Computer generation

She's 2-1/2 and she plays PBS games on the computer, navigates Chris's iPhone with ease, and is learning to select her favorite Netflix instant watch shows through TiVo. Crazy!

When in Utah...

Since we were in the Salt Lake area, we made a stop to Temple Square.
How lucky for me that my baby brother, Phil, and his wife, Heather, happened to be in the area and joined us for lunch!!! What a great end to a great vacation!

Batt Family Reunion in Utah

Next up was a family reunion at the Brighton Chalets in Brighton, Utah. What a beautiful area!!

We got to see several moose on our hikes.

There were pictures taken of the WHOLE family crowd, but I don't have a copy of those yet. We also went to Park City one morning for some fun sliding and coastering down the ski slopes. We had such a nice time! Chris went mountain biking a couple of times and injured himself pretty good the day before we left. He has 4 stitches on the inside and 6 on the outside where he split his knee open landing on the rocks. His leg is full of deep abrasions too. He's so excited to have scars to remember our trip by.

Sierras at Graeagle

We started August with a weeklong adventure. The first couple of days were spent in the Sierras in a little town called Graeagle (pronounced gray-eagle). We stayed in some "cabins" that had a common pool and spent most of our time there. But we did take a beautiful hike into the mountains.

The cousins had a blast together!! Here they are in their pajamas. They look ready to sleep, don't they?

Welcome Josie Rauch

So we had a mini-family reunion to welcome the newest member of our Rauch family. Little Josie was born July 2nd and made the trip to California at 3 weeks old, so we had to go see her!
Of course we all had a blast. Here's the kids' table. Josie's daddy (Tim) still sits there.

We had lots of races around the driveway.

Chris brought the little red car for even more fun.

Swim Meet 1

Silas had his first racing experience today. He swam 3 races: over-under (they swim perpendicular to the lanes), 25 m back stroke, and 50 m freestyle. He placed 2nd, 4th, and 3rd respectively. He would have gotten 3rd in back stroke too if his arm hadn't gotten hung up on the lane dividers. Here he is at the start of the freestyle race - 2nd lane in.

Family Visit

On Saturday, July 9th my mom, step-dad, sister & niece arrived from Fort Wayne, Indiana to stay for a week. My niece is about 4 months older than Keilah, and they became instant friends.

SUNDAY: Here we are at church with Keilah and Izzy in match dresses and sharing toys.

After church we went to my sister, Holly's, house for a BBQ and swim.

MONDAY: Everyone relaxed, recuperated from the drive, and got to know each other better.

TUESDAY: Holly's clan came to Davis for some fun at the park, a BBQ, and playing around.

The little ones enjoyed rides on grandpa's scooter.

Lounging on the hammock with grandma.
WEDNESDAY: We went to the Davis Farmer's Market. There is a pedal powered carousel here. The balding guy sitting at the entrance is actually pedalling to make the carousel go around.
Silas rode the pig, but he's too big to just sit there and ride.
THURSDAY: We went to the Sacramento Zoo and Fairytale Land. Of course, these were the most interesting animals.

Fairytale Land royalty.

FRIDAY: We went to Muir Beach and discovered that July is awefully cold for the beach. But the kids had a blast playing in the sand with their aunts and cousins.

SATURDAY: They all left for Idaho to see my baby brother and his wife graduate from college.