Air Force One

On the 22nd of October President Barack Obama flew into Las Vegas for a quick campaign boost for Senator Harry Ried. We may not agree with the man's politics or why he was in our town, but the special treatment we got in the end was, regardless a very memorable moment. While getting ready for the president's arrival, Bill's time with family was put on hold for a good 2 weeks. (Bill was the lead for this visit.) Because of this, the kids were very excited to see a part of what their daddy does for his job. To get to see the President's plane land and have the chance of "meeting" him was icing on the cake.

After a very busy sky and then silence for about 10 minutes, we finally saw the jet land. Obama's plane was behind schedule and so as the 17 select few of us waited off to the side of the tarmac there was a great sense of disappointment as he headed straight for "the beast" after de-boarding the plane. Katherine, another agent's wife, yelled his name and waved. He paused for only a moment and ran over to our small gathering, Secret Service in tow. He shook EVERYONE'S hand. It was funny, nobody knew if they should shake hands or take pictures. Because I had shaken his hand previously I was more interested in the picture but wasn't quite expecting the quickness. I did manage to get this FABULOUS picture of the President with Aaron.

This is how it all went down. President shakes Aaron's hand and Aaron, without being prompted for a response says, "My Daddy protects you!" President Obama takes a step back, tousles Aaron's hair and says, "Oh, really?" leans back smiling at Aaron. Aaron, rightfully proud of the moment turns to me and "CLICK!"

Pretty darn cool.

TNT!

Such a handsome boy. Aaron had a super soccer season. He had a great friend on his team, Ali Jolley who could really score. Aaron did his best to keep up and scored several goals a game. One game in particular he scored 7 goals! At the end of the season Grandma came to watch and all he could do was run up and down the field smiling and waving at the side lines. Through the frustration of confusion Bill and I laughed a lot. It was so fun to get so excited for these little guys. Grandpa came for the last game of the season but poor Aaron was sick and throwing up so we had to miss it. Grandpa made him feel good anyways. It was a great season and we all look forward to him playing in the spring.

New York

September, 2010: How lucky of a girl I am to have the opportunity to fly to New York with a fabulous friend, to stay with my best friend (my hubby, while working the UN summit) in a hotel paid for by all of you tax payers :) for a week! WOW! What a blast. A huge thanks to Natalie B. for watching Aaron and Livi, and all the others who helped out. We had a FANTASTIC time. We even had our cab fare from the airport to the hotel paid for by 2 business men who joined us to cut in the 20min long line curb side. What a cheap way to travel. That just meant more money to shop with. Which is what we did the most of. Me, not much of a shopper, but when you're with someone having fun, why not? We hit a lot of boutiques and discount stores. Got great jeans and cute tops. Even found clothes for our hubbies and kids. We told Bill, "Next year when we come, we're going to do more sight seeing and just a minimal amount of shopping." He sent me home a day early. He told me, "You've spent all my overtime, time to go home." He was a great host. Even shared his double size bed with me and let Syrissa have her own. (I thought Syrissa & I might've had to share.)

Syrissa Jolley accompanied me, and then technically Bill accompanied us. This is in front of a great Mexican restaurant off the beaten path. A local from the plane tipped us off to some great local places to eat. And we did surely do A LOT of that! YUM! We did the famous Gray's Papaya hot dogs. Black & White cookies, pastries, great pizza at a restaurant recommended by Natalie B. and dinner at Carmines family style Italian dining. Among many others we also went to Chelsea Market for a lunch of yummy soup. Thank YOU Charlie M. for that tip!

In front of Central Park. "Bill, we are at the 'corner' entrance to the park, by the horse statue!" I can admit when I'm wrong... but who knew how many horse statues could be at 1 park?

"Wicked" on Broadway. So cool!!!

While Bill & I took advantage of great ticket prices for the play, Syrissa was a good girl and took advantage of going to the temple. She literally had to RUN to make it into the session. We found it later on our bike ride around Central Park.

We met up afterwards for the most FABULOUSLY FANTASTIC cheesecake of all time! It was too heavenly to describe. I never knew food could make your body tingle! :) Juniors is now my destination for NY. We also ordered potato pancakes, Bill remembered a friend's mom making them in grade school. (I believe I had the strawberry swirl...ahhh divine!)

And what is a trip to New York without seeing Lady Liberty? We decided to go the quick route and take the Statton Island ferry for FREE. We got to see all the beautiful sights, and keep moving.

Our last morning in the big city. We wanted to see Central Park, so, we rented some bikes and cruised in style. It had been a while since Syrissa had been on a bike, but she remembered just fine. The traffic made her nervous. Thank goodness I was used to it from riding at home.

Cathy, correct me on this one...St. Paul's? We passed it every day. We stayed at the Double Tree Metropolitan and to get to downtown, aka time square, we would go by this cathedral. One evening Bill and I did go inside of it. It's been under construction for a while, but what a beautiful piece of architecture.

I am such a lucky girl!

Aaron, present day.

I feel the need to put a bit in this, our family journal, about how our kids are. Aaron started another year of Pre-School through the district this year to receive speech therapy and help with some fine motor delays. His teacher, Mrs. Waker, always tells me that "Aaron really is way too smart for this class." I just smile and nod.

Aaron has and continues to be our sweetheart. He is so full of love and compassion and he wants to give it to anyone who is around. He calls our 14 yr old neighbor, Jared, his "bff". And was in tears just the other day when Jared was out playing basketball with some of the bigger kids in the neighborhood. "Jared doesn't want to be my friend anymore. He only wants to be with the big kids. I'm not big, I'm only 4!" Bless Jared's heart. I told his mom about how sad Aaron was and the next day Jared invited Aaron over to play on his gaming console with him. Today I saw him bringing Aaron along while a few of the older boys were playing hide-n-seek in the neighborhood.

Along with Aaron's deep compassion comes immense emotions. He was absolutely FURIOUS yesterday when we went to church and he did not have scriptures! "Take me NOW to the bookstore and buy me SCRIPTURES!" All through sacrament meeting. Until of course he got up to bare his testimony. It was his second time, the first time being last month with Dad. This time he went up with Olivia. He says next time he's going on his own. In primary he's funny to watch. He'll raise his hand for any question and then lean forward to me and say, "What's the answer?" One time a guest speaker was talking about the mission call he had just received and asked the kids, "How old do you have to be to serve a mission?" Aaron blurted out, "19"! I was impressed. But I really shouldn't be amazed at what comes out of his mouth anymore. His teacher said that she was talking to his occupational therapist and had said, "In the beginning I just thought he was l-a-z-y, but..." Aaron quickly cut her off and said emphatically, "I'm not lazy!" In Bed Bath and Beyond the lady told me what I was looking for was in the "cleaning" aisle. Aaron pointed to each of 3 signs in a row and said, "There it is, cleaning". He was right on.

He rides the bus to and from school and actually enjoys it this go around. It's a short ride both ways. His pick up driver's name is Ms. Shiela and she mistakenly always calls Aaron, Lucca (the boy who is picked up after Aaron). One day she opened the bus door and said, "Goodmorning AARON!" and started laughing. I was confused. She told me that the previous day, as Aaron was getting buckled up with the help of the bus aid, Ms. Lily, when he said, "What if I called you Ms. Lily all the time?". Ms. Shiela thought that to be a good point and has never missed his name since.

Aaron tells me he loves me out of the blue all of the time. He'll be washing his hands, eating lunch, watching tv or sitting on the toilet. "Mom, I love you."

He is a BIG kid too, or so people tell me. At 44" he weighs 48lbs. People look at him compared to other 4 year olds and assuming the size they go to pick him up and, "Ugh!". Yeah, he's thick. When it turned cool the first time a few weeks back I told him to put some jeans on for school. He came in barely even able to pull up his size 5 Levi's. He's got his dad's "birthing hips", I call them, and those monstrous thighs. Dad tells him all the time he's going to be our middle line backer and we'll travel all across the country to watch him play for his university. (Nothing like setting high expectations.) Aaron's caught on. Yesterday when he just walked in the door from church, he hadn't even taken his shoes off yet, "Dad, Let's watch FOOTBALLLLL! Who's playing? Who do we want to win?" Would I love it if he was that excited about church? Of course. But you have to admit, it's pretty darn cute. He knows his strength and is very aware of his "size". Admittedly probably because he hears us talk about it frequently, other people comment on it often as well. But he will go up to a boy who is smaller than him and just stand there inches away from his face. Just staring. Once I even saw him push a boy in the chest with his finger and say, "I'm bigger than you." AAHHH! I couldn't believe it! I have a bully!

His favorite song to sing as of late is Nephi's Courage. He only knows one part and he sings/yells it with all his might. (He does it so vehemently he goes red in the face. "I WILL GO, I WILL DO THE THING THE LORD COMMANDS!" Over and over and over again. I guess it's better than what he used to sing/yell, "COME FOLLOW ME THE SAVIOR SAID!" (The drill sergeant voice matches Nephi's Courage a little better. Somehow I can't picture the Savior yelling "come follow me".

All in all he is my sweetheart. My mom had told me, when we were thinking of the name Aaron, that it is a soft name and that it might "affect" him. I can't think of a more perfect name for him.

For Time and All Eternity

On Thursday, August 5, 2010 Angela Claycamp entered the Oakland temple along with Matthew Van Duren, and with loved ones watching, knelt across the alter to become married on earth and sealed in heaven. It was a wonderful ceremony and very touching.

Tuesday, after Grandpa's house, the kids and I drove down to Sacramento to stay with the Dressers and picked Bill up the next day from the airport on the way to Oakland. We all stayed at the infamous Holiday Inn (where the rest of us Claycamps stayed the night before our weddings) and went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. (Once again, Krazy Glue to the rescue as Aaron tripped and fell into the back of a chair causing his lower right canine to go through his lip... hardly any

scar!) The four of us all chose different cheesecakes, and I loved them ALL! The Richins were all there, sans Eric, finishing out the last few months of his mission in Baton Rouge, LA. Karen and Andrea and Kira made the trek out as well. It was great to see everyone, and meet Matt's family.

I drove the bride, Gretchen and Kristi to the temple Thursday morning with great precision in only 20 minutes. We all three were given permission to be Angie's escorts. What a beautiful blushing bride. Mom was definitely missed but she was very much present.

It was cloudy outside which I felt bad about but it kept Angie cool and made for fabulous pictures that our Uncle Randy and his son-in-law Justin took. Then off to Jan and

Don Preston's house for a luncheon and swimming in the pool. (Jan and Don and set my parents up on a blind date!)

Matt and Angie took off for a night together in Napa Valley and the rest of us headed back up to Redding to finish getting ready for part II. The reception.

Friday we took a bit of a breather and enjoyed some R & R at Whiskeytown Lake. I don't know why we don't go there more often when we visit Redding. It was so much fun. Ryan brought out his parents' patio boat and took us over to the rope swing. I couldn't believe my eyes and Aaron and Olivia (with a little more coaxing needed than Aaron) swung out over the lake and dropped into the cool water. I was peer pressured into it and will admit that it was a fun rush.

Saturday was busy getting ready for the reception. I had to stop and get a shot at the med clinic. Apparently I had got poison oak when I fell into the bushes on my maiden voyage of mountain biking earlier in the week. Oh man, did it ever itch. Across my stomach on my arms and even on my face! I had forgotten how bad it gets.

The reception was very nice. Everyone stayed and enjoyed themselves. The kids loved running around and playing on the grass of of the country club while the adults visited. TONS of yummy desserts and fresh fruit for a chocolate fountain. The photographer got great photos of everything.(Hopefully I can get a few of them for myself.)

CONGRATULATIONS ANGIE AND MATT!

Summer in Redding

Sunday, before Bill flew home from the Redding airport, we got to have breakfast at the soon to be VanDuran home and go to Matt and Angie's ward which happens to also be the Reasbecks' ward.

We spent most nights out in Palo Cedro with Bill's Aunt Tenley and Uncle Jim. The kids loved "swimming" in their hot tub as we sat sweating in the Redding heat watching them play. On Tuesday, the 27th, Tenley took us to a wonderful waterfall right below Mt. Shasta along with a little hike from which we could see Mt. Shasta and the start of the Sacramento River. We had a great picnic lunch where the kids and I tried fresh mango for the first time. I am sad to report that none of us cared for it. We even stopped for some soft serve ice cream at a little roadside diner.

We spent the night at my brother, Garrett's house. I got to babysit their 4 kids while they spoke on being "Fun and flirty" at a church activity. We swam til it was too dark to see and then the 4 older kids rinsed off in the shower together while I got the 2 little girls in their pj's. I got a great video of the kids doing chants in the shower. We went to see The Wizard of Oz in the Anderson River Park with the Claycamps as well.

We also visited with Grandpa Bill a few times. We learned that he had attended the LDS church the previous Sunday and had been meeting with the missionaries for a while now. They had simply knocked on his door and he invited them in, remembering how he would've wanted his

son treated on his mission. I rejoined him for church on Sunday the 1st where I was able to bare my testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel and the importance of the temple. It was very richly emotional and we were able to share a very special moment together. The following Tuesday the kids and I went back down so that they could do a woodworking project with Grandpa and also I was able to join in on a missionary discussion. We too had a wonderfully intimate discussion.

We played at the Reasbeck's and spent the night there. I finished sewing my skirt, Livi's dress, Kristi's blouse, Chase and Aaron's pants, Gretchen's zipper on her skirt and a hem on her blouse... I even glued Chandler's eyelid back together. Krazy Glue is amazing, he doesn't even have a scar!

Fishing with the Cabezuds

When we got back from camping, Bill flew home to work and the kids and I stayed in Redding to have fun and help get things ready for Angie's wedding. I really tried to take advantage of our time in Redding and spend some time with loved ones we don't see all that often. Monday, July 26th, we went with my dear friend Natalie Cabezud's parents, Frank and Pat, fishing in their boat on the beautiful Shasta Lake. I don't remember the last time I saw the lake so full. Frank admitted it was hard finding his way around without the usual landmarks (they were all underwater). Pat packed a fabulous picnic dinner complete with all her wonderful foods I remember as a child. Yummy sandwiches and delicious cookies... YUMMM! At first the kids weren't terribly interested in fishing. Frank set some lines and we swam. Livi couldn't get enough of the water and had a ball puttering around with Pat. Aaron couldn't decide if he wanted to fish or swim so he kept bouncing around, loving every minute of it. The life vests for the kids were a little on the big side, but... we made do.

Once we decided to hunker down and really get to business Frank was ready for us. He had bought out Target of a fishing lure that he claimed was the best. Unfortunately he did lose one, but boy

was he right on its effectiveness. Out of maybe 30-45 minutes of total fishing time, Olivia caught 5 fish, all of which were "keepers". Pat said that Frank is not the average fisherman. He doesn't like to touch or eat them. He has developed quite the grab, twist, flick method for dehooking his fish and getting them back safely in the water. The kids were loving it. Every fish caught had to be touched by both of them and each time they would squeal. By the

end Livi was staring soberly at them as she fingered their tiny metallic scales. Aaron did catch 2 fish and wouldn't dare tell a "fish" story of

how big they were. He was proud of his 2. Or was it 10. Maybe 20. The number kept changing. Olivia was so funny though because as Frank drove, Pat and I caught up with one another and Livi would tell us she caught one. We wouldn't believe her but sure enough... there was a fish. After the 2nd time of us telling her it was probably just a weed and she and Frank pulling up a fish, she didn't even tell us any more. Our conversation paused as we looked over and saw Olivia reeling in a fish all by herself! It was an absolute blast to be with them. It was so fun to catch up with the going on's of the Grant community and hear how everyone is doing. I am so blessed to have people in my life who truly love me and my kids and whom we can love and be with in return.