The Decker's

2009-07-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Summer..

We had a great time visiting family and friends in Ky. Flying ALL day with 3 kids and enough stuff for 10 was interesting but went rather well. Adjusting to the time change was a little hard but Claire did great. She is 7 months old already and rolling everywhere she wants to go. She scoots on her back as well. Not sure if crawling is something she'll ever do? Her thighs are too big I think :) Like Misty said, she may have been born in California but she got her first 2 teeth in Ky! Going back to the east coast was nice and we enjoyed the warm summer weather. The time went so fast, hard to believe summer is almost over. Emma and Taylor start Kindergarten in a couple weeks. They are excited but we'll see how the all day all week thing goes? Brian graduates in Dec from here so our time is ticking away. It has been a great opportunity to live in such a beautiful place. Emma and Taylor live in vacation and I wonder what more they could see at such a young age. It is a shame Claire will never remember this.. Looks like we will be going back to Pinehurst NC in Dec. It will be nice to be in driving distance to home again..

Brian is still doing his crazy mountain bike riding and running more then one person should.. I am trying to run and playing softball again which has been good. I am running the San Francisco 1/2 marathon July 26th. My great friends Wendy and Marta are flying out for it as well. I am still working 1-2 nights a week which feels like full time because of no sleep.. Emma and Taylor just finished soccer camp which went great! I thought they would have given me a hard time about going but they liked it. They took a session of swim lessons and will be doing that again real soon. They love swimming. We are busy busy and going to enjoy the rest of our time here. We plan to go to Yosemite and a couple other places before leaving! You would need to be here for years to do it all.

2009-07-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

Claire 7 months..

These were done at home.. Claire unlike the girls cooperated with pics. She did great until they kept putting her on belly and then she was done.

Emma

She was in a weird mood?? Not wanting to do the pic thing.. Oh well..

Taylor

2009-07-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

Best Friends..

California Claire!!

I know I have pics of Emma and Taylor like this..

2009-07-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

Just some shots of Claire

They need to make these mom size!!

2009-07-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

Emma and Taylor are getting so "old" looking. They have very different expressions and smiles now. I keep waiting for the day that they don't want to dress the same but for now they want to...

Taylor

Emma

Emma and Taylor at my mom's

2009-07-17T22:48:00.000-07:00

A longtime neighbor of my mom and dad gave us a hayride on his property.. After a long day of swimming it was rather relaxing!

Matthew was thrilled, I made him go!!

Emma and Taylor with PaPa on the big fire truck..

2009-07-17T22:41:00.000-07:00

While in Nky we went fishing at Marty and Cathy's pond.

Brian told Emma that you have to kiss the first fish you catch. She of course believed him and did it.. We'll be showing this one again in many years I am sure..

Emma's fish
Taylor's fish. She didn't fall for the kissing thing!

2009-07-17T22:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Mason,

Mason had a Pirate Party for his 5th Bday..

AARRR!!!

Taylor
Emma

2009-07-17T22:24:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July

We went to my aunts for the 4th just before heading back to California.

Claire and her stars and stripes..

Mom, Rob, Suzanne, and Michelle

2009-07-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

What talent..

Claire has discovered she can suck her big toe.

We are so proud!!

Aunt Suzanne at her baby shower..

2009-07-17T07:48:00.000-07:00

Kings Island!

Emma and Taylor are already talking about next year..

They have a great time as most kids do riding all the rides. We left Claire at home with Suzanne for the day. Thanks Suzanne! It was fun to have big kid time for the day..

Emma and Taylor and their new Claifornia surfer Scooby

2009-07-17T07:32:00.000-07:00

Taylor bumper cars

This was a big year for bravery at Kings Island.. well sorta.

Taylor has to be bribed with things to get on ridesbut this became a favorite after riding it "alot".. A real belly tickler.
Emma enjoying the Planktun Plunge..

Emma on the bumper cars..

2009-07-17T07:29:00.000-07:00

Claire's Baptism

We baptized Claire on Father's Day while we were home.

Church was hot and Claire's dress was a little "fluffy"

The paci was the perfect accent piece..

2009-07-17T07:23:00.000-07:00

Wietholter's

Decker's

Mickey (Godfather)
Suzanne (Godmother and mommy to be)

2009-07-17T07:16:00.000-07:00

Claire

bright sun..

Claire and her backpack ride

2009-07-17T07:06:00.000-07:00

Emma and Taylor in Nanny's yard..

Park at Cumberland Fall's

Taylor left Emma right

2009-07-17T06:57:00.000-07:00

We had a great time in Somerset while we were home.

Tractors, 4 wheelers, waterslides, smores around a fire and playing with Ashleigh and Reagan.. There is never enough time but always a good visit..

Taylor on PaPa's tractor

Emma

The girls playing on Ashleigh and Reagan's waterslide.

2009-07-17T06:48:00.000-07:00

Biscuit

No it isn't a small calf but a huge 9 month old puppy..

Misty and Jimmy have a new dog and it will knock you off your feet, literally..

Another favorite of Emma and Taylor's while we are home..

4 wheeler's.

They had a blast going "real fast" with dad on the 4 wheeler. There were too many pics to post of all the fun.

2009-07-17T06:40:00.000-07:00

The Decker Clan..

Nanny, PaPa and all the girls..

One of these girls will have to keep the Decker name, no boys in this bunch!

PaPa is a baby lover!!

PaPa's girl

2009-07-17T06:24:00.000-07:00

Cumberland Fall's

The falls are just a few miles from Brian's house so we took the girls to see.

It is very pretty and they had fun watching

Claire's first backpack ride.

She loved it! It is so much easier going places with 1 baby!!

Reagan, Taylor, Emma and Ashleigh at the falls!

2009-07-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

Falls Daydreaming..

Great place to take a nap..

2009-07-17T06:09:00.000-07:00

WaterPark

We went to the waterpark in Somerset again this year.

It is a great place for kids, Emma and Taylor can touchi n the entire pool (kids) and had a great time. Claire watched mostly, the sun was too much.

2009-07-17T05:54:00.000-07:00

Mom and Claire

Dad and girls

Taylor, Ashleigh, and Emma

They all had a good time...

2009-04-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

Claire 4 1/2 months

Hard to believe she is already so big. She is doing great and growing like a weed. 16lbs and adding daily. She has rolled over a couple times, up on her side alot, and wants to sit up!! She talks and likes to blows bubbles.. Emma and Taylor enjoy her unless she is napping and they have to be quiet. Things should be interesting when she starts crawling.

Another baby with cheeks!

2009-04-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

Taylor

Emma

(looks like she just woke up)

2009-04-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday

We went to a few different egg hunts just before Easter and they really should have just one costume for that Bunny. I had to explain to them why one bunny had a man's face (someone you wouldn't let around your kids on any other circumstance), one bunny was chocolate, and the other was "The real Eatser Bunny" They had a great time Easter morning and thankfully he brought Claire a basket too.

Mom and Claire

2009-04-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

Emma and Taylor in a tree after Church..

Dad and his baby girl..

2009-04-29T11:34:00.000-07:00

Emma and Taylor are playing tee ball. The funniest thing I have ever watched them do. They (and the others) have made their own rules. If you don't hit it far enough pick it up and throw it! Emma did this. If you aren't sure where to run just find any base, it will work. Who says only one person can be on a base, the more the merrier.

We are enjoying this!!

Taylor looking and Emma is #2. She reminded me that your number has nothing to do with how old you are. I told her it can mean how old you ACT!!

2009-04-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

All the girls..

On the boat to Alcatraz

Claire

She is a very happy baby!

2009-04-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

View of San Francisco from Alcatraz

On Alcatraz Island, Golden Gate bridge in background

Golden Gate Bridge
Alcatraz

2009-04-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

While Robbie Suzanne and Michelle were here visiting we went to Alcatraz. It was very interesting and if they ever reopen for tennants Emma and Taylor will be there.. I would like to go back and tour again without kids! There is alot of interesting stories there...

Emma and Taylor in a cell.

2009-04-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

Emma and Taylor at the beach..

Most days it is windy at the beach. Emma and Taylor got a kite and I thought it was going to be a pain to do with them, but all you have to do is stand there and goes. We tied it to the stroller for a while and it stayed up the entire time.. My kind of kite flying!!

2009-04-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

2009-04-28T22:49:00.000-07:00

Emma and Taylor are 5 !!

Wow it was a birthday week! Started with cupcakes for school on Wed, then birthday party on Saturday and another "family" party on Monday, their actual birthday. It was a good Bday but we were glad it was done!! 5 brings a whole new attitude to the house. They refer to being 4 like it was years ago... I fear teenagers.

2009-04-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

Emma and Taylor's 5th birthday party was at JumpNround.. A place with inflatables to jump in. They had a great time and all their neighborhood friends were there.

I am sure there was no spit on that cake!

Claire had a great time!!

Dad got to play a little too..

A great day to be 5..

2009-04-28T22:25:00.000-07:00

After Emma and Taylor went to sleep the night before their Bday I decorated their room with balloons and streamers. What a hit, it was like Christmas morning. The down fall was Emma got up at 5:30 to go to the bathroom, early morning for us all!!

Excited Birthday girls

2009-04-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

Taylor at the beach and her seashell find..

Ky girls on a California beach, long way from home...

Emma doing a "Trick"

They are into Big Girl Tricks :)

2009-04-28T21:56:00.000-07:00

Brian and Phillip went in together and bought a Kayac. Emma and Taylor got to go out on it while we were at the beach. It was fun to watch but considering you get wet and the water is frigid, I'll watch from the shore! This is Taylor..

Taylor getting ready to head out to sea..

Emma ....

Emma getting ready to go out..

2009-04-28T21:48:00.000-07:00

Just some scenic pics,

These are from the 17 mile drive in Pebble Beach..

Claire is her Bumbo seat! Thanks Wendy and Marta!!

She was about 3 months old in this pic. She loves to sit up! Going to be a busy body and into everything, I have the feeling!!

2009-04-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

I anxiously got back to running after Claire was born. This was a 5k (short one) that I ran in Feb. Since then I have signed up to run a 7 mile race in May and a 1/2 marathon in July. I have major foot problems right now so I am not running much and praying it will go away soon.. Running is easier when you have this scenery to run with!

2009-04-28T21:32:00.000-07:00

Everyone after the race, except Claire in the stroller

And they are off!!

Emma and Taylor in the kids fun run. We aren't sure where Emma was going at first? Maybe she saw a chair??

Silly girls with their medals..

2009-02-04T22:37:00.000-08:00

We survived January!!

It has been a while since I updated the blog. Life has been very hectic. Claire gave us quite a scare and was in the hospital with RSV for 5 days. The whole family got the cold and finally after 3 weeks of it we thought we were in the clear and Taylor brought home Pink eye.. Thankfully it didn't get the rest of us. We are now living in a bubble of Lysol!! So now all is well and we are getting caught up. I feel like 2 weeks of Claire's life have been erased.. She is doing very well and starting to sleep a little better. Brian's flexible schedule has been a life saver. I will soon go back to work a night a week, yuck. Emma and Taylor are doing well despite Taylor's 2 hour tantrums. By the time she is done we don't even remember what started it.. I started back running and wow the first couple runs were painful. I am running a 5K this weekend and hope to run the San Francisco 1/2 Marathon in July. Brian of course is running like Forest and will run his 3rd Marathon soon. He is taking full advantage of Mountain Bike riding here and I am thankful everytime he comes home in one piece. NOw that I am not pregnant I hope to do more here as well.

All my piggies!!

2009-02-04T22:17:00.000-08:00

Claire is 8 Weeks Old!!

Time is flying by and Claire is growing like a weed. She should be all she does is eat!! I took some pics today of our little darling.. She is doing well starting to get a little personality and a little spoiled.. She is either very content or screaming to be held. A monster in the making. Emma and Taylor are really good with her and can be trusted for the most part. Although her Pediatrician claims all siblings under the age of 5 are homicidal. We have adjusted to life with 3 kids, crazy!!

2009-02-04T22:02:00.000-08:00

2009-02-04T21:56:00.000-08:00

Claire 7 weeks old

2009-02-04T21:41:00.000-08:00

Where's Claire??

We rounded up quite a few baby dolls and stuck Claire in the middle..

You would think Emma and Taylor played with dolls.. They don't!!

If I could only get sleep like this...

2009-02-04T21:35:00.000-08:00

It is Feb and Emma and Taylor still listen to their Halloween CD. They were dressed up as princesses but acting as monsters.. All they sing is Monster Mash and We wish you a Merry Christmas. Painful to hear..

Now that is scary..

2009-02-04T21:28:00.000-08:00

Claire in her bed..which she hardly sleeps in. She still sleeps in our room but I try to put her in her crib so she gets use to it.. She sleeps about 10 minutes and then is done. Hopefully that will change.

Her head looks rather round in this pic. Must be the angle :)

2009-02-04T21:17:00.000-08:00

Taylor holding Claire after a bath..

They want to help and it usually it a disaster, poor Claire

Emma holding Claire

Claire in the tub.. We usually do a quick wash off on the counter, it is so much easier.

2009-02-04T21:08:00.000-08:00

These are a couple pics taken from Point Lobos. As I say below, it is just a few miles from the house and a good place to walk trails, bike ride ect.. Brian has been there many times, this was my first trip. The views are breath taking. You could sit out on a rock and not get up for days.. This was along the trail we walked.

2009-02-04T20:47:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken from Point Lobos just a few miles from the house. There are hiking trails and a state park. This time of year the Grey Whales are migrating south and they are seen all time in Monterey Bay. The "white" spout of water is a whale. Sorry not a great pic but neat to see.

Us looking out over the "cliff" watching for whales.

Brian walking up the trail with the girls. Kinda nerve racking, the cliff drops off and goes straight down to the water!

2009-02-04T20:34:00.000-08:00

Just some scenic pics from HWY 1.

While we were at the beach with the seals there was a very pretty rainbow over the mountains..

2009-02-04T20:29:00.000-08:00

Elephant Seals..

Description is below

2009-02-04T20:14:00.000-08:00

We drove down to see the Elephant Seals.

Every year they migrate to the beach to have their babies, get pregnant again and head back out to sea until it is time to do it again. Remind me to never wish to be an elephant seal!!! The males have a "trunk" and are huge! they can weigh up to 5000 lbs. There were hundreds of them and really interesting to see. They were just a few feet away from us, makes you forget they are wild..

A male elephant seal

The seals on the beach. They were all over in both directions.

2009-02-04T19:40:00.000-08:00

Sorry, this out of order

Taylor picking flowers

Emma and Taylor had fun picking flowers after watching the elephant seals. They were pretending like they were getting married.

Boy we are in trouble!!

Emma

2008-12-25T19:51:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!

We hope everyone had a good Christmas.

Emma and Taylor were spoiled by Santa this year. I guess that is what happens when you start shopping in Sept! We waited for Claire to take a Christmas pic. Here are a few of the girls.

Happy New Year!!

2008-12-25T19:39:00.000-08:00

Claire all wrapped up!!

Just a few pics I took of Claire for our Christmas card/ Birth announcment. She did so well, I expected it to be a disaster, screaming baby or worse pooing and peeing all over the place!! Brian played Santa with a stocking on his arm and the bottom cut out and a ladies white glove. I am giving away all my secrets..

She was bigger then I thought!!

What must have been going through her mind??
Yes I torture my kids to get the picture..

2008-12-18T20:48:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the World Claire Ella Decker

Well Claire finally made it. She wasn't going to come out on her own. She was fat and happy in there and after listening to her crazy, loud sisters for months she thought she was safer inside.

She was born Dec 11th at 7:51 Pm

She weighed 8lbs and 10 oz's and was 21 inches long. Rather large compared to Emma and Taylor 5lbs and only 18 inches!! We came home Saturday and are adjusting well.. Emma and Taylor are doing great with her and are a help. Brian being around this time has made things much easier, nevermind it is just one this time.

2008-12-18T20:33:00.000-08:00

Claire 6 days old..

A Smile!!
Must be Gas...

2008-12-18T20:09:00.000-08:00

Claire and I the next day..

Her poor head looked like a cone when she came out. Thankfully it rounded out quickly.

Proud Big sisters!

Emma and Taylor seeing Claire for the first time. After seeing her they came over to me in bed and wanted to see my belly button, that is how she came out..... Taylor also informed me that my belly was still "kinda" big.

The honesty of kids..

2008-12-18T19:58:00.000-08:00

The Girls..

Emma and Taylor are happy to have Claire here.

They wanted to know if my back would quit hurting now!

Considering she came out sunny side up, it may be a while..

Anyone who has had 10 lb babies, Kudos to you!!

This was enough for me.

2008-11-30T22:07:00.000-08:00

Today was a beautiful day here, 70 and Sunny..

We headed to the beach in Carmel and tried to get a few pics before Claire is born. 13 days left or less!! I spared everyone the bare belly pic. The girls had a good time playing on the beach, it is so pretty here. It doesn't exactly feel like Christmas weather but it is nice to get outside still and enjoy the warm sun..

2008-11-30T21:26:00.000-08:00

A few pics of me and the girls,

Soon there will be 4 of us!!

Brian is seriously out numbered.

A Walk on the beach, it was a beautiful day. Hard to see but that is Pebble Beach in the background.

2008-11-30T21:19:00.000-08:00

A great beach day!!

Emma and Taylor had a good time playing in "puddles"

and the sand. It is so much fun to go the beach and it not be 95 degrees.

The waves were huge today, 15-16 feet. We didn't test the water but I am sure it is as cold as usual.

Emma running on the beach..

Taylor on the beach..

2008-11-30T21:15:00.000-08:00

Digging in the sand..

Taylor left, Emma right.

2008-11-30T21:11:00.000-08:00

The letters have been mailed!!

Emma and Taylor put their lists in Santa's mailbox.

The list is rather long this year, hopefully they forget about a couple things!!

2008-11-30T21:04:00.000-08:00

Last Soccer Game.

Emma and Taylor had a good soccer season.

We are looking forward to Tee Ball in the spring!

2008-11-01T23:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!!

Emma (Belle), Taylor (Sleeping Beauty)

and Claire as a pumpkin..

2008-11-01T22:51:00.000-07:00

Another Princess Halloween!!

Our first Halloween with different costumes and no fights the day of!!

Emma is Belle and Taylor Sleeping Beauty. You can't see in the pic but they were excited to have their hair all curled in the back. They had a blast trick or treating this year and lasted quite a long time. Our neighborhood went all out with decorating and there were just as many parents dressed up as there were kids. They are determined that they saw a REAL witch and a REAL skeleton. It was fun..

2008-11-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

There it is!! No one can gripe at me for not posting prego pics now!!

My belly was quite a hit. I got lots of comments on it. Many thought the pumpkin was drawn on the shirt but I cut the shirt and that was my real "gut"!!

Emma and Taylor had fun painting, Brian helped!!

Me and the princess's

2008-11-01T21:55:00.000-07:00

We went to Earthbound Farms to get pumpkins and they had a corn maze, a real corn maze, and the girls were making spooky noises!! We actually got a little lost and spent more time in there then we intended..

The girls and I at the farm.

I thought they may search me on the way out thinking I was stealing pumpkins under my shirt.

The elementary school here had a fall festival. It was very hot and Emma and Taylor wanted their faces painted. There was 1 girl doing it and we stood in line for about an hour!! Emma chose the spider and Taylor wanted to be a vampire. Not sure where that came from??

2008-11-01T18:13:00.000-07:00

While everyone was here our neighbors put together a little race for the kids. They biked and then ran. At the last minute the morning of Emma and Taylor decided to partcipate. This was Taylor crossing the finishline (in front our house)

Taylor crossing the finishline

Gold medal winners!!

2008-11-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

We had more visitors recently.

Mickey, Michelle, my nephews Matthew and Mason and my mom came for a week. We stayed here in Monterey for a few days and then went to San Diego for the rest of the week. We went up to Jack's Peak, a small hiking place up the road from our house. From the top you can see Pebble Beach and a nice view of the ocean. This pic was taken from the top.

Emma, Matthew, Mason and Taylor

Emma and Taylor on Jack's Peak

2008-11-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

Me and the girls..

lunch in Big Sur.

2008-11-01T17:45:00.000-07:00

Kids on a rock on Highway 1. (I explain the rd below)

This was a stop on the side of the rd where we literally got the kids out put them on the rock and then right back in the car. Just on the other side of that rock is a huge cliff to the water.

left to right: Taylor, Matthew, Emma, and Mason

2008-11-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

We first spent a few days here in Monterey. We took a glass bottom boat ride and went out to see the Sea Lions.

This was taken from the side of hwy 1. It is the "famous" scenic hwy that goes along the shoreline along the California coast. The mountains are on the other side of the road. This is about 20 miles from our house on the way to Big Sur. we drove it mostly for the scenery and then ate lunch in Big Sur. Big Sur is very pretty with all the forests and redwood trees. There is camping galore there. It also was part of one of the wild fires when we first moved here. It is by far the prettiest drive I have ever been on.

2008-11-01T17:01:00.000-07:00

San Diego Zoo

The zoo was alot of walking!! We got to see alot of the big animals up close. The zoo itself wasn't as big as I thought it was going to be. We had a good time and were all tired at the end of the day..

2008-11-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

Emma and Taylor and a camel

My two little bugs!!

Emma as a butterfly and Taylor a caterpillar

Wow they didn't hardly get anything on their face..

2008-11-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

Just some animal pics

2008-11-01T16:31:00.000-07:00

Our second day in San Diego was spent at Lego Land.

It is an amusement park that was perfect for the kids. They had a really good time. They have lots of things built out of legos of course. They had New York city, San Fran, The White house and lots of others. It was pretty impressive.

2008-11-01T16:03:00.000-07:00

Emma on a horse ride at Legoland.

The ride was too cute, individual horses that ran on a track. One of their favorites..

Taylor on her horse..

A pirate ship ride. I got to rest quite a bit here because I was not aloud to ride anything.. Don't go to an amusement park pregnant!!

2008-11-01T15:50:00.000-07:00

Sea World

Our 3rd and final day in San Diego. Everyone had a good time. Emma and Taylor would go everyday and act like it was the first time. They love the shows and the animals. The star of Sea World, Shamu...

God, I look like shamu in this picture but it was the only pic of all of us...

2008-09-21T19:36:00.000-07:00

Our Baby girl..

We had our 4D ultrasound a couple weeks ago and got the confirmation that she is a she!! The placenta was in the way a little but the pics turned out pretty good. She looked a little chubby to me for 26 weeks...

She looks like a thinker!!

She has her hand under her chin and resting her elbow on her knee..

2008-09-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

Emma and Taylor started soccer this year.

They had their first game yesturday and they won!! The other team didn't show up!! They played eachother for a while and it was rather entertaining. They ran the entire time but were clueless as to where the ball was most of the time. They stopped once to make silly faces at eachother and Emma did a few princess turns. To their defense they both kicked the ball a few times. Emma would run towards the group but once they ran towards her she turned around and ran away. I am just happy they are willing to be out there.

The team is called Soccerbees..

Pre game warm up! Emma was in the goal and could care less that the ball went in.

2008-09-21T18:51:00.000-07:00

First Day of Pre K!!

Emma and Taylor started preschool and they adjusted very well. Their classroom is huge and everything in the world to do. They have a turtle, fish, hermit crabs, and a frog.

Our Princess Backpacks!

The days of mom picking cute ones from Pottery Barn are gone..

Open House the day before school.

2008-09-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

Well the weather finally is warmer here. Definately Indian summer here! We went down to the beach for the afternoon and Brian dug a hole big enough for the girls to stand in.

Emma

Taylor

2008-09-21T18:37:00.000-07:00

Emma

Taylor

2008-09-21T18:28:00.000-07:00

Ever since Taylor fell in the frigid water when we first moved here she will not go near it. Brian had Emma running from the water when the wave came in and Taylor watched with me from the chair. She finally got brave enough and tried it herself.

Emma

Taylor

2008-09-21T18:09:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Marathon..

Brian has been running "alot" and ran the Boston marathon in April and also ran San Francisco recently. The girls and I went to cheer him on. We sat curbside at the finishline. I took pics of the girls watching with their stuffed animals lined up cheering and of Brian running past us and crossing the finishline. We met up with him and I realized there was no memory card in my camera! I went back and took one of the finishline and him with the girls. Right after we retook the pics I heard my name called over the speakers. The guy who was announcing the race called my name and all I could think was that I won the Saturn that I had filled out an application to win. Brian quickly told me that they found my drivers license on the ground!! Bummer. I'll claim pregnant brain! We left before I lost the kids!!

2008-09-21T17:48:00.000-07:00

We took the girls to the Fair and had a great time. The rides were perfect for them. Emma and Taylor would have stayed 2 days there. Since when did the fair get as expensive as Disney?? This was one of their favorites, the bouncing cars!! They decided to get brave and ride this dragon ride that you sat inside of and could spin. I wasn't crazy about it but Dad said it was ok. We put them in one by themselves since they didn't want to spin but at the last minute 2 older kids jumped in. As soon as the ride started they were spinning VERY FAST and I saw Emma fly out of the seat and was on the floor. I immediately became crazy mom screaming for the man to stop the ride. He didn't speak English and smiled at me. I put my hand up like stop and then went for the big red button myself and he stopped it. I told him my daughter was on the floor and he peaked in and said "She's Ok" I said NO get them off!! Emma and Taylor both looked like they had seen a ghost!! Minus these few minutes we had a great time..

Emma was the brave one as usual and rode the farris wheel

2008-07-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

We had some visitors a couple weeks ago. My mom, dad, and aunt Shirley came out for a week. We spent a few days here in Monterey and then went to San Francisco. It was a busy week and we were all tired at the end of it. In San Francisco we learned the way if the city by shuttle, subway, street cars, cable cars (there is a difference), and our own 2 feet. We saw the city, took a boat tour of the Bay, and went to Muir Woods which is an untouched Redwood forest very close to the city but it felt like you were in the middle of no where. We also got to see a "giant real life rat" as Emma put it run in front of us near the subway.

We will be heading back to San Fran this weekend, Brian is running the marathon there...

This picture was taken in Muir Woods

2008-07-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

San Francisco..

This is China Town. Emma and Taylor liked it here, shop after shop of Junk!! I have never been to China but it felt like it here! Pictures don't do any of the places justice..

Another not so good pic.. At the very top of the street (looks like green bushes here) is the worlds most crooked street. You could see the cars driving down, pretty funny. They wait up to 30 minutes to be able to drive down it. I guess to say you did??

We took a boat tour of the bay. This of course is the Golden Gate bridge. Hard to get the entire thing in a pic. We also drove over it on the bus tour.

2008-07-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

Emma and Taylor posing on a park bench in the forest.

They were in posing moods this day..

The whole group and still not covering the tree..

My mom and dad and aunt Shirley.

This is "The Father of the Forest" I believe it is about 250 ft tall. The Mother of the Forest is over 300ft tall

2008-07-28T08:34:00.000-07:00

Trying to give you an idea of how big the trees are. It is hard to do that with pictures...

Daddy's little tree huggers....

2008-07-27T23:02:00.000-07:00

Here in Monterey you can drive the "17 Mile drive"

It is a scenic drive that goes around Monterey Bay. It is very pretty and also goes right by Pebble Beach Golf Course.

Taylor was posing at one of the stops, a rocky shore with hermit crabs to catch..

This was another stop called the "Lone Cypress"

It sits out "alone" and has been standing for over 250 yrs weathering all the storms and Earthquakes...

Emma standing on the rocks..

2008-07-27T22:57:00.000-07:00

Emma at the creekside in the redwood forest

Taylor at the Creek

always with a goofy smile

Of course this was staged..

2008-07-27T22:51:00.000-07:00

We went out on Fisherman's Warf here in Monterey Bay and there a local Bird shop owner letting people hold his birds. Emma and Taylor thought it was pretty neat. Thankfully Shirley had her camera...

Emma

Taylor

2008-07-27T22:44:00.000-07:00

There is a very cute town nearby called Carmel. Clint Eastwood use to be the Mayor. You are aloud to have fires on the beach there. It is very nice and something we will do often. Hotdogs and smores!! This trip was cloudy but usually you can see beautiful sunsets on the ocean while you sit around a fire!!

2008-07-04T16:53:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!!

Well we made it to California! It was a long trip to say the least and very glad it is done. 40 hours of driving, 7 days in the car and 11 states later. We have been here for 2 weeks but stayed in a hotel for 1 week of it. We are still unpacking but making good progress. The trip went as well as could be expected. I can tell you every nasty bathroom from the east to west coast. The kids and I will not be making that trip again, we will sell a car first!! Monterey is great although we haven't had much time to enjoy it yet. Emma and Taylor will have lots to do, soccer starts next month and tee ball in the spring. We are experiencing our first California fires. There are several fires here, we had a couple days of ash/soot falling like rain. Gas is $4.69 here, guess we'll see that $5 gallon soon!

We celebrated the 4th today by going to the parade here in town. They had music and games for the kids afterwards and then we watched the fireworks from our neighborhood. They shoot them off over the bay, you can see the water from the neighborhood!! Our other bit of news if anyone didn't know, baby Decker #3 is coming in Dec. It will be a California Christmas for us this year!!

Emma and Taylor waving their flags..

What is everyone looking at??

The National Anthem. The excitement was too much for them! That is our friends little girl, Jaslyn

2008-07-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

Just a few pics from our 4th of July Parade here..