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Clare's Last Day

Ronan Graduates

Grammy

Grammy came out for a quick visit.

Backyard

We landscaped our backyard this spring!

Jeff and I spent countless hours scouring pinterest for ideas and finally completed a design that was perfect for our family.

One of the biggest challenges we have with our yard is the lack of sunlight.  We decided to get rid of the lawn and replace it with a flagstone patio and fire pit.  We added boulders on the side for seating and climbing.  There are gravel trails that run throughout the yard.  We built raised garden beds and bought a small green house.  In another part of the yard we planted many perennials.  I was so excited to finally have a Japanese maple and a dogwood.

It was important to us that the kids were still able to play in the yard.  We used logs to build a balance beam and also added a zip cord.  Our yard has been transformed into a playscape.  When we put up the new fence we also added a gate to the neighbors yard so that the kids can play with each other with out taking out any boards.

 

 

Baseball

Ronan is officially a baseball player! He was so excited to begin playing t-ball this year.  He loved wearing his uniform and being on a team.

Sacramento

On our way home we stopped in Sacramento to visit my friends.  It is so much fun to gather our kids together.  It is very challenging to get a picture of them!  And apparently even more challenging to get a picture of their parents, because I didn't get one at all.

Visalia

After our adventure at Disneyland, we returned to Visalia to spend time with my family.



 

The Rest of the Magic

Jedi Training, Part Two

Ronan wanted to redeem himself with a second Jedi Training.

 

 He was chosen....

He faced his enemies...

His sister battled Darth Vader...

He battled Darth Vader...

And then his Jedi Master showed him how to use the force...

He defeated Darth Vader and used the force against the Storm Troopers...

 

And he will forever be a Jedi.

Minnie Mouse

Clare and I headed over to Toon Town on our last day and were there when the doors opened.
We could never have predicted what would happen next...

Minnie Mouse greeted us at the gate, grabbed Clare's hand and escorted her through Toon Town to her house...

And gave her a personal tour...

And then we took pictures.

Beach Break

We took a break between the magic to go to the beach.  The kids had so much fun splashing in the waves and digging in the sand.  And the parents enjoyed a break from the lines!

Princess Lunch

We decided to do the Princess Lunch at Ariel's Grotto.  Clare was so excited to see all the princesses and was brave enough to meet them with Nora and Ronan.

 

Jedi Training, Part One

One of the reasons we wanted to go to Disneyland was so that Ronan could do Jedi Training.  So, we did what all good parents do:  lined up a half hour early so we could sit in the front row and coached Ronan on how to be picked.

 

And it worked!

He was given a robe and a light saber.

And so was Nora!
Jedis came out and began the training and both kids worked as hard as they could to master the light saber moves.

Until the arrival of the storm troopers and Darth Vader...
And we realized that we didn't prepare Ronan for this.  And he feared for his life...

There can never be any doubt that Nora loves Ronan more than any of us could have ever imagined.