Pip, Jeff, and Lilly came down for Sunday dinner a few weeks ago. The kids couldn't get enough of each other!
Thanks for the cute up-do, Pip!
Ian is investigating whether this other small creature who has entered upon his territory. Friend or foe? I think he decided that she's harmless.
So many parks, so little time!
Didn't you know this is the latest trend? Barefoot and not.
One of Ian's favorite chew toys is our camera case. The other two are my keys and the dirty bottom of any and every shoe.
For nearly 50 years now, Grandma Diane and Grandpa John (Bickmore) have come down to camp at Carlsbad beach for one week during the summer. Usually they bring down one of their two silver-covered Airstream Trailers, hitched up to their white suburban. This year, they've down-sized to just tent camping because it's getting harder for my nearly 80-year-old grandfather to hitch and unhitch the trailer by himself. 
They came for a week in June this year and also this past week (in July). So now that I'm finally playing catch-up with my blog, we'll start with the pictures from the June trip. The night we came up, they treated us to some yummy pizza...
Walked along the beach with Pip, Jeff, and Lilly...
roasted marshmallows, 
and played a couple rounds of Aggravation. Notice Brooklyn's make-shift wrap-around skirt as a result of her sand-crusted and salt-water-drenched pants, socks, and shoes after our walk.
We took a few casual family pic's at my parent's house. Ian already looks older than this now!
Does this look funny to anyone else? 
What trip to the mall would be complete without a downhill wagon ride through the parking lot? That's right, the dad is IN the wagon while the three-year-old is outside of it, running downhill on the asphalt and pushing. Nice. 
I think Brooklyn volunteered for the caboose-pushing job, but then again, her dad LET HER!
Who says grown-ups have to always play by the rules? (Sorry about yet another picture of our "cross-dressing" son. I really need to stop this so he doesn't grow up confused. Then again, uncle David turned out okay after his older sisters doted on him and "dolled" him up a few times.
A short spiritual thought and a game of Fancy Nancy.
And the award goes to....Mark! Congratulations and here is your victory tiara and wand!
We know it's not as cool as all the activities Mark spontaneously invents and leads at ward parties, like rolling down the grassy hill and playing tag, but we still love that he played it with us anyway!
We recently attended J.J. and Nancy's wedding at the L.A. temple and the reception in Monrovia that evening. Congratulations to the happy couple! 
Finally there are two cousins of mine on the McKendrick side that are married. Michelle, who is my age, married last September. She and her husband, Travis are on the top left of the picture. My aunt Margaret, in the grey suit, is my dad's younger sister. She and her husband Michael have 4 children. Jacob and Lauren are the other two, also pictured above. Now there are only four other siblings of my dad's that will soon (maybe) join the club!
These gals are good friends of ours. They are Megan, Karen, and Rachelle Smith. My mom served under Karen as stake girls camp leaders for a while and became good friends several years ago. The Smiths have since moved away from the area. Rachelle Smith became good friends with Nancy up at BYU. Rachelle then discovered that Nancy's then-boyfriend, J.J., was related to our family. Small world! Great to see you, ladies!
These are a bunch of my other McKendrick cousins. My dad is the oldest, so they're all younger than us. It was great to have Richard's oldest 4 kids in town for the occasion. They live in Florida! Also pictured are my dad's other brother, Rob's kids, 3 of them. They live in Temple City, CA. Josh, Kelly, and Claire Bernd, my Dad's other sister, Helen's kids, live in Del Mar, just about 15 minutes up the freeway from us. So now is when I wish I had the fancy computer skills like Eric or Jessica to label the people by typing on top of the picture. Also, I really hate the funky face I'm making in the picture, but I don't know how to replace it without messing up the order of things. So sorry!
Brooklyn and my brother's boys tearin' up the dance floor!
Grandma Grace and Grandpa Glade with Ian. Grandma and Grandpa Merkley just celebrated their one-year anniversary in May.
