Flag Ceremony

We started out the day of the retirement party by going to a flag raising ceremony. At the ceremony my dad was presented with a flag that was flown over the military base. It was really neat to watch. After 40 years of work on base (with 3 patents and one pending) it was great to help make the day special for my dad.

One of the few group shots:

Here's another:

The kids were more interested in the rocks.....but I was able to get a good shot of the two of them smiling together!

Retirement Dinner

My Dad's retirement party was awesome! It was so fun to hear all the great things about him from those who had worked with him over the years. My Dad worked as a Mechanical Engineer for the government for 40 years and we never knew the exact details of his work. So it was great to learn more about what he did as well as how respected and admired he is by those in his field of work. I love this picture of my parents and Michael: And here is my dad accepting awards:

All of my brothers and sisters were able to make it to the party so it made it even more special.

We pitched in on a gift for my dad. A special thanks to Michael for picking out the perfect gift and doing such a great job of presenting it to Dad!! It is so impressive to me that my Dad was able to stay at a job that he truly loved for such a long period of time and to do so awesome at it. I love you Dad!

Retirement Dinner Continued...

We just had a good time spending time together! My mom arranged for babysitters so that Emily and I could relax without worrying about the kids which was so awesome.

Here's a cute picture of Michael and Ashli:
I have hardly any pictures of myself so Carol emailed this to me...usually I'm the photographer in my family.

I love this picture of Steve, Carol and Becky. We laughed so hard throughout the evening, it was awesome!

What would an evening with my family be like without chocolate? I shudder to even think about it!!

Trains

A trip to Ridgecrest would not be complete without riding trains.....and with Ben....riding trains as much as possible. We even went to one of my dad's friends to ride on his train! Summer and Parker couldn't get enough of feeding the fish. I think Summer only fell into the pond once this time around.....which wasn't too bad considering how much time she spent feeding the fish.

The kids has so much fun riding the train....over and over and over!! Thanks Dad for making the backyard so much fun, like our own private Disneyland!!

And a thanks goes out to Ashli too! She took the kids around and around. She must have been dizzy. Steve and I took the kids around about 15 times in a row and we both commented on feeling dizzy!

In & Out Fix

Of course we had to do an In & Out run on the way up to Ridgecrest and on the way back from Ridgecrest so we could all get in our In & Out Fix. This was especially important for Becky since she lives way out yonder in Texas where there are no In & Out's around!! Ben & Summer are always happy to make a trip to In & Out Burger. Ben has told me several times his favorite foods are cheeseburgers from In & Out and cupcakes. Healthy.....

Back in HB

Carol was so nice and watched the kids so Brian and I could go out on a date night. They had a blast and of course Aunt Carol gave the kids suckers and took lots of pictures. Here they are, messing around out in the front of our house.

We were also able to get one last visit in to the beach. Of course we had to hit the ice cream store first....

....and then to the pier. I hate asking people to take pictures of us but Carol asked someone to and wouldn't you know it - her eyes are closed in the one and only group shot of us!! And I'm a turkey because I wouldn't let her ask anyone else! We had a great weekend with the family - I feel so lucky to be close with all of my siblings!!

Too Cool!

Summer loves to change outfits and put on jewelry. I put her down for a nap the other day and when she woke up she came out of her room all decked out in as much play jewelery as she could find. She was way too cool for Ben and I! I love how she put a little attitude into the pose....especially w/the sunglasses upside down!