Summer...continued

In August, we headed to Medford on a surprisingly easy road trip and stayed for a week to soak in the sunshine. We swam pretty much every day and the kids loved playing with their cousins! Once we were back, Ammama and Tata came to visit for a nice long visit while Erich and I went to Portland for a friend's wedding (without the kids!). And suddenly, it became Fall and we started our school routine. Sonia has started Pre-K at a nearby school and loves it! Here are some highlight pics:

Day at the aquarium (one of many visits we make, and a stop on the awesome historic carousel)

Baseball!

 

Neal with his "summer curls" - this kid is blonde!

Medford - AshPat cousin reunion

Ammamma & Tata's visit

First day of school!

Baking a cake with the bounty from the plum tree in the backyard

Riding bikes in the driveway

Re-enacting the Lion King in our living room (this went on for quite a while!)

Our awesome neighbor Xander handed down his amazing Hummer - this thing is amazing, fully equipped with a motor, radio and walkie talkies!

Camping in the Living Room was so much fun. Especially making smores on our new firepit, which Erich built.

We are so excited that cousins Nathan and Peter have moved here! Our first of many sleepovers...

First nostalgic summer post

More to follow.

Birthday Week Extravaganza

 July is always a busy month for us because we are typically gearing up for "Birthday Week". Sonia turned 4 on July 21 and Neal turned 2 on July 24 - it is hard to believe how quickly time has flown by!

Sonia's Birthday
Each year, we celebrate Sonia's birthday at Red Robin - and we were lucky that Nana and Papa were able to join us. After dinner, we stopped by the Disney Store for a little browsing...let's just say that it is sensory overload to take 2 kids who just had ice cream to that store!

Birthday Party
This year, we continued the tradition of doing a joint birthday party and since our deck and backyard landscaping was (mostly) complete, it made the already sunny day even more enjoyable! And we even had Auntie Lolo (a loyal follower of this blog!) come in for the celebrations - we were so lucky and excited to have her! We had many of the kids' friends and families join us at the party.There was even a fashion show that took place during the party - the kids got dressed up and put it together all by themselves! My tradition for birthday parties is that I always make the dessert. This year was no exception and I made Princess and Mickey Mouse themed cupcakes - quite a production!

Neal's Birthday
Neal's big day was on the 24th and again, we had a sunny and beautiful day! We went to a nearby park on the beach and then headed to Tutta Bella, one of our favorite pizza restaurants before heading to Baskin Robbins for ice cream. Neal destroyed his birthday hat within minutes (but not until after we got a photo) and then at Baskin Robbins he stole my ice cream cone and kept it as his own...until, he dropped the ice cream scoop on the cement floor. It was very funny/devastating!