4th of July

This year the kids got to be in the 4th of July parade with Grammy and Pop-pop. They were super excited. And super serious, of course.

 Sadie got the back seat all to herself.

The big kids got to hang out of the back and wave. 

The parade was followed by super fun at the park and swimming at a friends house for Auntie Arlene's birthday. It was a great holiday!

Last Day of School

I absolutely love comparing the first day of school and the last day of school. The kids always grow so much!

 Every year I am amazed. Of course Sadie had to get in on the action too.

Just Some Fun

Right before Mother's Day, we did the Miracle Miles race. Julie wasn't feeling well, so she hung out with Memere. But Sadie hung out in the backpack and Andy walked/jogged the whole race with us!

 Sadie was very proud of her number, even though she didn't actually run, at all. Mommy sure got her workout carrying Sadie 6 miles on her back though.

 On Mother's Day, we ended up at Avila Beach. It was a beautiful day.

 The kids humored me with a picture. I ended up with a yucky stomach bug, so the next few days were very quiet, I was in bed most of the time, and even once I was up and about again, I was moving very slowly. It hit me hard!

 At the end of May, Julie and Andy had "Creature Day" at school. Andy humored me and wore the turtle costume I made him for Halloween. He was ok with taking the ninja out of it for the occasion.

 Julie was a beautiful fairy. I didn't even think of that as a creature, but she did and it turned out very cute.

 We have been doing the Bob Jones Trail on the weekends, ending in Avila for breakfast. It is a lot of fun, the kids love it and it's great exercise for everyone. Sadie rode her bike all 5 miles this past week for the very first time. We were all so proud of her.

 After work yesterday, all the kids asked to go on a hike. So we did Jim Green Trail. It is so beautiful. The kids are starting to really enjoy hiking and feel a great sense of accomplishment when they finish. Here they are enjoying the view.

School ends this week and we have a fun, busy, exciting summer planned! I know it will go by fast, so we will all enjoy the ride!

Cousin Visit

Last month the Banks cousins came to the bay area so we went up to spend a day with them at the zoo! All 3 kids were so excited to see Lauren and Jemma. Of course, they were excited to see Uncle Justin and Aunt Audrey too, but Lauren and Jemma were definitely the highlight.

As soon as we got there, Lauren grabbed Sadie's hand and away they went. They are such sweet buddies, so close in age and so sweet together.

 It was pretty hard to get all 5 of the kids looking in the same direction at the same time. They were all talking, smiling, looking at animals, looking at each other. They had so much fun together.

 Julie loved chasing Jemma around. It was fun watching her as a big cousin. We already know she is an amazing big sister, so it was no surprise she was protective and helpful with Jemma.

 She picked up Jemma to show her the exhibits.

 There was a petting zoo. This lucky goat got to be brushed by all 4 cousins at the same time. He (or she) was very happy about it, and actually whined a little when the kids moved on to the next goat.

 Julie also helped Jemma walk all over. Jemma loved getting to walk and us adults were happy to save our backs, Julie was the perfect height to hold onto her hands without having to stoop.

 The big girls all rode together on the train while Andy had some boy time with Uncle Justin.  We had so much fun with the Banks at the zoo. Oakland zoo is a great zoo and we can't wait to go back. It has a few rides and lots of animals. But the highlight was absolutely the company.

 Don't worry, I did get a few snuggles in with Jemma, although, shortly after I took this picture, Julie came and stole her again.

Another Color Blast

We paired up with our buddies the Horejsi family and participated in a Color Blast at the Jr High.  They had never done one before and I don't think they knew what we were getting into.

We started off nice and clean.

Our clan...don't let Sadie fool you, she didn't walk much.

See. She hitched a rid wherever she could.

At the end, we were all covered. It was a lot of fun. everyone was a mess, except for Sadie. She walked around all the color blasting. She didn't like it. She did get sprayed in the head with orange. She still had a little in her hair.

We had some tired kids when we were done. Notice how Sadie is pushing us away so she doesn't get too dirty.

Andy, on the other hand, embraced the color. He was happy, and rainbowed.

Lots of fun with great friends, Thanks Horejsis!!!

A Mommy Kid Trip

I was only able to take one day off over spring break. So I told the kids we could do whatever they wanted. Of course they asked if we could go to Santa Barbara Zoo.  I was happy that we went. It was a great day. Unfortunately John had to work. But it made it special to have them all to myself.

They even humored me and took nice pictures together. It's hard to get pictures of the 3 of them all smiling and looking somewhat in the same direction.

We found these cool statues. We had never seen these with all the times we have explored Santa Barbara Zoo. The kids loved tem and we hung out around them for a long time.

Julie was too cool for me. She started cracking up as soon as I took these pictures. She's not a teenager quite yet.  Andy, as usual, was too busy for a picture.

And of course the slide hill. Always a hit. Love Sadie's face as the caboose.

It was a great, tiring day. The kids were so well behaved and so much fun. It was an amazing Mommy Day.

Easter 2015

We started Easter out this year with Easter baskets and a hunt in the back yard. The kids had a lot of fun and ate way too much candy before church.

Then we went to church out on the ranch. It was a chilly but beautiful morning where we saw half the town and lots of people we love. Here are my two beauties focusing at church.

When we got home, we changed out clothes and had some family and friends over for Easter lunch. It was so relaxed and lots of fun. Christina, Brian and the kids came. Memere, Grandpie, Aunt Arlene, Uncle Hal and Cousin Stephen. We had some make your own taco bar and cookies. 

 We let our 11 chicks out in the back yard. Sadie loved helping her friend hold them.

 Sadie loves holding her chicks.

 Even the big guys got into the chicks.

 But the chicks all took cover under Grandpie's chair.

 We had a fun little egg hunt. Everett and Lydia made it much more fun. Egg hunts are always way more fun with friends.

 It turned out to be a beautiful day!

 Counting her eggs. We didn't find them all. There are still 2 eggs out in our yard somewhere.

 Friends! Hard to get a picture of us with neither of us talking.

 And the sign of a good day. A tired baby, passed out on the couch.