Farewell to Matt and Megan!

The Santa Cruz Boardwalk is one of our favorite places to go. It has lots of fun kid rides and a beautiful view:) This week, we took Matt and Megan to the Boardwalk because they've never been there and they will be leaving us next week: ( Matt is our vicar, aka student pastor, and we have enjoyed their year with us here in CA and will miss them a whole lot.

For the first six months, our kids referred to them as Map and Megan. I never corrected them because it was so darn cute. Abby finally figured it out and he's now plain old Matt. Megan looks like she could be the mother of our girls, so she fit into our family quite well! Over the past year, they have become like family to us and I am especially thankful for Megan. She sat with me in church to help with the kids. She was the designated crayon holder, back rubber, and kid watcher when I had to take Abby to the nursery. She watched the girls on occasion and gave me the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I have ever tasted. She's been my friend and I will miss her, but I know how happy she is to get back to the Midwest to be closer to her family! I am happy for them!

We had a picnic on the beach, and here's a good shot of Megan.

Matt offered to buy funnel cakes for us. He came back with two--one plain one and
one with ice cream and strawberries and whipped cream. I think he and
Jenna at that one all by themselves!


Matt got to experience the joy of having Abby ride on his shoulders!
She doesn't sit still, pulls ears, and often tries to get down.
Needless to say, this experience didn't last long:)