Kelsi to the Baja

**This post is a copy of the post that Bryce posted on the Facebooks...**

Kelsi Bartley Little wanted to visit family in Baja California, Mexico. 

She was never healthy enough to make the trip. 

We take Kelsi with us in heart and spirit every where we go. 

Today we scattered some of her ashes in the tide of the Pacific ocean. 

An important ceremony for us as we continue to celebrate her life, grieve her loss, and make the most of our lives each day. We miss you Kelsi. — at Rosarito Baja California, Mexico

Family gathering on the beach

Sunset 1/18/15

sunset 1/18/15

Bryce scattering into the tide

Leigh scattering

Carson scattering with Daddy

Kelsi and her mom

Name in the sand

Always remembered

New Addition

One of our friends, Judy, is involved with a rescue here in Tijuana.

Consequently, she herself has 7-8 dogs at any given time...

One of those dogs from the rescue that she has been fostering

is a little black bundle of love, Moogly.

So Moogly started his life by being tossed over a fence in Tijuana.

We're hoping to give him a little bit better existence than that.

He's already making himself comfortable. 

He likes the kids, (after a brief skittishness)

and he seems to enjoy Jesse.  Jesse tolerates him.

Since he's almost 15 years old, we're trying to keep him happy too.

Here's a picture of him getting love too.

Spending the day with Aunt T

While in Austin, Aunt T was also visiting.  She was glad to be there to support 'Kelsi Little Day'

and visit with her niece and nephew.

We decided to take a day away while she was there and went down to San Antonio to explore.

We went to the Witte Museum , where they had several exhibits that really appealed to our kids...

(That's Carson virtual jump roping and Aunt T tracking her stamina in the Body adventure exhibit)

There was also the Grossology exhibit, which also was popular....especially with Aunt T!

There were other aspects of the museum that we enjoyed also.

We were outside on the grounds really enjoying the foliage and stuff out there too.

Leigh nervously riding the balance bike way above the ground...

The most awesome tree terrace in the world!

With a peaceful pathway underneath

 Carson got really involved with an elaborate waterway system of damns and passage ways and spent a lot of time with diverting water.  He worked at this for a good while.

When we got back to Austin, we picked up daddy and went to 

Taco Cabana

Aunt T's new favorite Mexican restaurant...

A great loss

During my spell of not chronicling our lives, we had many changes occur.

At the end of August, my former employer offered to have me come and work again for them for a little bit; back in Mesa.  

I was hesitant...I mean, leaving Mexico (79 degrees temps--beachfront) to return to the desert?

Also leaving my family for a few weeks?

Without any other solid work choices on the horizon,  we decided to do it. 

 Bryce would experience a respite from working while I went and worked.

It would be a good period for us.  

So after a discussion, I headed back to AZ

Several weeks later, Bryce got a call that Aunt Kelsi, who was valiantly fighting breast cancer in Texas, was not doing well and her time left may be short.

Bryce packed up our Mexican home and headed to Texas.  I also took a short leave and headed for the lone star state towards the end of September.

Tragically, Kelsi's body had fought as hard as it could, for as long as it could.

Sadly, but peacefully with her husband, mother and brothers at her side, 

she slipped away from this world on September 26th.

The day of Kelsi's passing, not even a 1/2mile from her bedside, her dear friends and beloved family had organized and thrown a benefit for her.  The day itself was called, "Kelsi Little Day"

Here are some photos from that day:

We remembered Kelsi at her service the following week that was so well attended that it was standing room only in a very large church.

It was a testament to how much she was loved by family and friends.

Bryce and the kids stayed on in Austin for a few more weeks to help support and love on 

Memaw Bartley, Thomas and Vann.

Our lives are forever changed by this  loss but we will carry her joyful spirit with us forever.

Friends visiting

The temperature here has been UNUSUALLY freezing cold...

Houses here typically don't have heat (or AC) because you really don't need it.

We have two portable heaters; electric and gas; which crank out quite a bit of heat.

After the cold of the night, the sun of the day will mostly heat house back up also.

So we pretty much just use the heaters before we go to bed.

Anyway, friends of ours from AZ (you know--the desert) 

decided they were coming for a bit of a visit this weekend so we encouraged them to bring WARM clothes.  They did and we found that doubling the size of our household is also an effect heat source.

We spent a lot of time exploring during their short visit.

Leigh and Max

Puffer fish who didn't survive the recently erratic surf

high tide, but low swells

mural on beach front house break wall

looking for shells

The Beach, downtown Rosarito, the coastal areas.

custom made didgeridoo on boardwalk in Playas

posing with friends at dolphin statue in Playas

border fence....continues down into the ocean

art on border fence

Ending a year.

So, we celebrated the New Year ringing in with friends from Rosarito and Tijuana.

We went to a family friendly party not too far from our casa and ate good food and hung out 

until 1207.  Then we headed out in the cold back to our place.

We've spent a lot of the last month just settling in and doing things for our home.

We had to get Christmas together in our house and the kids were very into that.

They also have been participating in their home school group a little

Winter solstice...

Carson's Mexican flag cookies

 We have also been spending a lot of time on the beach.  December is a time of sand dollars washing up and orca sighting.  Here are a few collections form the tide below.

Have not been able to catch any pics of whales from the roof deck, but will keep trying!

Sand dollars from the beach

This one was alive when he came to our house.

A colony!

The discovery of sand dollars opened up an entire research chapter on sand dollars and tides and eventually became a moon cycle study....free association!

From this research we discovered 

Crash Course Videos

Not all of these may be appropriate or helpful 

but we have enjoyed some of them.