Homemade Fries

J offered to make homemade fries for the kiddos. At first I was skeptical, but they were so yummy delicious. Yep, I ate some of the kids' food.

Stow House Concert

I won't name names, but someone in this family scheduled Little V's swim lessons for the exact same time as the Stow House Concerts. AND darn-it, it was me. I have no one to blame but myself. I hate when that happens.

Here is the thing, for the last two years we have gone to almost every single concert during the Stow House series. You bring a blanket, picnic, family, and chill out on the lawn of an antique house listening to a variety of totally random music depending on the week.

This year, I already paid for the lessons and so we are only going to one concert. The one last night, where the boys ran around crazy and the girls formed a little band.


This one, this is Keller Dude's dance face. He was getting down with his bad self.

Fiesta Trio

It seemed like such a good idea, round the kiddos up and get them all dressed in their fancy fiesta wear that CC and Adam brought back from Cabo. Yea, that was until I remembered that Keller had only taken a one hour nap, Vera has a HUGE bruise on her head (playgrounds are dangerous), and Tay decided that the grass was itchy. In truth, it probably was a little scratchy on her bare legs in her adorable dress.

Still, I got this keeper:




This is so typical of the shots that I got...dare we try again another day. Maybe.

Red Rock - I think I am in love!

Dentist x 2

I have no idea why, but finding a dentist that I like for the kiddos has been a challenge. Wait, I need to clarify that statement. Finding a dentist that I like, that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, and that can fit us into their schedule is a challenge. Vera was due for a cleaning and Keller his first dentist appointment and so I traipsed both kids off to an office here in town.



Surprisingly Keller did very well in the chair. He did have one moment where he either was trying to grab the face mask off the hygienist or he actually meant to bop her in the nose. Whoops!

The big problem.

Vera's Letters

Vera's first attempt at writing the alphabet:

Fun to be a Girl

I love that when Vera and I get a little restless while Keller is napping (aka, bored) we find creative things to do. On another thought, wow, little chica's hair is getting so dark. She is going to be a brunette!

Date Night

There are so many reasons why I love date night. I love spending time with J and talking about things other than poop and messes, eating at a restaurant without a toddler trying to climb on my lap to either eat my food or smear his on my shirt, and maybe, just maybe, seeing a movie. BUT, you know what the absolute best part of date night is...

...the responsible babysitter cleans up the enormous mess your child makes with sand in his bed. The sand was located in a plastic dinosaur container, similar to the craft projects we all used to make at the fair where you get a container of some sort and fill it with colored sand in attractive patterns. Do you remember those? Did Keller get the dino open? Nope, he bit a hole in the bottom. REALLY???

In Kacie's own words from facebook:

Kacie is babysitting, when all of a sudden I hear The Dude (my godson) at the top of the stairs spitting. Turns out he had bit a hole in his plastic dino full of glitter and sand. This glitter sand mixture was all over his face (hence the spitting), his hands and his bed! Is this what I have to look forward to with Tay? All I could do was laugh.

Here Adam is trying to explain to the Little Dude why sand can no longer go in the dino...the big gaping hole.



A lot of sand in that tiny dino!


So hard to see, but I love that CC took a picture of herself during the whole event with a look of disbelief on her face.

I LOVE SUMMER!

Greek at the Harbor

Saturday night ended at one of our favorite restaurants! Have to admit I am a sucker for J walking with the two kids hand-in-hand.


Okay, her expression is a little quirky, but the cutest thing was that her teeny hand crept around J's neck. Adorable!

Group Shot

California Science Center

I heart the California Science Center! J and I had only been once before to see Body Works, but skipped most of the "normal" exhibits and spent all of our time just in the BW section. Well, turns out that the whole darn place is pretty awesome. Tons for kids to do (even the itty-bitty Keller Dude) and enough to keep adults entertained as well. It made it all the much better that we met Kate and Mikel for our day of exploration. Good times were had by all!

Therefore, we took nine million photos and I truly feel like posting all of them. By the way, the first pic is for my B-i-L, because he likes brains.


Movie plus large body that talks = awesome, except for the fact that the Little Dude fully freaked out and I had to leave with him a quarter of the way through. He really couldn't make up his mind about leaving. We would start to walk out and he would scream, "Stay!!!!" Then, the person would start talking and it was, "Leave!!!!" I think sometimes we forget that he is only 2. I still remember taking Vera to Disneyland for the first time when she was 2.5 and thinking she would love all of the rides. Well, black lights + loud music was not the way to go. I think the Keller is in that same stage.

Kate playing Vera's favorite game of the day. You had to use your beak (oddly shaped stick) to pull the food (round balls) towards you. Yea, the adults might have gotten a little excited and started a tournament to see who caught their food the fastest.

Talk tube!

We love climbing structures.

My favorite part of the day! Can someone please buy this camel for me for Christmas? I think Vera would like it as well and we would get lots of enjoyment from sitting on its back.

Reason #167 why I like hanging with Kate and Mikel...they like taking photos too.

One of the kid discovery areas...rad.

Here I am teaching Keller the parts of the plant, but really I just posted this because I love the way I did my hair. Patting myself on the back and typing at the same time.

Last but not least, the four of us pretending to be newscasters.

8th Annual Summer BBQ...

...for J's work. This year it was moved by the founder (J) to the middle of July instead of the beginning, primarily because July has been such a busy month for us. What a difference it made in the weather, BEAUTIFUL instead of a little June Gloom still hanging on. Lots of food was eaten, bocce played, and the light hit a perfect spot for taking photos. Can't ask for much more than those three things all in one evening.

Awwww!

I see the family resemblance. I do!

FunZone = FUN!!!!

Dude, best idea ever. Warehouse + semi-safe toys + kids = AWESOME!!! Of course the Keller Monster still pushed the limits by hurling himself across giant balls and climbing on things that he shouldn't. There were couches and magazines for the parents. Oh, and internet access. Can one please, please, please open in SB.