Summer 2009

Summer went by quickly, but we jam-packed it for sure!

In JUNE, Morgan's parents and I (he was out of town) attended the annual CF Parent Night, put on by Faith's Sutter care team. Representatives from many of the pharmaceutical companies and fundraising foundations, as well as the Sutter Children's center nurses and doctors attend. The team shares with us the new findings, new meds or treatments that will be in effect soon and what they learned at their annual conference. It's very enlightening and hopeful. It's also one of the only times us parents are able to converse in person because our CF kids are not supposed to be near each other for fear that the 'bad' germs will be spread from one to another. Faith had an appointment with her CF Team and all is good EXCEPT that she hasn't gained any weight over the past 3 months.

We joined the Davis family and went 'camping' for a day. I'd planned that trip 6 months earlier and of course, that ended up being the one weekend the weather turned bad. It didn't feel like summer, but was still a good time. The girls got to try fishing with daddy, Faith caught a butterfly with her bare hands, took Falon on a long 'hike,' we rented a paddleboat and roasted marshmallows. Plenty of camping stuffed into one day :)

Morgan and I also had our 10 year High School reunion. I was on the planning committee and it was wonderful to see so many friends from the past. Everyone had a great time chatting and dancing! We also went to the Enduro races where the track is soaped so the cars slip and slide. The girls have decided they like to help clean, thank goodness!

In JULY, we enjoyed attending any birthday parties, Independence Day, a Coldplay concert, a cabin in Tahoe with the Davis family and Fort Bragg with just our little family. Faith was on her TOBI month of extra treatments, so the days were already full with that, but we managed to have FUN!

Fort Bragg was beautiful and the weather was only 50-60 degrees when back home it was a whopping 107! The patio from our small hotel looked directly at the ocean and we could walk straight out to play in the tidepools and run from the waves. The girls had a fantastic time and we loved watching them. I'm sure Faith was able to breathe more clearly in the salty ocean air, too! I don't have a camera right now because mine finally gave out, so any pictures are borrowed :)

I have to share some of the cute things the girls have said lately. While eating at a restaurant, Morgan and I were commenting on how well behaved some nearby kids were. Faith quickly responded, "So, you want me to be like everyone else?" Haha, no not exactly, no way no how! Another time, I was taking her out of the car at the grocery store and she said randomly, "Mommy, old people are kinda funny looking." Brooke for some reason drops the first letter of almost every word when she speaks, like Mommy = ommy, she calls Faith "Ace" because she can't do the "F." She's also very in to trying to sing. When we were at the Tahoe cabin, Faith had already fallen asleep and Brooke was laying in her sleeping bag on the floor in the dark singing all our names out of tune, "Ommy, Daddy, Ace, Bookie!" Falon was spayed this month and Brooke continually asks, "Puppy all betta now? Her tummy all betta, huh? No more owies?"

In AUGUST, we attended an friend's wedding in Walnut Creek without the kids, camped at Meadow Lake, went to the circus and the enduro races again. Meadow Lake is near Truckee, so not all that far in distance, but the roundabout way to get there pulling the trailer makes it over a 3 hour drive. We brought the rhino and had a great time with just the kids and the 2 dogs. It's a popular jeeping area, but that weekend was pretty quiet and there are no motors allowed on the lake. It was beautiful.

The circus was a blast for the girls and our seats ended up being practically front row. Faith commented, "Everything is so magical!" I tell you this because I think it's almost unbelievable, but cotton candy and popcorn were $10 each! Of course, we still had to buy it though :)

The Enduro races were on a very hot evening. We sat in the shade and brought a little fan, but still we were all sweaty. Faith ate some ice cream while we took turns fanning her. Her preschool teacher was sitting right behind us so she was very excited about that and the car she picked to be 'hers' won!