Matt's Birthday & Tribute to His Dad

We celebrated Matt's birthday by first, grabbing his FREE starbucks, a venti of course, and then headed down to his mom's house in Tucson for some fun festivities & family.

We were ready for swimming as soon as we got there!

Madison 'forgot' how to swim since she hasn't been in a pool for about 5 months, and she was scared there were sharks. She cried....but after a while she was ok and happy again.

Happy Birthday kiss...I love how Maddy is watching in the background.

We all got a little sun burn, but it was fun to be outside in 85 degree weather and just relax.

Matt's 2 sisters and his Aunt & Uncle flew down from Seattle to be with us, not only for Matt's birthday but for a special tribute to his dad the next day. It was perfect and meant to be.

She was SO tired she put herself to bed...

Mia wanted to see some pictures of her dad when he was little...

So Pam pulled out Matt's old photo album and they looked at some old (really old!) photos of when Matt was a little boy. Mia sure got a kick out of it. It's fun to look back on all those memories...it was fun to watch everyone smile and laugh at old haircuts etc.

Matt BBQ'ing in the dark...we talked for so long and reminiced before we knew it, it was dark out!

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A family photo for Matt's birthday... (thank you to the neighbors who stopped by!)

Happy birthday dad!!

Opening gifts...I hope you had a special day honey!

The next day we went for a really long walk with Uncle Richard & Kirsten. Boy they walk fast...whew Matt & I were dying. I think I'm better at jogging then walking!! The hills are so...hilly.

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Walking backwards...

Of course I had to get some photos...with a nice background.

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Matt & Uncle Richard

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Kirsten & I

It was a good time, and easier coming down the hills than going up!

THE TRIBUTE TO DENNIS - Saddle Brook Baseball

Matt's dad helped build this baseball field and raise money to put it together. They team really misses Dennis and wanted to pay a tribute to him. Before a baseball game they honored his memory with a very nice plaque and tribute to Dennis.

Auntie Shannon telling the girls something...in their hats...how cute.

Here we all are together waiting in the dug out before our little ceremony. Then we were escorted out onto the field.

Presenting Pam with the plaque.

Matt said a few words of thanks...especially to honor his dad in this way. Dennis would have been very proud of his family representing him.

We miss you Dennis! You are always thought of...we know without a doubt you are sitting with Jesus in heaven, and those that believe in Him will see you again someday!

I am thankful beyond words that his sisters & Dennis' brother & wife took the time to fly down and be here for this very memorable time. One thing you can never get back is time, and this was a great way to spend it.

Mia's 80th Blood Transfusion

What a brave girl...she's counting down to 100, for her big party!

We Stopped by a...

....blood drive going on at Mercy Gilbert Hospital. We wanted to say 'thank you' to all the people donating blood, because as Mia knows, it saves lives. She was watching all the people that she doesn't know, and whispered to me...'Mom, that's so nice of them. We don't even know them.' Aww, she truly appreciated it.

I donated blood too while I was there. I hope Mia knows that her mom (& dad!) would do anything for her, including donating our own blood for her!

Here we are with some wonderful ladies who work for UBS. June was checking every body in and making sure everything was ok, while Kim did the interviews. We love Kim, we always see her around town at various blood drives! Thanks Kim for always being so welcoming and supportive to our family.

Brian, our friend from church, actually works in the lab at the hospital, so he took Mia on a tour of the lab where they test and process the blood. Honestly, I was more interested than Mia. She was busy playing with Madison and Brian's son Skylar. Haha...but it was awesome! Thanks Brian!

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We went to the Healing garden where there's a water fountain and a really neat tree. People engrave their loved ones names if they pass away on the leaves of this tree. It's a neat way to remember them.

Amen to this! Here's to HOPE. Hope is the best medicine around!

The Rodeo - Parada Del Sol

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We were able to get Hopekids tickets at the last minute for a Rodeo at Westworld up in Scottsdale. Mia LOVES horses, she wants horse riding lessons so badly. I thought it would be fun if she could see some horses in action.

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Even Ashley enjoyed it, she wanted to see the barrel racing but we didn't get to see that.

One of the coolest parts was when this guy came out with 2 huge buffalo's...yikes!! He rode his mule on top of the truck...the buffalo's even went up there, it was crazy!

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Ashley bought Madison an icy...what a special treat from her big sister!

It was a fun day as a family, but boy were we tired! It's always fun to get out and do something different on a Sunday afternoon after church. Great memory makers!