Vacations....plural.

We just got back from vacations...and yes, that is plural.
Rich took off the last week in July, since his "year" rolls over August 1st, and his paid vacation doesn't accrue...
We started out by camping with our home team for 3 nights in (don't judge me) a KOA in Willits. The place was totally geared towards families, and the kids had a great time at the petting zoo, miniature golf course, pool, splash park, climbing structure, playground, and fishing pond. There is really a lot to do....
Courtesy of Melody White...
Courtesy of Melody White...


The freezing cold splash park was awesome! The pool was nice, but when its 100 degrees, this place was the best to cool off!

The look on Maeve's face is priceless. The water was freezing, but so much fun!

Someone (to remain nameless) forgot to tell me this was a "crazy face" picture...

Maeve fell (of course) and cut up her face. We thought she had a bloody nose, but it was hard to see through all the dirt. Thankfully she missed the fire pit when she fell...

Don't you love the crack???

Fun around the fire with Mel's camera and special effects! She is amazing right?

From there we headed over the hill to Clearlake to spend some time with Rich's cousins family at their lake house. Their home is gorgeous, and we were pretty stinky from camping, so it was a nice respite for our dirty selves. We spent 2 nights there, enjoying the lake, the boat, some tubing, and (yippee!) satellite tv.

We realized that the ages of the kids were 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. It was a lot of kids running around, but they had a blast together!

Of course she is making a face...

Maeve with her cut up face. Its hard to learn to walk sometimes...

Cousin Tony, the firefighter, built a BLAZING HOT INFERNO on the deck to roast marshmallows over. Did I mention that the outside temp was about 100? It wasn't a pleasant experience...
The boys and kids on the boat. Doesn't Maeve look thrilled to be in a life jacket????

Brynn and Sydney doing the tube all by themselves. All you could hear was two happy little girls screaming and singing out on the water.

Cannon wouldn't go on the tube by himself, so I had to take one for the team and go for a tube ride. Shoot!

After that, we headed around the lake to a house that my uncle and aunt had rented for the week. The house was RIGHT on the lake, and we had our own private dock to tether the boat to. We had a great time hanging out with the family, riding in the boat, tubing, wake boarding, and getting some more sun. My kids are actually a little bit tanner. Notice I didn't say 'tan', just tanner. AKA - Not so white.

After a long day of boating, tubing and sun, Cannon crashed out on the stairs.

I think this was his dream come true!

Brave Brynn went all by herself, and then I joined her for a ride.

Cannon and I giving the "thumbs up" sign for some more speed on our tube ride. He was loving it!
Again, not so thrilled to be in the life jacket!

Swimming with my girl! She truly enjoyed herself this trip!

Fashionista!
Thanks Heidi for this one! I love it.

My stud-muffin hubby tore it up on the wake-board! He is getting better and better each time we go! He is awesome to watch as well, since he is an avid surfer. He is graceful on the wake, and has a different style than most!


So, we are back! Finally! My bed is soft, my sheets are clean, my house is cool. Ahhh, its good to be home!

Swimming Lessons

The season is here! Swimming lessons galore! I am managing to get all 3 in the water without too much stress. Brynn and Cannon are in the same class, and Maeve and I are together in the 'Baby and Me' class.
The weather has been cooperative! The fog usually burns off right before we have to get in, so the kids do get the warmth of the sun on them for a bit. Nothing smells more like summer than wet hair, and swimsuits that reek of chlorine!

Yes, those are my two with goggles on. Its the only way that I can get them to put their faces in the water. Hopefully by the end of the session they won't need them so much! Lucky for me, their friend Faith is in the class too, so her mommy can keep an eye on my two, while I am in the other pool!
I can't keep this one out of the water. She wants to be in our little pool anytime that she sees it!

Maybe we need to loosen the goggles? Those red marks around the eyes seem to linger a bit too long!

My little water girl! She loves it!

My Windowsill

I was washing dishes yesterday and looking out my kitchen window at the kids playing on the grass. A flood of gratitude came over me. In our last house, the kitchen sink faced a wall. A wall with no window. A wall that was horribly plain, and white. Washing dishes is so much more tolerable when there is something nice to look at!
I was also looking at my windowsill and I realized that all of the things on it have a special place in my life. Its the place in my home where things collect. Here is what I see:

A thriving houseplant (I like to think that I am getting more of a green thumb as I get older) in a pot that my sister in law gave me for Christmas one year. I remember that she was thinking I wouldn't like the pot, but I absolutely do!

The supplies for our latest pet. Maeve spilled most of the food out on the couch, but there is still enough to get us through the month. The kids picked out the fish, and I hope he is the first of many family pets! (besides the dog, of course...)

One of my favorite lotions. I got this as a shower gift, and I love it! I love the name, I love the smell, and I love the way that it moisturizes my hands! It is a gentle reminder to me after each session at the sink to take a few seconds to be kind to my hands!

This one if for my kids actually! Sadly, I am almost out of the first one, and will soon have to find a replacement. This will have to do for awhile! (Side note - sometimes I see my "manly" husband sneak a squirt of this for his rough hands. It makes me giggle!)

These are the latest flowers that the kids picked for me. I seem to always have a cup with some sort of plant in it on the sill. They are so sweet to think of me!

And last but not least, here is the item that helps my home smell good! I love this gift! It was from my sister, and every once in awhile, I will treat myself to a new oil to fragrance my home with.

So, what do you have on your windowsill? Something special? Something funny? Something that you set aside to fix later? I hope that whatever it is, you smile when you think of it!

First Crop

Our hard work is finally paying off! The first of our crop is finally here! Not that it will feed us for a long time, but it will be nice to eat something that we have put time and energy into! The kids are pretty excited!

The first tomatoes. They are living up to their name of "Big Boy"...

The spaghetti squash. I am having my doubts about this one. Doesn't it look more like a cucumber???

I think this is the start of our first honeydew melon! Fresh melon for breakfast! You can't beat that! (Except for maybe bacon....we don't have room for a pig though!)

We have 6 oranges as well. This is the first year that the tree actually has fruit! My patience is running a bit thin. I can't wait to pick an orange and eat it!

We even have lemons! Only 3 so far, but they will be good no doubt!

Handsome Hubby

What a handsome man! He recently pulled out the guitar again, and it reminded me of all the time (5 years) that we dated and he would play for me. I have great memories of him playing all my favorite songs that he would spend hours learning and perfecting! The night after my grandpa passed away, I fell asleep on his arm while he softly played guitar. That memory is absolutely precious to me! Thanks honey for being my hero, my best friend, and my husband!

Baby Shower

I helped out with a baby shower the other day for my second-cousin-in-law-by-marriage. Did you catch all that?
They are expecting their first in Oct, and we are all pretty excited for them. It was a "A,B,C" theme shower, outside in the grove at the park. The weather was hot, but not unbearable, and I think it turned out really nice!

Here was one of the table centerpieces.


Each place setting had a letter on the plate. The person sitting there had to come up with one piece of advice based on the letter that they got. It was interesting to hear multi-generational advice. There was some really great wisdom passed along!

Since it was a morning brunch, we just had carrot cake cupcakes for dessert. Yummy!

Mmmmmnnn, my favorite part was the yogurt parfaits! They were sooo good with fresh blueberries, good quality granola and simple strawberry yogurt! They looked pretty too!

Congrats Jeni and Scott! Can't wait to meet the little one!

His New Toy

Rich and I picked up this little skateboard for Cannon the other day at a garage sale. I think its made for normal size guys, but it fits him perfectly! He loves it, and has already figured out a bit about getting around on it. I am waiting for the scream and the broken arm, but hopefully that day will never come! I do insist that he wears his helmet though when he is on it. Can't let that precious brain of his suffer from a head injury....


See how small it is??? Too funny huh!

I think his "outfit" is standard issues skateboarding wear, right?

The grass is the safest place to start to learn...