Daddy's Belated Birthday

Checking out Daddy's birthday cake.

Our family, together again!
Blowing out Daddy's candles.

And they're out!

The boys can't wait to have a taste.

Yes, we missed both Father's Day and Chris' actual birthday, but as soon as we made it home and settled in, we got right to baking Daddy a birthday cake. Even though we celebrated a few days late, the boys and I were so glad to get home and be together as a family again. Our time spent with our family in California was so incredibly wonderful, but it was certainly nice to get back to our routine at home and back to Chris (though the 115* temperatures we did NOT miss!). Plus, there is something about birthday cakes and candles that the boys just seem to love and watching their excitement over blowing out candles with their daddy made the night that much better for all of us.

Sweet Summer

Today we had a chance to drive over to San Jose and see my cousin, Lindsey, and her new baby girl, Summer. Ah, sweet sweet Summer! We met my aunt Sandy at Lindsey's house too and all walked to a wonderful little park right down the street from where she lives. This area of San Jose, called Willow Glen, is a gorgeous community with tree lined streets, a library and school within walking distance and a little strip of shops and restaurants just a few blocks away. Not to mention fabulous weather - I can see why Lindsey loves it there so much! We gave the boys a chance to run and play while little Summer enjoyed some fresh air and loving looks from her mama. Following the park, we drove a few blocks and ate a great lunch at a Mexican cafe and then walked around a bit, burning off some calories, only to top them off with some frozen yogurt!
Being five years older than my sweet "Lindsey Lou", as I fondly called her as kids, I felt a little bit like an older sister to her and certainly tried to watch after her as if I were. She was (and of course, still is) the sweetest little girl with blondy-blond curls and humongous blue eyes that you couldn't help but adore. We had such fun as kids, playing together with my sister and doing what all little girls do: playing house, school, Barbies, dress-up - you name it! As we've gotten older, our time together has been more limited as is what happens when we grow up and some of us move away (that'd be me). It's so comforting to know though that no matter how much time goes by, the love you have for your family and the closeness that you had as kids can still be felt. When Lindsey had her baby a few months ago, I was thrilled and excited for her to experience all that comes with being a mommy. Seeing mother and daughter together, I felt their bond, and knew that this was a true mommy-baby match meant to be.

True LoveTree Boy
"Uncle" Miles gives Noah a push
Ride 'em horsey

Giddy-up Cowboy!

Yee Haw
Are we having fun yet?
Summer is not thrilled with this situation ...

New Friends

Checking on their new friends ...

Mommy, look at what we found!

Making some adjustments ....
... ensuring everything is in place.
Two heads are better than one.

Who are these new friends you might ask? Why, they're our snail friends of course! Hayden LOVES finding snails all around the backyard at my parent's - last summer he and his cousins attempted to keep some as pets, only to wake up in the morning to find them gone. Imagine! During the three weeks we were with my mom & dad, the boys found several dozen snails, of all sizes, to "keep" and check on throughout the day. Most we lost, either due to the warm afternoon sun (yes, that kind of loss) or because snails just don't seem to stay in one place, but a few baby snails managed to stay put for a few days inside this tub and Hayden made sure they had plenty of leaves and branches and dirt to be comfortable. Also adding to the fun was that I had just finished a unit in Science with my students about caring for and learning about land snails, so it was neat to be able to show Hayden some things that my students and I experienced together in class. Though eventually even these little guys slugged their way on to better places, both Hayden and Noah had fun finding their friends day after day after day. See you next summer little friends ...

Riding in the Rig

Hayden is ready to ride!

Away they go! Hayden, Grandpa, & the "Big Rig"

Before Grandpa had to drive out of town for work today, Hayden had a chance to take a short ride in the big rig. Though the "drive" consisted of about a mile on I-5, Hayden was so very excited to ride with his Grandpa in the truck. Next time he says he wants to go for longer so he can try out the bed in the sleeper. Someday maybe he just might!

A Magical Monday Morning

What could be better than waking up to the beeping and downshifting gears of a garbage truck coming for an early Monday morning pick-up? For these little boys (whom I might add look pretty adorable in their matching "jammies") it doesn't get better than this! Wide eyed and full of excitement at 6:30 in the morning, these two flew out of bed and raced to the front porch to watch the magic of the garbage man ... ah, what a way to start the week.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day Dad!

Dad & the girls

Dad, my sibs (w/o Danny) & me

The whole gang squeezes in ...

A quiet Father's Day was had as we finished up our celebrations for Grandpa's 80th birthday and headed back to mom & dad's for a quiet afternoon and much needed naps! Though missing Chris (we sent him video messages) and Dan, Jen & the kids, my two other brothers, sister and I spent the evening with our dad doing what we all love to do: hanging out at our parent's home, together as a family. With Jeff, Brandi, and Miles living in Idaho and us living in Arizona, it's not very often that we all get to be together so anytime we have is time that we cherish. Being that it was Father's day made it more special for all of us to be together ... even though it wasn't anything fancy, you can't beat pizza for dinner and ice cream cake for dessert. Good times!

80 Years to Celebrate

This weekend my mom, two aunts, and Nana worked hard to plan and put together a surprise 80th birthday celebration and camp-out for my grandpa. It was a true family collaboration! As far as grandpa knew, we were camping for the weekend - little did he know when he woke up Saturday morning that we had a BBQ planned for him later that afternoon. At some point in the day, we all started to put on our yellow shirts with grandpa's picture on the front as a way to honor his momentous birthday. He kind of chuckled a bit, put on his own shirt and the surprise was out .... Happy Birthday Grandpa! Soon after, friends and family started to arrive and the fun and celebrations continued. It was a wonderful tribute to a wonderful man and a great reason to get our entire family together - all the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were there to camp, eat, drink, laugh, cry, sing, and rejoice in the 80 years of my grandpa. "Ho Hum" as grandpa would say .... in other words, what a memorable weekend!