Beach

A few weeks ago we headed out to Santa Cruz. Ava has been dying all summer to go to the beach, but we've been having really mild weather (and when it's mild where we live, it's just cold at the beach). But we went anyway. Of course it was overcast and chilly, but we still had fun. Ava and Norah loved wading in the surf with Mason, and I chilled in the sand with Keira.

Keira and me



Just Keira



What is Ava pointing at?



The crazy mass of people going for an organized swim in the freezing ocean




Mason and the girls

Fourth of July

Next to Thanksgiving, the Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. Good food, friends, family, and fireworks! Plus, I love having the chance to be patriotic and feeling overall thankful for the country that I live in.

Some of our Fourth of July decorations

Our backyard table set up for our holiday bbq!


Ava waving the flag

Backyard Fun

Today we decided to try out our new sprinkler toy. It was a bit too cool at the beach, but it was warm at our house, so we played in the water. The girls had fun, and we had fun watching them. Now I want to get a Slip 'n Slide!

Sleep?

Last night this is how I found Ava and Norah asleep as I checked in on them before I went to bed myself:

I sooooooooooo need to make a collage of all the crazy sleep pictures I've accumulated over the years. How they fall asleep like this is beyond me.

7th Anniversary!

Last Monday (May 31st) was our 7th wedding anniversary! I can't believe it's been seven years already. With a lot of love, good times, and three kids, the time sure does fly.

A perk this year was that our anniversary fell on Memorial Day, so Mason already had the day off. We took advantage of that and headed up to San Francisco for the day (our daughters stayed with Grandma and Grandpa). We rode the cable cars, shopped, and ate dinner at Fisherman's Wharf. It was fun having a day to ourselves.

I love my husband dearly, and hope to have many more years together!

Conversations with a 3-year old

Last week for dessert our girls discovered the joys of making hot fudge sundaes - complete with sprinkles and peanuts. A few days ago, my husband was eating some peanuts as a snack. This is the convo that followed:



Mason: Ava, would you like some peanuts?

Ava: Uh, no thank-you.

Mason: Norah, would you like some peanuts?

Norah: Yes, with ice cream please!

Keira Turns One!

Wednesday was Keira's first birthday! Yes, she was born on Cinco de Mayo. And as I made dinner that night (stroganof), it occurred to me that last year on May 5th I was making THE EXACT SAME THING for dinner when I realized I was in active labor. Bizarre!!

So here are her stats as of today when she had her check-up:

Weight: 15 lbs 13 oz (yes, she's not even tracking on the 5th percentile for weight, but making her own curve below that one!)
Height: 28 inches

Still petite, but cute as ever!

Wednesday night we had a family get together for cake and presents. Ava and Norah were very excited to help Keira open her presents. As Ava said, "Norah will open one, and I will open two!" Um, right.

Here are some pics!

The Cake

Cake and Presents

Keira and Mommy

Opening Presents

Eating Birthday Cake