First Game.......

Berkley had her first pre-season game last night! The game was suppose to start at 4 pm, but the team wasn't there on time, so it started an hour and a half late which made the girls even more nervous than they already were!

Berkley got the number 8 as her number, she really wanted 14, but she missed three days of practice because of girls camp. Her and her friend Britt didn't get to pick, and they didn't get to play either because of the missing practice rule. Their team didn't win and it was hard for the two of them to just sit and watch.

After the freshman game they got to go help out with the Varsity Team. That was fun to watch......man, I miss playing high school sports! But am really excited for Berkley to have the experience!

Back to School..............

The kids are all back in school now, except Zach, he will start on the 31st!

Berkley and Madison started on Monday, and Landen and Logan started on Tuesday. They all went on Wednesday. It is nice to break up the days, even though I get confused as to who goes at what times with them all being in different schools.

Berkley started High School, yes, I said High School. She is in ninth grade and so far liking it! She also tried out for the Volleyball team and made it, which keeps her really busy. I am so excited for her and her new adventures!

Madison is now in the seventh grade. Still enjoying middle school! She is also taking dance again, but this year decided to not do competitive. A little less busy, but still busy! She loves it and we love to watch her. She finally got her cast off after 10 weeks of having it on. Just in time to go back to school!

Landen is in fifth grade. He was apprehensive and about the teacher he got, but after the first day he told me that he is an awesome teacher, I already knew that! We got Landen a new bike for his birthday, which is still a couple weeks away, but we thought he could enjoy it more if it was early. I can't keep him home, he is always asking if he can ride to Macey's to get my groceries for me! He is a good kid!

Logan started with the first grade. He is struggling with going all day. I'm sure it is hard for these little kids to stay all day, what a long day for them. He enjoys getting a lunch and everyday after school he tells what they ate. This year he doesn't like homework!

Alicante & Guadalest

Day 6

We didn't spend too much time in Alicante, but we did walk the Esplanade and did a little souvenir shopping. The Esplanade was by the seaside with multicolored pavement. You could sit and wish you owned one of the many yachts sitting in the harbor! We also walked along the beaches. As you can see they are a busy place to be, with clothing optional.

Castillo de Santa Barbara fortress

From the summit it is possible to see the entire Bay of Alicante and the surrounding stretch of land. The origins of the modern fortress date from the late 9th Century, the time of Moorish rule. We didn't go inside, we only saw it from the walkway below.

We took the Princess tour to Guadalest. A little village perched on a rocky outcrop 5,000 ft above sea level.

It was such a tropical looking little village. One of my favorite stops!

We had to walk to the top and on the way up you could see the white bell tower. The old village and castle is accessed through a tunnel carved from the rock and when you reach the other end and see the ancient houses, you seemed to have been transported to another age.

It was a beautiful sight once at the top.This is what we looked down on. A beautiful turquoise blue reservoir.

The weather was very hot in the upper 90's with a slight warm breeze.

Some of the most beautiful scenery I've seen.

*Gibraltar*

Day 5

Gibraltar was our first port city.....it is less than three square miles in area. Although it is located in Spain it is still controlled by the British.

We had a few hours to tour this city, so we walked around, did a little shopping, I bought some shoes and candy!

Because of time we didn't do too much at this stop. We walked the streets and visited an old cemetery, where most of the people died from fever, which were probably associated with some other disease. Gibraltar was small in size, had a few beautiful areas, but not much to offer. We could have taken a taxi to the top of the mountain and see the barbary apes, but we were nervous for time and we didn't want the monkeys to take our possessions. We now wish we had gone.

-Onboard The Grand Princess-
Day 2-4

We boarded the ship around 4 pm, which was a new experience for both of us! We found our cabin, then enjoyed taking a short nap before we explored the boat and hit the buffet for dinner.

This was one of the pools on top of the Princess. The busiest pool out of all of them! Although we never did swim, we sure enjoyed sitting out in the open air, while we ate our hamburgers, pizzas, or ice-cream cones! I did get quite windy a couple of days, but the sun was always out!

On the back of the ship, there was an adult only pool. If I did swim, this is where I would have gone.

Enjoying one of the many ice-cream cone we had! They were unlimited all day long. Loyal, Deven's dad, was in heaven! We had two sea days that we caught up on our sleep and rested for the busy agenda ahead!The second sea day was formal night. I was nervous for this.....I don't know why! We got all dressed up, then headed out to the many picture stops. We couldn't decide which one to get because we liked them all!

This one with us standing is Deven's favorite, the one above or below was my favorite!

This one we couldn't leave behind.

We had a good night dressing up and going to dinner in the dining room, then out to see a production show. My feet hurt at the end of the night, because I don't normally wear any kind of heal. There was a beautiful color in the sky that night after dinner!

"Once In A Lifetime"

Day 1

After a nine hour flight we arrived in London. Deven and I got car sick and jet lag really bad the first day, so we didn't feel very good. We made the best of it and went sight-seeing! The first stop was St. Paul's Cathedral. We got a good tour guide to take us through. It was very interesting and beautiful. Deven even managed to take a little nap in the cathedral!

After our tour in the cathedral, we walked quite a ways to see the Tower Bridge, I had to take a picture of the double decker buses. I thought my kids would enjoy that!

This is the Tower Bridge that spans across the River Thames.

We took another tour through the Tower of London. This one was great because of the "Beefeaters". That is what royal guards are called. He was hilarious to listen to!

Here is one of the many guards we saw that were stationed at different places. I really enjoyed watching them in their routines.

This was one of the many cool cars we saw with the awesome license plates. Another thing I thought my kids would get a kick out of!

Day 2

On the second day we went to visit Windsor Castle! What a beautiful castle it is! We were lucky enough to see the flag flying over the castle too, which means the queen was actually there that day. We never did see her though.

A very good picture of Deven and his parents standing over the River Thames!

We entered the castle on one side and walked around to the other side. It was beautiful from all angles. I just couldn't imagine living in a castle!

We took a walking tour through the castle that was narrated by a recording. We also saw some of the changing of the guards. I tried to get a recording of them playing their bagpipes, but I just wasn't quick enough! That was fun to listen to them.

Here we are standing in front of the queens living quarters and the grounds outside. It would have been really cool to see the queen.

The grounds around the castle were immaculate. Very green with flowers and ponds! I guess that is what you get when you are the queen.

We really enjoyed London.......we boarded the cruise ship later this day!

My Baby Is "Four"

Zachery had a birthday today! I can't believe he is four. We got him a bike with training wheels, and he celebrated by going to McDonalds and having donuts and ice-cream for dessert! He loved being sung to, but got a little embarrassed. Zach is the sweetest kid ever and we love him to pieces.

Happy Birthday Zachery