It's the Little Things That Count!

I came home from work the other day and Sydney was spastic with excitement waiting to give me a present she had made. First there was an enevelope and on the front of it she had written

"Dad, I have something for you". Here is the envelope cover.


Inside the envelope Sydney sketched a picture of Sydney and I going to the park.


Also inside the envelope was a picture she had taken of her when she was a Chucky Cheese with her best friends Chandler and Chase.


Getting such a sweet gift from Sydney was just as wonderful as seeing how happy she was when I opened the envelope with surprise. As parents we cherish these moments.

Laguna Beach

Some of you may know that I recently went thru layoffs with my company. It was a scary time for Naquel and I, and we are thankful that I still have a job. Change can be scary when you are not expecting it but it can also be positive and beneficial. A positive change that has occurred with the layoffs is that I have been reassigned to our San Diego sales team. I am always hesitant about getting a new manager because it is like starting all over again- building up trust, friendship, and an understanding of expectations- as you can imagine I was not thrilled at first. However, after our first district meeting on Monday, I was very relieved to see that I have ended up with one of the strongest teams in our sales force. I have an excellent opportunity to learn from some very talented people, as well as help others with what I have learned over the years. My manager seems very confident, experienced, and I feel that he has a genuine interest in seeing me succeed. We feel so blessed, and we are thankful.

I have a fear of flying, as reinforced by the recent "Hudson Landing", so I prefer to drive if I can. statistically speaking its safer to fly.... yeah yeah yeah... but at least I can jump out of the car at the last minute if impending doom is unavoidable... so I'm kidding... but I still feel safer driving (well at least I do, don't ask Naquel). So I decided to drive to Laguna Beach, CA for our first district meeting. I had a little time to burn before the meeting so I grabbed my camera gear and headed to the beach. Here are a few of the shots I took...





On the way home Monday night I witnessed a beautiful sunset.

Connor's New Bike

The other day Connor's friend Tyler came over asking if Connor could go ride bikes. I said sure, and went out in the garage to get his bike...designed for a 4 year old. Connor was WAY too big for the bike- his knees kept hitting the handle bars. I felt really bad for Connor, but he was just SO excited that he could ride bikes with his friend. On the way home from work today I stopped by the store and bought Connor his new bike- a new inline Magna. When Connor came home from school I tied a bandanna around his head telling him I was trying a new photo experiment. He gladly went along with it. We took him in the back yard and told him to take of the bandanna. I had my camera ready to take the shot. At first he just stood there trying to compute what was going on... after a few seconds he saw the bike in front of him and his face lit up from ear to ear. He ran to the bike to climb on it saying how cool the bike was. Then he stopped and came running to us to give us a big hug saying thank you. Sydney and Brooklyn helped pick out Connor's bike and it was so cool seeing how excited they were for Connor getting a new bike. It was a wonderful experience! Here are a few pictures.

Soccer Connor and Toothless Sydney!

Connor started soccer a few weeks ago and had his first game last Saturday. I think that soccer is more of social event than competition to him. He has a lot of fun just being out on the field with his friends and takes more interest in that, then running after the ball and trying to score a goal. But that is what is most important....Connor having fun! Besides, I remember trying to play soccer when I was his age, and I wasn't near as good as he is. We are so proud of Connor and his enthusiasm, curiosity, and strong sense of right and wrong and a desire to do the right thing.





Sydney lost her first tooth today. It is sad yet happy moments like this that make you feel like your kids are slowly drifting away to adolescence and soon adulthood. We are so proud of Sydney and Brooklyn and feel so blessed that we have such beautiful little daughters that are so sweet and kind, and have loving hearts turned to the light of Christ.