Manhattan Beach

Getting away from the scorching dry heat was the goal today. Parking was a bit of a struggle but the rest of the day was perfect.

Playing in the Backyard

Erin


Erin doing pushups


Faith


"Hooray!"


Erin

Japanese American Museum

We enjoyed a day of fun at the Japanese American Museum in Little Tokyo. The girls were fitted for their very own haute-couture hats made of colored butcher paper.








We enjoyed a day of fun at the Japanese American Museum in Little Tokyo. The girls were fitted for their very own haute-couture hats made of colored butcher paper.

On to Heaven

Elyse has been on my mind a lot as of late. I have an 8 x 10 photo of Elyse on my desk which I brought back from her memorial service. Since that day, the frame has been leaning against the side wall behind some books. A few days ago, I picked up the frame, cleaned it and set it down next to my monitor so that she is directly facing me now. As much as I painfully miss her still, I suppose I am doing better emotionally with moving forward with my life. I am sure that this is what Elyse would want for her mom also. As I stare into those precious innocent eyes, I am gently reminded of the privilege of carrying her and raising her until she was called back to her eternal home in heaven. Elyse's passing has definitely piqued my curiosity and longing for heaven. As I watch Faith and Erin play, laugh and go through their terrible two's, I wonder how Elyse spends each day in heaven. I'm sure that her days are filled with love, joy and peace incomprehensible to me as I still need to fulfill my purpose for being here. There is a young woman by the name of Rachel who, I believe, is fulfilling her purpose everyday as she is dying of cancer. On her website, www.deathisnotdying.com, her video and letters boldly proclaims her mission in life in the midst of terminal cancer. I am so humbled by her determination to "finish well," according to her words.

An anonymous gift

Hi everyone - we received these plush animal pillows for Faith and Erin in the mail with no return address on the box. We'd really like to thank you if you're reading this ! Faith and Erin love to touch the pillows and say "so soft, so soft." Please let us know who you are.

Zimmer Museum

The girls haven't been out in a few days so I made plans to take them to the park, have breakfast there and play for a few hours. The girls had the entire park to themselves. Well, for me, the highlight of my day was when a white van...NOT a mini-van...drove into the parking lot. I saw a man step out of the driver's seat, and then one by one....I counted one, two, three, four, five...and six kids(yikes !) step out of the van. They all walked around the track once (as a family, I assumed) and then they were free to play. They seemed to range in age.. from 2 to about 12...they werent' Jon & Kate plus 8 (those of you who don't watch their show....they're a family with a set of twins and sextuplets) but they reminded me a lot of Jon & Kate's family. I did ask the father if they were all his. He smiled and said "yes" and that the mom is at home with the newborn. After about a 1/2 hour of play, they were told to get back in the van...they all seemed to be very well-behaved. Well, I gave myself a pat on the shoulder and told myself that I'm doing a great job with my two girls....that I should continue to do my best everyday. I can't even fathom what my life would be like with 7 children. Nonetheless,I believe that God gives us strength and courage to rise to the occasion whenever we're faced with challenges.

After they played I decided to trek up a hill and get my exercise for the day. The girls usually don't like the stroller but they seemed ok today because they had the chance to run around a lot. After my hike, I took the girls to Zimmer Museum today. It's a hands-on Jewish-themed museum for kids. If you have kids, especially toddlers, you really should go. Thanks Julie, for recommending it. It's great! There were so many things to do and not enough time to do them all. Today was a full day.