Beach Fun!

We just got back from Cayucos. We had a super fun visit with "the cousins" as the boys like to say. We took the kids kayaking, to the park, boogie boarding, we ate out at some of our favorite spots, took family pictures at the tidepools and hung out at our favorite beach retreat......."The Hanger House". Marti and Dwight treated Gary and I to a little cabin or bungalow surrounded by wild flowers and herb gardens while the kids stayed with them. It was Heaven!

Setting up for our Pictures

Trying to sweet talk gillian into taking off her sweatshirt for the pics!

It was a beautiful day but a little cold and windy.

On the water with most of the Crew!

Cameron and Sean

Garrett and Griffin

Gillian and Caleb in our "Enchanted Beach Garden"

Gillian:)

Houseboat Heaven

We just got back from our annual houseboat trip to Lake Don Pedro. As always, it was sooo much fun! Our kids would be the first to say that the houseboat trip is the highlight of their summer and is rated by all of us as our favorite family vacation!

Eventhough we didn't get to connect with some of our good houseboating buddies, we did have a few friends up to the lake and lots of fun/comical memories were made. lol.

All the boys continue to improve in their wakeboarding, skiing and kneeboarding abilities. I am always very grateful at the end of the week to know that everyone is safe and no major accidents occured. We weren't sure how this trip would go since within the first few minutes of being out on the lake gillian almost had her toe cut off when caleb slammed the ski storage door on her foot (accidently so he claims) and then about 20 minutes later she sat on a bee and got stung in the bum. That poor girl cried a lot for the first hour or so of our vacation but it really got better from there, thank goodness.

Caleb and gillian learned to knee board. It was super cute to watch. Caleb was a maniac out there and really sees himself as a professional knee boarder now. He even taught our friends to knee board. I got some great video. Too funny!

Tubing was probably the highlight of the trip in many ways this year. As the kids get older the tubing gets harder. Meaning everyone likes to be pulled faster and crazier. It is kind of dangerous but I close my eyes most of the time and say a little prayer.

Thanks Henriksen family for coming up for a few days.....we had a blast!

Summer Fun Is the Best!

Baby Girl Turns 3!

Gillian had her first tea party today for her 3rd birthday. She wanted a Strawberry Shortcake party of course, so I decked everything out in pink, lime green and red! We painted everyone's face or hand with strawberries, played with strawberry playdo, colored in Strawberry Shortcake coloring books, made strawberry shortcake for a treat, had strawberry sandwiches and fruit kabobs for tea and drank strawberry lemonade too! It was very cute! I am super tired! The whole family helped! Our house is a sea of strawberryland still! We had a lot of fun!

The Invitations!

Strawberry and Me!

Time for Tea!

Some of Gillian's Tea Party Friends

A Birthday Note To Gillian...............

Gillian,

I can't believe how the time has flown! I still remember everything about my pregnancy with you, your birth....you being in the NICU for 2 days, your beautiful rosy cheeks and blue eyes (which are now a beautiful green color). You were the best baby and you loved your schedule but you didn't mind being interrupted from it either. You have always been very easy going.

I never put you down except for naptime and night time not because you were fussy but because I wanted to play with you all the time. You were then and you are now my little doll. Now that you are 3, I guess we can't keep calling you "Baby Girl" anymore..........but that is what you will always be to me. :)

I love your spunky personality. You can be a little shy and afraid of new people sometimes but you always warm up quickly and really, truly love all the people in your life. You don't like dresses very much but we have an agreement that we both have stuck by very well. I get to dress you on Sundays and for special events out or parties and you get to dress yourself the rest of the time. Most of the time you are mismatched and your hair isn't combed but that was our deal and soooo I stick by it and so do you. lol

You love learning!!!!! You read all the time (although most of the words are made up), you like to practice writing your name, you take every direction very seriously at preschool or at home when we are teaching you things and then repeat your newly learned skills meticulously. You love to fold laundry and put things away but that doesn't apply to your toys or playhouse. You change your clothes at least 5 times a day and talk and talk and talk to your imaginary friends.

You love your brothers and are happy to have any of their attention. They love you just as much. We all know this is true when we find one of them playing dolls or letting you dress them up in your room because it makes you feel so happy. Your relationship with them is very sweet.

Your favorite color is pink of course but you are by no means just a girly, girl. You are a perfect balance......... you love your jewelry and playing with your dolls but you try as hard as you can to keep up with caleb and we expect that you will love sports as much as all the boys in the family do. I am sure that you will out-wakeboard, out-boogie board, out-ski, and out-sport them someday. But don't tell them I said that. hahaha

Right now, you are mommy's girl but daddy has your heart! You know right where to go when you need a little love and understanding. haha. I wouldn't say that you have daddy wrapped around your finger because he doesn't want you to be spoiled but you have a very special relationship with him that reminds me of me and my dad.

I love you so very much and I'm grateful everyday for having the opportunity to raise you here on earth. Just as my dreams of having a baby girl to love and grow with seemed out of reach,I was blessed with you. You have enriched my life in more ways than I could ever express to you. Happy 3rd Birthday Sweet Girl!

Mommy

Stars and Stripes 2009

Yentes and Watson Kids

Our Family

Yummy!

"You're a Grand Ole Flag"

"Some of those SPECIAL FIREWORKS" :)Mom and the guy in charge. lol

Sweet Girl!

Mom and G!

"Where exactly did you say you got those?"

We hosted our 8th annual 4th of July BBQ and Firework Extravaganza last night! This has become Gary and the boys favorite holiday because they get to play with fire! Every year Gary tries to outdo himself from the previous year (meaning he spends more money) lol. This year was the best show ever, mainly because he finally got a hold of some (special fireworks) without my knowledge of course. When he lit the first one, I jumped and exclaimed something like, "Wow! they are really amping up the firecrackers at the fireworks booth this year!" Everyone laughed since they all realized that he hadn't gotten these fireworks at the local firework booth. :) The funny thing was that illegal fireworks were going off all around us so Gary was a little disappointed. I guess other people had the same idea or they all went to the same "special firework booth". haha. We had a lot of fun and great memories were made! This marks for our family another year to celebrate our country's freedoms and independence. We are all so grateful for this land that we live in and for the blessings we have received at the expense and hands of so many others that have gone before us. Every 4th of July I remember with fondness my father's funeral. He was buried 8 years ago at the Veteran's Memorial Cemetery in Riverside and of course flags were flying all over and a military gun salute was given. My father served in WWII, loved this country, loved patriotic holidays and displayed a HUGE flag pole /flag in his yard from the top of the hill that their home was built on. My dad instilled his love of this country in me and we have tried to pass this part of my father's legacy on to our children. Happy Stars and Stripes Day!