CALIFORN-I-A

We just got back from a great trip up to Stockton to see all the Birds. We had an awesome time, but missed Drew, Daniel, and Eric. Makenna took her first boat ride and Harley ride all in the same weekend. She's such a dare devil!

Makenna with her grandpa.

Master and Commander of the wakeboard. I'm currently giving lessons to anyone who wants them.

Chillaxin' by the pool with Aunt Susan.

3 of the 4 great-granddaughters: Makenna, Riley, and Hailey.

Four generations: Grandpa Bird, Dad, me, Makenna, Grandma Bird.

Fun times. Makenna did superb on her first mega road trip (12 hours). No freak-outs. Lots of napping. Downed the car food with the best of us.

And for the run-down on my favorite things about visiting Stockton:
1. Grandma's German Pancakes for breakfast.
2. Visiting with the cousins, aunts and uncles.
3. Wakeboarding on the Delta.
4. Going swimming at Sherwood Manor pool... The Sandlot and Wendy Peffercorn always
come to mind.
5. And my favorite thing about visiting Stockton: picking mouth-watering plums from Grandma and Grandpa's backyard.

Ahhh....the sun.

We made it... we're in Phoenix. We survived the 6 a.m. flight from Richmond to the Valley of the Sun. We're having such a blast swimming all day in the pool, hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa, and eating lots of things that babies shouldn't eat (i.e. ice cream and cookies).



































Yesterday Makenna committed her first criminal offense. Mom and I were shopping at the mall and we went into a darling store called The Pumpkin Patch. I was up front paying for something and Mom had Makenna in the stroller browsing. When we walked out of the store and started on our way, lo and behold, my baby had shoplifted. What's worse, she kyped a pair of little boy's underwear. The nerve.

What can I say, though, we're on a budget.

Will the Real Baby Einstein Please Stand Up?

It's a doggone miracle. We just had this Rubix Cube laying around and today our Baby Genius crawled toward it, started fidgeting around,

and the next thing I knew...

Voila!

You think we should enroll her in some special Pursuit of Happyness program?

Victory at Yorktown

Friday Drew, Makenna, and I had the best Independence Day ever in the very spot our nation won its independence over 200 years ago. We went to Yorktown, Virginia with our friends, the Jones (and half our ward coincidentally), and had a fabulous day from beginning to end. We swam in the York River off the very peninsula where General Cornwallis found himself cornered by the American Army and French Navy. We parked in the Battlefield where lives were lost to secure our independence. We sat outside Thomas Nelson, Jr.'s house (signer of the Declaration of Independence) and watched the 4th of July parade. We truly stepped into small-town America for the day, eating barbecue sandwiches and snowcones, and listening to the Declaration of Independence read aloud at the Victory Monument. One of the highlights of my day, you ask? That would be being chosen as the "Official Bell Ringer" to represent Virginia, the 13th colony. Not minutes after I rang the bell, storm clouds rolled in and rain poured down. While everyone else ran for their cars, we ran for our umbrellas on the beach and rode out the storm like true Patriots. With the beach nearly completely empty, we enjoyed the fireworks in all their glory. Makenna didn't even cry, like I was warned she would; her eyes were peeled on the sky for the entire show. This 4th of July was a real blast for the Mann clan.

Happy Fourth!

Just wanted to share my favorite scene from an all-time classic. Nothing says patriotism like The Sandlot. Hope everyone has a great 4th of July.