Sammy likes trains.

Today we took a quick trip to Disneyland and decided to go on the train that circles the park. Sammy saw one just leave and couldn't wait for the next one.


Here we are on the train, Sammy was so curious and excited.


He was in awe the whole time, until we had to get off early to change his diaper. Until next time...

(We will be getting ready for a trip up north so updates may come after that!)

Photos of VBS Photos

Anna attending Vacation Bible School last week at our church, I didn't get a chance to take photos but her teachers did, so I took "photos of photos". They learned about the Parable of the Sower.
Here she is singing some praise songs...


Doing projects...


And posing on the playground. She learned a lot about the Lord and had a great time.

Last Day of Little Hoopsters

It's the end of the first half of summer, Steve completed summer school and Little Hoopsters finished up. Here are two teams giving high-fives after their scrimmage game.


Anna is here with her good friend Kevin from our Friday Night Home Fellowship group, which is on hiatus during the summer.


All the kids received trophies and certificates. Hopefully Anna can participate again next summer!

Havin' fun at the beach

Last week Rachel and I brought the kids to the beach, Sammy preferred being in the shade with a cool drink (smart boy) but did eventually venture out to the water and loved it.


Olivia, here with mom Rachel, is an active girl who loves playing and exploring and inspires Sam to take some chances.


Gabbi and Anna had good teamwork that day, they had all sorts of beach projects going on, collecting seashells, building sand castles, and so forth. A lot of fun!

OC Fair Pt. 2

Sammy also enjoyed being a cowboy on the carousel. You could hear his squeals of delight from a good distance.


Here's one of the floral decorations displayed at the fair.


Sammy's thinking, "Mr. Tomato, I know we haven't met, but your face is certainly familiar..."


"Why, it looks like my sister Anna... hey, it is Anna!"

OC Fair Pt. 1

We put up with the heat and ventured out to the Orange County Fair, the theme this year is "Flower Power". Anna liked all the photo cutout characters.


We tried to get Sammy to pose at the Australian Battered Potatoes booth.


For me, the fair is all about the food. Huge smoked turkey leg, yum!


Sammy enjoyed the dippin' dots, rainbow sherbet.


Massive (greasy) onion rings, tasty! More photos to follow!

3-layered ensemble

Anna wore this outfit the other day (in public), it's comprised of a ballet leotard and two skirts. Watch out Project Runway!

Snow Mountain Ranch Reunion Pt. 2

What a cute photo of Christie and Carter, with the view right outside our cabin. The weather in this part of Colorado was perfect for me during this time of the year, it seemed like low 80's during the day and around 50 degrees at night. I loved the cool crisp air in the mornings!


Another nice shot including the Parsons minus Hannah.


On picture day the families wore different color shirts. I can't wait to see the finished proofs.


Activities included swimming, crafts, hiking, and of course card games in the cabins... Steve needed his basketball fix and the boys scouted an outdoor court. Here are Michael, Steve and Brian after their basketball victory.


Here's popular Michael with Anna and Carter. I don't know how many times I heard, "Where's Mike?"
I wish I had taken more photos but hopefully you get an idea of what it was like. It's nice to be part of the Goeller clan.

Snow Mountain Ranch Reunion Pt. 1

We just came back from our trip to Colorado for the Goeller family reunion, 39 relatives attended this event! I'll post some photos in a two-part series. Here we are right outside our cabin, what a gorgeous view! Getting to Snow Mountain was about a 2-hour drive from Denver International, via highways and mountain roads. The drive was worth it.


The clans were divided into two cabins, and most of the families congregated in the "Snowberry" cabin for meals, organized by Nancy (as was most everything else, thank you!). Believe it or not Anna is eating a hot dog here, this is evidence of positive peer-pressure while dining with cool relatives.


There was a volleyball court and playground a short walking distance from our cabins. Many family members participated in this non-competitive game, including Anna and the other youngsters.


From left: Kurt, Carter, Hannah, Mike, Anna, Rod, and Abby (Did I get that right?)


Here are Anna, Holland and Hannah riding in the backseat to the infamous "activity center". More photos to come!

Random Shots

We will be off to Colorado for a family reunion so it will be about a week until the next posting, until then...


Why sit and steer when you can stand?


Olivia's thinking, "Where did you learn to apply your makeup?"

Summer Kick-off Party

We invited the Friday Night Home Fellowship group to our house for a summer kick-off party. Steve made these cute pictures of the all the kids in various Veggie Tale poses. Note the Korean lettering, interesting. I love how Sam's cheeks are accentuated.


There were 19 kids at the party. Activities included the bounce house, a special Ten Commandments obstacle course and a pinata, the kids are eagerly awaiting for the pinata treats here.


Everyone takes food seriously in this group. Today did not disappoint, shrimp cocktail, orange chicken, chow mein, tacos, salads and many other savories. Heather and Joe partake in some of the dishes here. It was a day of food, fun, and fellowship.

Tasha's Birthday

This was one of two cakes from Tasha's birthday party last night, it was huge, a full-sheet size I believe. The chocolate cake was covered in marzipan, with a custard fillling, it was really good.


But the kids seemed to enjoy the Costco cake more.

4th of July highlights

Our day started off with our church's huge celebration in the afternoon, complete with good music, games, food (the best bbq ribs) and lots of fun. You can almost picture what Anna and Gabbi will look like as teens, hopefully at a nice Christian gathering such as this one...


It was a warm sunny day, even with layers of sunscreen Sammy still got some color.


Whee! One of the many fun activities!


At night we went to Carlos' house (Steve's teacher friend) in Costa Mesa (where it is legal to use fireworks) to check out their display. Still, it was surprising to see "illegal" ones being set off into the air so close to us (think Disneyland size), right around the corner from where we were! Ok, perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit. The kids had a good time watching from the car.


Firework first-timer Sammy enjoyed the sights and sounds, and eventually fell asleep during the loudest ones!


The fireworks were set and lit on a metal ladder for good viewing, happy 4th!

San Diego/Coronado Pt. 2

Sam enjoyed the flamingos, or was it more the wire fencing... actually he was more mesmerized by inanimate objects at the zoo, fences, chains, soda machines...


Anna was cautious at the petting zoo, but did manage a quick pet here and there.


Sam had the most fun at the kids' section in Balboa Park's science museum. Kung-fu fighting!


But much of the trip looked like this. Eek!