Jillian's party

We went to a celebration party yesterday afternoon for Jillian. What a party it was! I love these photos of Jillian that were taken of her with her favorite hat when she had very little hair. Now that her hair has grown back in, I have almost forgotten what she looked like a year and a half ago! It was a privilege to share this special day with Jillian.

During treatments, Jillian's parents would talk to her about the party they were going to have when she was done with her treatments. This helped keep her going and gave her something to look forward to. One of the things she wanted was a Moonbounce. The kids loved it!

The other thing she wanted was an ice cream machine. Who wouldn't love that!

A man from church came dressed in his clown costume. The kids loved squeezing his horn and all of the balloon animals he made for them. Madelyn wouldn't get too close to him, but Naomi will take attention from anyone!

Light the Night walk

Tonight we participated in the annual Light the Night walk. This is our third year to participate in the walk and the kids love it. They love being able to eat hot dogs and chips before the walk and they love being with their friends. This year we're happy to be celebrating Jillian's completion of Leukemia treatments. She just finished her final treatment this month and is having a big celebration on Saturday with family and friends. She has been such a strong little girl throughout the past two plus years. We feel so blessed to have been able to see her and her family as they have grown through this trial the past couple of years. What an inspiration they (especially Jillian) are to us!

Our little group of walkers: the Davies, Tippetts (minus Zion and Gracelyn), and Allen kids

Naomi was so happy to have a balloon to keep her entertained all night.

Allen family reunion

Last Saturday we had a great time at the Allen family reunion. The food, weather, and company were all great. This was our last big outing of the summer and was a great one to end with. The kids were in the water all day long. One of their favorite games to play in the pond is "sink it." All of us Moms are always nervous the raft is going to come up and hit someone, but it hasn't happened yet. They all get on one end of the raft and try to bury it in water until everyone slides off into the water. They can play for hours!

Peg and Rudy's house looked awesome for the reunion. Marsha and crew put so much time into getting things ready - they aren't going to know what to do with themselves this week now that it's over!

Aaron organized a game of kick ball. It was the perfect game to involve a lot of people. Everyone had a lot of fun playing, cheering, and being together. Apparently, Aaron even entertained everyone with some acrobatics, but I missed that part!

I couldn't resist posting this picture of Naomi. She doesn't like to have her knees touch the grass.

Fishing trip

Aaron, his dad, two brothers, uncle and friend went fishing on Labor Day. They went on a charter boat out on Lake Michigan. They got up at two in the morning to drive there and finished around two in the afternoon. Aaron came home with a cooler of lake trout and salmon. We've already eaten some of it and loved it!

Aaron, his Dad, brothers Kim and Scott, Uncle Dave, and friend (?)

Cedar Point and the pond

Last weekend we met our friends at Cedar Point and had a great time with them. The Liljenquists used to live in Ohio and Justin and Jackson were good friends. They have continued their friendship, Justin spending time at their house every year when we go to Idaho. Due to school being in and the rain, the crowds weren't bad at all. The lines were unusually short so we were able to go on a lot of rides. The rides shut down at about 6:30 when it started to lightning so we took off. It was a good time anyway because the little ones were getting pretty tired. We were all soaked! A few highlights:

• watching Madelyn ride the frog hopper - she was all smiles when she got in, but that quickly changed
• dipping candles
• bumper cars
• lots of spinny rides for Elizabeth
• Will's first big roller coaster ride
• spending time with the Liljenquists

Saturday the Liljenquist, Jeppesen, and Thomas families all came out to the pond, along with our former neighbor Matthew Orchard and his Dad, Chris. It was still a little chilly, but that didn't stop the kids from swimming. It was so fun to all be together again. It reminded me what great friends we have made wherever we've lived. When we're all together, it's as if we've never been apart.

A picture of the gang - it was so fun to watch them play together again. Justin is holding a fish he caught in the pond earlier in the day. All of the kids were huddled around watching him gut it - a little something he learned how to do in Idaho!

Jackson Liljenquist, Justin, and Matthew Orchard - June 2007

Quick update

Bruce started pre-school this week and is so excited. Madelyn is so sad to have lost her buddy, but it's only three mornings a week. I'm looking forward to a little time alone with the girls.

You're looking at one of the newest student council members for 2009-10. Justin ran for Student Council and was so excited to be elected to represent his fifth grade class. He had to give a speech in front of his class and wrote it himself. He had a super hero theme (I know, big surprise!) He started out saying, "I might not be a super hero, but I will work super hard this year in Student Council." He is very excited about this opportunity and I think he will really enjoy it.

Getting around

Our little Naomi has been scooting around for almost a month now and I'm finally posting a couple of pictures of her in motion. She gets up on all fours all the time, but hasn't quite figured out the crawling yet. She's becoming pretty proficient with her scooting and has even had a few blisters on her feet from digging into the carpet. I now have to be careful where I step because she is my little shadow. I also have to be careful what's on the floor as everything goes in her mouth!

Other big news...Naomi just cut her second tooth on Sunday!