The Great Pumpkin

 Although we are missing the fall colors on the trees...fall is one of our favorite times of the year! Going to the pumpkin patch is always a must for our family! 

The kids loved all the farm animals & equipment. They especially liked the Ford tractor just like grandpa Gillespie's!  

 A little hard when you try picking up a pumpkin BIGGER then you!!

Just before it got dark we took our turn in the corn maze. It was smaller so we thought it would be easy but as you can see we still got lost in there!!

And they're off...

 Well we have survived the first few weeks of school!! 

Our favorite thing is that we get to walk to school.

 Kaden so excited to be in first grade! He was so excited that on the first day he woke up at 5:30 am to get ready to go. At the end of the day he said his favorite things were eating lunch at school with Trey and having 3 recesses.

Trey happy to be in third grade!! Although he was a little nervous about being at a new school he did think it was pretty cool that there all no hallways at the school and they get to eat lunch outside!  

Little Miss Avrey has become my little buddy. I thought she would have a harder time with the boys being gone all day. She said she likes when the boys go to school so we can do "girly" things!!

So far it has been a great school year and we can't wait to see all the adventures that await us this year!

Summer Fun

 One of the best parts of moving to a new area at the first of the summer is there is a lot of new things to see and do!! As summer has now come to an end here is a glimpse of what we did this summer...

 ...the drive-in. Yes the still exist and the kids LOVED it!!

 ...the zoo

 ... A LOT of swimming

 ... exploring new parks

 ...finding new hobbies

 ... roasting mallows in the backyard

... and spending A LOT of time at the beach!! 

It has been such a great summer and we hate to see it come to an end!

Beach Camping

 For one of our final summer activities we took the kids beach camping! I was a little nervous about sleeping right down on the beach so luckily we were able to find a spot up on a bluff but still had access to the beach.

 The best part was that it gave the kids so much room to play and explore and these boys were in HEAVEN!! There was a lot of rocks and ledges...safe ledges...for them to climb on...

...and catch crabs with their bare hands!! 

 And what would camping be without a horrible night sleep, the smell of camp fire and doughnuts for breakfast!! 

Birthdays, Birthdays!!

 August is a busy month at our house. As we try to wrap up the end of summer we also get to celebrate Jeff & Kaden's birthdays! For Jeff's birthday we spent the day at the beach and then enjoyed his favorite...orange fridge cake!!

 Kaden's birthday started out with a round of mini golf.

 The birthday boy feeling pretty awesome after getting a hole-in-one!!

Lego's and a new bike is pretty much all this kid needs to be happy.  

6 years old where did the time go!!!

Miracles & Memories

One week after the LeChem reunion, we were blessed again with visitors!! (WE LOVE VISITORS!!!) My dad, mom and sister Kelly were able to come out for a couple of days and we had a blast. My mom is not so mobile any more so we thought we were going to have to limit out activities, however, that was not the case. We were able to visit the Old Santa Barbara MIssion where they have a beautiful rose garden. If any of you have been to my parents house you know they LOVE roses so it was special to be there with them. 

My parents also LOVE the beach. For as long as I can remember we would take at least one trip a year to the beach. I was determined to get my mom there, however, not so easy when you are in a wheelchair. Then I found this cool beach wheel chair and we got her out there! My mom is not able to communicate as much, but she had a glow to her while we were there so I am pretty sure she had a good time!! 

 Kelly was so sweet to take on the waves with Kaden and Avrey all day. Sadly, she had to learn the hard way that sunscreen is very important...sunburns are not fun at all!

 Growing up we had a hot tub in our basement that my parents LOVED to sit in. The last few years even the thought of getting her into a hot tub was impossible...until now! We were able to get her in and out and the kids were so excited to be able to swim with Kelly, Grandpa AND Grandma.

 There may be a lot of things that my mom can not do but there is one thing that means more to me then anything and that is the time that I do get to spend with her! I guess you can say our week was filled with a lot of little miracles! 

LeChem Santa Barbara Reunion

 This year the LeChem family reunion was held at our new home in Santa Barbara. I guess that is one of the perks of living by the beach...people want to come visit you!! We loved every minute, and we're so grateful everyone was willing to make the trip! 

 The traditional golf outing was enjoyed under clear skies with "big blue" as the backdrop!! 

 And the girls found a way to spend their "green fee" shopping in downtown...

My favorite part of family reunions is watching the kids play together! Cousins are the best and these two little girls are no exception! They had the best time together and never left each others side!

 Can we say best uncles in the world...

 Uncle Nic, Peter, and Derek were all so awesome with the kids. Letting the girls do their hair, playing endless hours of baseball, teaching them how to surf, and even sleeping outside with the kids! 

 The kids, both young and old, had so much fun at the beach! We had such a great time with everyone and can't wait to do it again!!