2 Months

Wow! It's been a while since we've updated our blog. I guess we've been busy...or uninterested. ;) Here's some pictures and quick notes about what we've been up to in the last 2 months.

Dave's Grandpa John Vanderbilt turned 100 on July 30!!! The family had a birthday celebration for him, with the kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids all present. (Only a few family members were unable to attend, which is pretty good!)

The whole family: Grandpa and Grandma's 3 kids (plus spouses), 8 grandkids
(plus spouses), and 12 great-grandkids (and 1 on the way!)

The beginning of August was spent getting ready for school. After making the decision to home-school Elijah, I needed to make the decision on what curriculum to use-which took time and asking others lots of questions. :) Finally, mid-August, I had everything we needed so we decided to get an early start on school. Elijah's in 1st grade and Natalie (4 yrs) is doing preschool work - when she's interested - which is usually whenever Elijah is "doing school."

Here they are on their first day of school. :)

Time at the table, getting school work done.

In August, we also got a zoo membership because of a great Groupon deal. The day we chose to go was probably one of the hottest of the summer - over 100! And it was busy! The zoo was having a special Star Wars day so that is why we still went, even though it was hot and a busy Saturday. But because we now have a membership, we knew there was no pressure to see everything and spend a lot of time there. Though we did make sure we stopped to take pictures with a Storm Trooper before we headed to our air conditioned car!!!

(not sure what happened to this picture's coloring?!)

Over Labor Day weekend, we headed to our ministry's beach house with friends. We enjoyed the cooler weather, time playing in the sand and looking for sea creatures, plus Dave and the kids took the kayak out for an afternoon ride. It was a nice, relaxing weekend...but sadly, we took no pictures. :)

On a very sad note, Dave's other grandpa passed away in mid-September. Grandpa Gutierrez was 83 years old. Here's a picture of the last time we saw him - at Grandpa Vanderbilt's 100th birthday celebration. He will be missed!

Mid-September we also took a family vacation to Mammoth Lakes, CA. Through a connection with our ministry, a house is available a few times a year for our missionaries to use. Our friends had reserved the house and invited us and a few other friends to join them. We spent time going on (short) hikes, playing at the park, checking out garage sales, and just enjoying the beautiful scenery and small town (about 7,000). It was great to get out of the city, breathe fresh air, and slow down.

Happy Mama with all the kiddos and #4 on the way (10 weeks left!)

We even saw a bear on one hike! Unbelievable!!! For a family who doesn't normally hike, camp, or spend lots of time in "nature," what a fun blessing to see something so amazing!!!

Now, you're up to date with what we've been doing. With only 10 weeks or less til baby #4 comes, I'm sure the time will go by quickly and we'll stay busy! And we can only hope we'll keep you updated between now and the baby's arrival. ;)