The Beach

Why I love the beach:
It's warm.
It's fun.
The sound of crashing waves.
The smell.
It's free.

We're going back again today.

Mother and Daughter

Fun in the sun.

Elisabeth with Daddy

Having fun at the beach.

Donald, meet Donald.

More Disney pictures later; I'm off to the beach.

Lanterns

I scored an awesome deal on these lanterns that I used to decorate my mom's house for Donald's birthday.



And I think they will be lovely hanging on my back porch back at home, don't you?

Discovery Science Center

August 4, 2009

The Discovery Science Center provided an afternoon
of fun and interesting activities for our family.

Alexandra on a bed of nails:

Lorelai on a dino and Lex's impression in a giant pin board:

Lorelai was chosen as the star of story time:

Hard at work pulling themselves up a (pretend) cliff:

And more. So, so much more.

IN-N-OUT

A visit to California is not complete without a trip (or two or three or ten) to In-n-Out Burger. It's hamburger heaven. It is divine.

I remember when I was 11 years old and I was taking an orchestra class at the local community college here. My dad picked me up after my final and took me out for a Double-Double. He told me that back in his college days he would always treat himself to a Double-Double after a final.

How do I take my burger?: Cheeseburger, animal style.

In case you were wondering.

The Birthday Boy

Baseball cap. Blue t-shirt. Plaid shorts.

And 32
years old
today!

I love you Donald.

Love, Me

(Off to Disneyland we go.....)

Aunt Jennifer!

After almost a year, we reunited with my younger sister, Jennifer.
[Living far apart is a bummer]

She greeted us with delicious food.

[I love her kitchen]

And a good time was had by all.

Especially Elisabeth.

[E's new ruffled skirt, courtesy of Oma]

My Old Stomping Grounds

We arrived at my mom's house a little past 4:00 yesterday. After being couped up in the car for 3 days the children had a lot of built up energy to release, so they spent the rest of the day (and on into the evening) exploring their new surroundings (my old surroundings).

As Donald and I unpacked we relished in the fact that we have two whole weeks before we hit the road again. Two weeks to soak in the sun, play, swim, shop, and reminisce. Going home is like taking a trip down memory lane. It's such a big part of me; but it's starting to seem like a long time ago. I walked into my old bedroom and looked around; I told my children that that was my room when I was little like them. Later on I tucked them into bed in my old room and thought pleasantly on life. I love how it works; how life moves on, but still stays the same. It's just perfect.

En Route

We spent the night in Sacramento and are hoping to get out early to finish the final leg of the drive. The children are travelling well and are excited to see Oma (my mom) later today. More later....

Vacation

Today is the day. The day that has been circled on the calendar for months with 'leave for vacation!' written on it.

My girls are giddy. I am giddy. And yes, Donald is giddy (perhaps more so than the rest of us) We are heading out for a magical 18 days of vacation bliss.

To keep the children entertained during the car ride (and to bid farewell to her grandgirls for 2.5 weeks) my MIL, Susan, put together the most amazing road trip bags. They are complete with art supplies, books, snacks, and sunglasses.

I will try to keep posting regularly;
that way I won't be two weeks behind when we get home.


California,
here we come!

Lights, Camera, Action (again)

I had no idea when I woke up
this morning that we would be doing this....

....but that's okay, I'm flexible.

(more footage was needed for the United Way
promotional movie that Elisabeth is taking part in)

Meditation

Alexandra was up to something, I could just tell. So I grabbed my camera and began snapping pictures.
Boy oh boy was I glad I did....

"No, thank you"

Safe and Sound

Our home security just went from

state-of-the-art guard dogs:

(no, not Lizzy...the other two)


To state-of-the-art
home security system:

(With all the bells and whistles, of course.)

((Don't worry; the dog's were not offended.))

(((I don't think.)))