My not-so little brother comes to visit

We believe in packing in the fun around here so the very next day after our SB trip my brother John and his sweet family came to visit.  It was so much fun to have them here and we tried to make the most  of our time together.  That means we dragged them all over the place and had a blast.  We took 

so many pics of these cute cousins together.  I promise this is a brief summary in comparison.

 Goofy kids at the happiest place on earth (HH)

 Cute little Ellie with Sierra and John

 Kyler being so sweet to GG

Our kids are so close in age and they just loved being together.  Kyler even slept in a sleeping bag in Syd's room at night so they could start playing together again as soon as they woke up in the morning.

 My not-so little brother and I

 All the kids being silly and Pete with awesome bed-head

 While John and Sierra were here we ended up throwing an impromptu B-day pool party for my girls and they helped me do everything for the party.  It was so fun and I may have to hire them back for next year!

Pete, the kid magnet

 Blowing out the candles, GG almost got it

 Grace does not mess around when it comes to cupcakes

 She didn't even want to stop eating cake to open her presents!  She is definitely my daughter!

 We spent one of our days on the beach in Santa Cruz and John was brave enough to try surfing on some rough water.

playing in the sand and digging holes

 Birthday breakfast for the girls complete with purple pancakes made by my sweet husband

Our time together went too fast.  Thanks for coming to visit us John and Sierra and we can't wait to see you in August!

Santa Barbara

Thanks to Pete's sweet Aunt and Uncle we got to spend Memorial Day weekend in beautiful Santa Barbara.  The weather was nice and sunny, but not very warm. So after one beach attempt, we decided we needed to explore our other options in SB.  

Our one beach attempt, a bit windy, lasted about 30 minutes

 I took the kids to the local zoo where Syd was brave and rode cardboard down this steep hill that a bunch of "big kids" were going down.  I could tell she was nervous, but she had a big smile when she got to the bottom of the hill.

 Then we headed over to the SB mission for the street painting fair which was so fun to see.

We got one hike in where both kids got to scamper around in mossy waterfalls,

and of course we had to hit up the carousel and surry rides as well.

Thanks Janet and David!

Hawaii trip

In May we decided the lure of Grandparents in paradise was too great and made another trip to see Pete's parents in Oahu.  The trip was about as great as it gets.  We had perfect, warm weather and got in the water every day we were there.  We found some perfect kid beaches and amazing snorkeling and got to spend every day with two of our favorite people.

 Syd and Grandpa Wynn

 Three tables beach, my new favorite

 Enjoying Pam and Wynn's hot tub on the deck

 Syd and GG at Turtle Bay beach

 We went on one hike this time and only made it 1/3 of the way before running back to the car as we tried to escape the flesh-eating mosquitoes.  By some miracle the kids didn't get a single bite, but Pete and I were so covered with bites we had a hard time sleeping that night.

 Water fights and sand castles

 Grandma Pam threw the girls an early birthday party while we were there, complete with cupcakes, games, gifts and toddler make-overs the next day.

 She painted their toenails and did their hair with fancy braids and bows.  They looked so cute and loved every second of it.

 They also gave Pete and I a gift when they watched the kids all day Saturday so we could have some time alone.  We had a wild kayaking/hiking adventure in Kilua, then headed to Waikiki for stand-up paddle boarding in the bay as the sun went down over the water and then had a romantic and delicious meal at our favorite place to eat on the island; Cafe Haleiwa.  It was a pretty dreamy day.

Thank you Pam and Wynn for an amazing trip.  We can't wait to see you back here on the main land in August!

Last dance

Sydney had her last dance class and I couldn't believe how fast those months flew by.  She loved her classes and it was so fun to watch her be so happy there.  Here are pics of the last class.  (We couldn't find her ballet shoes as we were running out the door, so that's why she's shoeless)

 So happy!

 Good form too.  Doesn't she look so grown-up?!

She was so sweet and would always ask her teacher if GG could come and do this part with the class.  What a sweet big sister!

Spring Break

I'm trying to catch up on the last month, so bear with me!

For spring break we got a big group of our buddies to go to our favorite places; Happy Hollow and the beach.  I loved the feeling of bliss the kids have there.  It was the perfect prelude to summer.

 Syd, GG and William on the carousel at HH

 Olivia and Weston

 Catching roly-poly bugs in line

 sharing a police car with Nova

 beautiful day in Santa Cruz

Syd and Millie

So glad I have fun friends to hang out with!

The other day while in the shower, I could hear little footsteps and some rustling around.  When I stepped out I found GG with these new "stickers" she had found.  I love how busy and curious she is!  She is also talking up a storm these days and I love hearing that squeaky little voice.