Ahh Summer!

Ahhhh, summer! Here's what we've been doing:

Hitting the beach--but except for the 1st week of summer it hasn't looked like this:

It's looked more like this:

And the day we went to Coronado, the water felt like this:

But it hasn't stopped the kids from doing this:

And having fun no matter what! Cold water, cloudy days, sunny days, warm water, the beach is always fun!

For the 4th of July, we went to see the Pechanga Fireworks on Saturday night:

Then headed out to be with Gary's brother's family on Sunday, and watched the fireworks again.

And we caught up later in the week with the Barretts' on Coronado Island.

We've been trying to get here once a week:

And here:

And whenever we can, we do this:

We swim whenever we can find a friend who will let us us their pool. Luckily, between the Community pool above and our super great friends, we get to swim several times a week.

Lauren started these lessons:

And Matthew and Gary went on a trail ride here:
Bee Canyon Trail Idyllwild CA

Summer is always my favorite time of year! We're trying very hard not to think about what will happen in 3 more weeks:

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Not yet!!

Dancing the Night Away

Lauren did her last spring dance recital with Miss Jeni. She's been taking with her since 1st grade! She did a great job!

Grandpa came to see it.

Give a Day, Get a Day!

We participated this year in Disney's Give a Day, Get a Day. We volunteered in March and helped set up for a 5K and 10K race for MS. It was a lot of work, setting up booths, chairs, covering tables, setting up signs and banners. The kids did a great job, and we got our free tickets to Disneyland! We went on a rainy Tuesday, right after State testing. We hit a perfect day! There were no crowds, and we waited no more than 5 minutes or so for most rides. What a great reward for working so hard! I hope Disney continues this program!

Teenager alert!

Somehow, we have a teen aged daughter. Lauren turned 13 in May. She decided she did not want a party this year, so we all headed down to Mission Bay to spend a day kayaking, s'uping and enjoying a great day in the water! Happy Birthday Lauren!

The Green Snakes

Matthew played on the Green Snakes team this season. He had a lot of fun, and did very well. He doesn't like being in the middle of the huddle, but when the ball comes his way, he'll power kick it every time! He scored a few goals this season! Great job Matthew!

The Blue Sharks

Kaycee played soccer for the 2nd time this season. She was on the "Blue Sharks". She found that she LOVES playing defense, but not offense! She did a great job and went from being so scared to get out on the field, to blocking every ball that came her way! Great job Kaycee!

Mothers Day Tea

Matthew treated me to a Mother's Day Tea this year! It was so nice! He served me chocolate covered strawberries, coffee cake and lemonade. It was all so good that he had to help me eat it too! He sang some beautiful songs, and wrote all about me.
My Mom's age: 29
My Mom's favorite show: Mythbusters
My Mom's favorite hobby: Playing toys with me.
My Mom's favorite thing to eat: Steak
My Mom learned to be a Mom by: being nice
Why Matthew loves me: Because I tuck him in at night!

Matthew got a few things mixed up there with Dad's favorite things!

Thank you Matthew for a wonderful tea party, but most of all for keeping me 29!!