our days are numbered

We're packing. We have nine days left in San Francisco. That is so sad. Don't get me wrong, we're excited to move to the cloudy, rainy, windy Seattle area. I actually like the rain. But moving is just a bitter-sweet experience. We're leaving home, friends and family to go to a larger house with new adventures but no family and few friends. It'll be great. I know that. But it's sad to say goodbye to our life here. I don't like goodbyes. I've cried three or four times already.

Well, tears or no tears - move or no move - life goes on. Laundry still needs to be done. The kids still need to eat. They still need baths. They still need to jump off the walls, bounce on the beds, throw toys in the air, ride tricycles, eat toilet paper, etc., etc.

Ryder outside the grizzly bear exhibit.

We still have trips to the museum and visits to the zoo.

A playdate at the local firehouse.... where Ryder had to beat up on every other child, of course. I can only imagine what must have been going through those firemen's heads.

From left to right: Gretchen, Ryder, James, Matthew and Eva. Not in the picture but still present were: Caleb and babies Cameron, Kara, Cannon and Scott. We missed you Annie, Bella, James, Sienna, Dylan and Oliver!

We just got back from two trips to the valley... one with Todd (yay!) and one without (boo!) For those of you here in the city who may have forgotten - yes, it is summer. It was a sunny, hot 97 degrees while we were there. Toasty but great.

I sobbed each time we left. I don't know when I'll be back home. My parents' just got through a major renovation of their kitchen, bathrooms, master bedrooms and a few other updates here and there. The whole time I was home I meant to take pics of the updates so I could show all of you before and afters.... but it never happened. Amy, did you get any?

But I did get lots of pics of the backyard.... well, some of it anyway. The part that includes water. We swam lots.

Ryder loves his floaty.

Our pool here in the city doesn't allow outside floatation devices, so Ryder was still very wobbly in his tube towards the beginning... but come day two, he was master of the pool - jumping in all over the place and loving it all.

The cousins played. I wish we lived closer to all of Ryder's cousins so we could do this every day!

Poor Lizzy always seemed to be the last one to jump... and therefore got pulled in every time.

No matter how much coaxing I gave, Ryder wouldn't jump off the bricks like cousin Lizzy. Maybe next year. Yes, next year we'll conquer the bricks.

I love the summer. I'm about to cry just thinking of moving so far away from my home. From the comforts of familiarity.

We celebrated birthdays.

Happy birthday Cordon.

There was lots of yummy food.

Happy birthday Dad!

We celebrated Dad's #66 with a yummy creme brulee french toast breakfast. De-lish!

Of course what's a week away from my husband without one of the kids sick. Little Cannon had a 103 temp for three days and threw up in the middle of the night twice. I'm blaming it on the new tooth.

My siblings and I threw my dad an awesome retirement party (more pics to come). So of course we had to get the yard ready.

The cousins helped entertain Cannon while we sprayed off the patio furniture.

We even put Ryder to work watering all of Dad's 1 million+ flowers.

We went on walks around the block. Wow, those streets bring back lots of memories.

Looked for bugs, of course.

And then we swam and relaxed by the pool some more.

I got to meet my newest niece, baby Kate. So adorable!... and so tiny. At two and a half months, she is the same size as my boys at three weeks.

Oh, and meet Max.... my sister Cinda's family's dog.

Max doesn't like the water.... even though he does look quite calm here. He was actually scrambling all over Cameron - just hoping it would help him get to the side.

I was a patient for Todd's Western Regional Boards Exam. And he made it through the four day hands on test without a pink slip (which would mean automatic failure). Yahoo! (Why do I not have a picture of this momentous event!?!)

We made it to a tasty recognition banquet at the Marines' Memorial - courtesy of the UCSF School of Dentistry and the Dental Alumni Association. More pictures on that later too.

Yes, life definitely goes on.

The end.