Family Time in Cali

We were able to spend some time with the extended family while we were in town too, which was wonderful! Rachel and I rode bikes one day to Avila Beach with Aunt Su. We played in the water, made a sand castle and then even got some ice cream! Rachel loves the beach, I can't wait to teach her how to surf! I did take her boogie boarding and she went out in the cold Pismo Beach until her chest, then I put her on the board and she rode it all the way into shore! I was so proud of her and she kept telling everyone about it, "...all by MYSELF!" We had a BBQ at Aunt Su and Mitch's house later that day with Randi, Amy, CeCe, Cahill and Logan. We made sure to all admire Uncle Mitch's new pond that he built and he made sure to point things out to Rachel! It was so great to see everyone and let Rachel get reaquainted with everyone.

Later we went to see Brad and Jessica at thier place. Rachel loved playing with "Lenny", Brad's camilian and making sure that no one touched "Angry Man", Jessica's camilian, because "Angry Man bites!" It was so good to spend time with them. I know they are super busy, so we were glad they were able to spend time with us!

After Surgery

The day we got home from the hospital Mom was so much easier than any of us expected. We had the hardest time trying to get Mom to just stay still! She just wanted to play with Rachel and run around, when she should have been doing nothing but laying down and sleeping! So I finally gave in and we went the 1/2 mile down the road to Waller Park for a picnic. It was so fun taking Rachel to the park that I spent so much time at when I was a kid. We brought a whole loaf of bread and she loved feeding the ducks. But she was not expecting the "Waller Park Ducks" which are the ducks that run right up to you and will literally grab the bread out of your hand if you do not feed them fast enough! She got so mad at one of the ducks for eating her bread that she threw her sunglasses at it! Unfortunately for her she threw them at the ducks in the pond and lost them! She told me to go in the water and get them, and I just laughed at her! She loved going on the swings and having Nana Ging push her!

We had such an amazing time with her in California. We are so grateful that we were able to come see her and spend some time with her during this time. She and Frank spoiled us with everything...DVDs, clothes, food, bubbles, a giant pool for Rachel, etc. and we used the truck the whole time we were there! Thank you Frank! We miss you guys!

Surgery

Mom had surgery in Santa Barbara and the whole family was there...Me and Rachel (of course), Brad, Nana and Granddaddy, Chris, Tricia and Frank. Rachel really enjoyed "helping" Nana Ging and the nurses prep for surgery. After surgery we were able to go see Mom and she looked GREAT! (Unfortunately they wouldn't let Rachel come see her because she was too young to be in the ICU and she was devistated! Thank goodness for the family, who kept her entertained while Brad and I got to go back and see her)! The tumor was much much smaller this time. (Last time it was the size of the palm of your hand and this time is was only the size of the tip of your pinkie)! During the couple of days in recovery the family made sure to make Mom laugh and smile and we even went for a walk with Mom. Rachel and I passed some time by swimming in the pool at the hotel. You can only contain a 2 year old to a quiet hospital room for so long before she needs to let out her energy! We are so grateful that the surgery went so well. The night after the surgery the rest of us went out for dinner and Rachel HAD TO play in the water fountain, so of course Uncle Chris joined right in with the fun!! We're so grateful to have been able to be with Mom for the surgery and that she is doing so well!

Before surgery!

Rachel and I were able to go to California in July for 3 weeks to spend some time with my Mom before her surgery. She had another brain tumor, luckily it was smaller than the first one! Before the surgery we spent some good time with her at the beach and with all the family that came to visit in Santa Barbara before the surgery. Rachel loves the water and had a great time playing with Nana Ging.

Kincher Family 2010

Thanks again to our wonderful friend Kami, here are our 2010 Family Pictures. It is so nice to have Rachel's birthday at the same time as our anniversary. That way we get family pictures and Rachel's yearly pictures take at the same time. Hopefully our next kids follow suit. These are only some of our favorite pictures... and we chose 11 of them to post on here. We hope you enjoy them too!

Nauvoo

Again this year we were lucky enough to go to the Nauvoo pagent. This year we even had two friends in the pagent! We decided to spend the night and just sleep in the car, BAD idea! It of course was a record breaking heat wave while we were in town, the heat index was at 114* during the day, the humidity alone was killing us. We slept in the car for about 20 minutes before sweating to death, then we moved into the tent with our friends Andy and Allena (who were in the pagent). And if you look closely to the picture of all of us in the tent, yes, that is a fan in the background, it was plugged in and blasting full speed all through the night and it was still hot!! The next morning when we went to get dressed and ready, I realized that I had forgotten to put Rachel's clothes in the overnight bag, I got them out and ready, I just didn't pack them! Good thing she's so tall, she just borrowed a dress from Allena! We went on a covered wagon ride, let Mark pull us in a hand cart, walked on stilts, played backwards baseball, went to the Red Brick House, saw Joseph Smith Jr.'s house and the grave sight of him, his wife and brother. It was a wonderful experience and if you have never been to the Nauvoo pagent, I strongly urge you to go!! I have seen it 3 times now and I ball my eyes out everytime! Uncontrollably, and you all know that I am not a crier!! The Spirit is strong there...it is wonderful!

4th of July

Okay so here are the 4th of July pictures from this year. We went to a wonderful concert in the park with our friends Julie Steinberg (as Rachel likes to call her "My Julie") and Marilyn Mapes. We had a couple of friends in the concert so it was very exciting to watch. Rachel made sure to sing along as they sang the Star Spangled Banner, it is one of her favorite songs. She knows all of the words, she should she has heard the song about a million times with all the hockey and baseball games that she has been to, she even hold her hand on her heart and stays quiet! It's so cute!! After we went to the Ringers house and the Jacksons joined us as we all went over to watch the fireworks on the top of a hill. We then came back for root beer floats and sparklers for the kids. We had a wonderful 4th of July. God Bless America!!