The Many Faces of a Ferris Wheel Ride

Big smiles and confidence:

Apprehension:

Anticipation:

Pure joy!

Not sure what to expect:

Warming up:

Comfortable enough to check out the crowds:

Loving the ride:

Happy Summer!

Tackle!

A very happy father's day to a dad we can always depend (and endlessly climb) on...

You're the best.

Camping

Our first tent camping trip as a family was lots of fun. We hope to camp more in the future, and made a few mental notes of things that worked/didn't work for upcoming adventures.

Lucie and Ryan taught us a few things along the way too:

Though your parents may try to convince you otherwise, skirts really are appropriate camping and fishing attire:


Sticks, campfires and s'mores can provide hours of entertainment:


Sleeping inches away from two four-year-olds makes for a restless night (think sleeping next to two flopping fish). Though you couldn't ask for a more cheerful or goofy wake-up crew the next morning:

Shopping Helpers

When I wasn't watching, a little boy (and his sidekick sister who came up with all the ideas) added a few items to my grocery list this weekend.

They found it hilarious, and kept asking me, "Read the list, Mommy! Read the list!" I wonder how much a "Ryan", "Gigi" or an "ATM" goes for at the store these days?

And, speaking of shopping, we picked up a bag of the first cherries of the season last week. The kids love cherries.

Last summer we had to take the pits out for them, as Lucie and Ryan hadn't quite mastered it on their own. But not this year. They were very proud of themselves for figuring it out. We just had to make sure everyone was well covered up, because there was a juicy, sticky learning curve.

At this age, every seemingly small accomplishment is celebrated with such enthusiasm and excitement. It makes me want to eat cherries with Lucie and Ryan every day.

Cousins in the Sand

We were fortunate to spend some time at my Grandmother's beach cottage, right on the sand in Capitola. The kids loved opening up the door every morning to reveal the wide, open beach, chasing sea gulls, and listening to the waves as we went to sleep each night.

Of course, we also indulged in large, cheesy slices of Pizza My Heart on the beach wall for dinner, keeping watch over any interested birds, and Polar Bear ice cream each afternoon. (I'm getting really good at passing along all my favorite habits to my kids.)

Tate, Caleb and Aunt Rach joined us for two days of cousin time in the sand. Lucie and Ryan had discovered this enormous hole on the beach. The kids spent lots of time there, running and jumping in,



playing "bad guys" and turning Lucie into a sand mermaid.


Caleb crawled around in the sand too, teasing us by trying to chew on every stray piece of seaweed he could find. With tons of smiles and an ever-cheerful attitude, we sure love that little cutie.

I'm happy Caleb knows he can always come to his Aunt Meg for a supply of Cheerios. And, with just ten days until his first birthday, he'll soon be able to join us for ice cream too...