The Newest Groff

Sweet Baby Riley entered the World on Friday. She is beautiful!

Me doing what I love to do...

Mommy, Daddy (Darrell's brother), and the perfect new baby girl. Congratulations Gary and Becky...you did good!!

Last Day...

These are all of my kids and one of my aides at one site. Notice how many more girls than boys...LOVE these kids.

A few of my kidlets at my other site. SO very cute and smart and sweet...

One of "my Mommy's" and "my kids." When I started back to work 4 years ago, this little princess was a baby and her brother was not born. I have watched this family grow...

Another terrific Mommy with her little girl.

My newest baby Omar, and his big brother and Mommy.

When this little girl first came into my class the only English word she knew was "pizza." Now, she is having conversations in English and Spanish...amazing!

These families have blessed me on a daily basis. They have accepted me into their lives and trust what I say to them. I only hope and pray that I have made a small impact on their future.

By the way, there is a SLIGHT chance that our program will resume next year...but we won't know until mid to end of summer.

The Movie "UP"

Nathan, Blake, Blake's Mom and Sister, and I went to see the movie "UP." I loved it!! The more I think about it...the more I like it. Go see it...it has a great message of loyalty and friendship. I want to see it again...go today...you won't be sorry!

Wordless Wednesday #24 ~ A Walk Along Huntington Beach

Lunch With the Ladies

These are the ladies that I work with...they are AWESOME!! I am very lucky/blessed to work with these girls, they have all taught me many things. They mostly take care of the kids while I work with the Parents. I swear they can all read my mind...it is scary sometimes! They are all at least bi-lingual (lucky girls) and speak 5 languages amongst them. We had a great time when they came over, we even talked about politics, religion, and husbands. We laughed until we cried...I will miss them so much next year. Thanks ladies, for all you've done for me this year. You are all unique...and oh-so-special.

A Break from Baseball...for "ACE"

Nathan has his end-of-season team party last night. He has been playing year-round baseball for 4 years, which is a lot when you consider that he is only 10 years old. This year he played on a Pony team with 12 year olds...he has "played up" for several years. He loves to be on the field. This is Coach/Pastor Habib talking about Nathan. His nickname for the past several years has been "Ace." He had the second highest batting average on the team, and played first or third base almost every inning of every game.

Kyle helped Habib and Darrell coach the little boys this year.

Nathan and his buddies. Many of these kids have played together for years. Nathan has decided to take the summer off and not play baseball for a couple of months. He has been having problems with his growth plate in his right foot, so resting it for awhile is the best medicine. The team ended this year in 3rd place...not bad!

The New Babies

Tanya (my sister) and her family live up in the mountains. Last weekend she found out, after her husband had started the engine, that a Mommy bird had made a nest in the tailpipe of their RV...bad idea. The Mommy and some of the babies were killed, but these 2 little birdies lived. She took them in, and is raising them as her own. Don't worry, she got a lot of advice from Bird Authorities on the internet, and plans to release them into the wild when they are ready.

She feeds them dog kibble soaked in water until it is all gushy and stinky. They are SO CUTE and SO LOUD when she feeds them.

This is her version of a nest. A plastic food container lined in clean paper towels...so funny. They are so soft and sweet...Eldon and Holly named them "Piggy" and "Bobby." You can kind of see the one on the left has a bum leg from flying out of a tailpipe. Good luck Tanya...aka "Mommy Bird."