Happy Birthday William!

The AFB wishes a very happy birthday to William Ross, who turns 6 today!

Here are some pictures from his birthday party on Friday!
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First things first... Maren takes a whack at the pinata.

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Deacon's turn...

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William goes for a home run pinata-buster!

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Discussing strategy for the upcoming candy grab?

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Jessica gets a direct hit!

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Eureka!

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On to the egg race... cautious Maren's not taking any chances.

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A little help from Michael should speed things up!

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Cake and presents!

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Happy Birthday To You!

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David watches carefully and makes plans for his 1st birthday in September!

Dino Camp!

The kids' summer camps are in full swing! This past week, they went to camps at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in downtown L.A. Deacon's camp was called Dino Mite, and Maren went Into The Forest.
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From Thursday... Maren and her friends get to watch a Venus Fly Trap eat a fly!

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From Friday... Lil' gophers -- the kids have fun in the critter room before camp.

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Maren and her teacher, Ms. Maddy

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Maren and a friend discuss tree bark

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Since I was in class with Maren, I didn't get many pictures of Deacon in his class... here he is at the start of class on Friday.

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Maren plants a Trident Maple Bonsai tree!

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Then, we went out to the Pavilion of Wings to check out the butterflies!

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Maren took this picture of a butterfly on my shoulder!

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A final shot in front of the museum...

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Reunited after camp, Maren gives Deacon a butterfly from the gift shop.

This Day In History: July 22, 2003

From the Alff photo archives... a couple of pictures of Molly Ribnik on her 7th birthday, July 22, 2003.
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It's hard to believe Molly is turning 12 today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOLLY! We love you!!

The Greatest Show On Earth

Never mind that we've been back in town for less than 24 hours, we Alffs need constant entertainment!!! Just so happens the circus is in town, so that's where we went today.
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Thinking ahead to a bit... while we were at Staples Center, we took the opportunity to buy tickets for Walking with Dinosaurs in September!

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Ready for some entertainment!

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Horses!

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Derek and the kids at intermission.

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Tigers!

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Elephants!

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The grand finale...

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In full circus regalia after the show.

A Visit With Sydney!

Yesterday we had a lot of fun visiting Sydney and her mom Chris at their house in Carmichael. After playing and having lunch, we went to the fantastic Aerospace Museum of California at McClellan Park, formerly McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento. Special thanks to Chris for taking all the pics!
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The museum entrance...

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Moon Lander replica!

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I think this plane was called the Jolly Green Giant... the cockpit was open, but it was SOOOO hot in there we didn't stay for long!

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Top Gun Maren.

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The kids like all the planes!

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In front of a big helicopter!

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Our future Blue Angel pilots do a pre-flight check.

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The kids enjoyed a ride in this flight simulator!

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Later at Sydney's house, Sydney is a good sport as Maren gives her a splash in the pool.

Backstage Pass

Yesterday we got to see Music & More's production of Thumbelina in Auburn!  We all loved the show, and the kids were thrilled to go backstage and on stage afterward to check out the beautiful sets, props and costumes!

Here are some cell phone pics...

The kids among the flowers in the Fairy Kingdom!

Deacon was SO happy to pop up from behind the foliage!

Maren gets comfy in Thumbelina's walnut shell bed, which Uncle Mike brilliantly crafted using a damaged boat, canvas, insulating foam and paint.

Uncle Mike helps the kids hold up a giant leaf.

Deacon practices his bow.

Kind of hard to see in this dark picture, but Uncle Mike took the kids back to the projection room and let Deacon flip the switches to turn off the lights!

Uncle Mike, Michelle, Grammie and Auntie Kay at dinner afterward.  

Art Showcase: "I Accidentally Went In The Water And Got Bit By A Shark" by Maren

I Accidentally Went In The Water And Got Bit By A Shark, by Maren

Maren says this is not a sea creature, but a funny monster with 3 tails and 9 legs who accidentally wandered into the water and got bit by a shark, and that's the end.