. There were a few tears, ok well, there were a lot of tears, but when we picked him up he was all smiles(as you can see in the pictures). He was trying to tell me about a song he learned. He said there were crocodiles that ate monkeys. Pretty cool stuff. Can he just stay 3 forever?

You can't separate a man from his Curious George.

For those of you that are more familiar with the Rippee side of our family, here's a picture of the 3 smallest members of our extended family. From left to right, Caedmon, Anneliese, and Caleb. These pictures are from the last week of July (remember we were "squeezing every last inch of fun out of summer"). What do you do when it's 113 degrees in Brentwood and camping outdoors is unbearable....you go to Marine World! So here we are, in all of our sweaty glory. The Justice League Superheros parade was pretty cool for the kids (see photo of Kristi & Yuri and the kids). Most of all it was nice to feel the Vallejo breeze and spend some time together.
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As you can see, opening day for soccer is kind-of a big deal out here. There were opening ceremonies, and then the teams paraded around the football stadium with their banners and whatnot. Check out the picture of Liam. He insisted on wearing his "uniform". Kev & Lacee- it's the Italian jersey you got them! It's his new favorite thing to wear (24/7). He even has cleats on. Next year he'll finally be old enough for under 6's. I think he's got a big career of hacking ahead of him.

They're Back to School

The first day of school has come and gone, but not without some embarrassing pictures to document it. This year's picture is on the left and last year's is on the right. I need a moment to collect myself, okay I'm fine. Yes, they are growing up fast. I've noticed another thing that is growing...my plant on the porch there. Last year's plant looks completely dead... how embarrassing.

So, here we are (ok, only 4 of the 6) enjoying what's left of the summer in our pool. We've been battling this crazy pool all summer to keep it blue (notice the green tinge). But it has been a good summer for us. We are still adjusting to the extreme hot weather here in Brentwood. It was 113 degrees last week-Ouch! Ryan has been studying hard to prepare to teach 150 high school students at summer camp. The camp was last week and it went great, but I think it's a relief to have that behind him. I've enjoyed taking the kids from pool party to pool party. We've spent a lot of time with friends, at sleepovers, visiting grandparents and cousins, and trying to squeeze all the fun we can before the kids had to return to school. Gavin is 8-1/2 and jumped off the high dive for the first time this summer and did some kneeboarding behind his grandpa's boat. Delaney is now 6-1/2 and this summer really enjoyed Vacation Bible school and staying at grandma Pam and grandpa John's house in Napa for a week. She got to spend some time with her old friends there. Liam made the most improvement in his swimming this summer. In June, he refused to stick his head under the water until I told him it would only be "a little bit" scary, not "a lot-a-bit" scary (in his words). He then walked over to the edge of the pool and jumped in and went under. It also helped that we bribed him with a Slurpee! After that, he became our daredevil. He blew me away when he jumped off a 5 ft. high rock waterfall at a friend's pool in July. He amazes me at 3-1/2 years old. Caedmon is a joy for our family. He cracks us up all the time. He is very silly and his new nickname has become "little rascal" (notice what his t-shirt says to the left). He already loves to wrestle with his dad and growls and grunts and is very manly for 10 1/2 months old. The kids love him, except when he pulls hair, which is his new favorite pasttime. That and screaming when we put him in his high chair. I guess I can thank the Lord for 9 peaceful months! That's it for the first post. The kids are now back in school (3rd and 2nd grade) and the soccer season has started. We volunteered to coach Delaney's team, The Sharks. We thank the Lord for good health, for safety, for family, for a wonderful church and for the many blessings we have. God Bless!