goofiness happens after hours of sun and pool

San Diego Zoo

We love going to the San Diego Zoo.  The park is so big that it really takes a few days to cover all the different parts so we just usually go for a few hours and choose a few areas to visit.  However, with cousins from Portland in town, we had one full day to share the beautiful Zoo with them.  We took plenty of breaks for snacks and treats but these kids all did great exploring the Zoo together today.  It was a gorgeous, sunny day and a very busy day at the Zoo -- but lots of fun for these four!

visiting cousins

 

 

Mike's brother, Dave, and his family arrived yesterday afternoon to spend a few days with us.  Thomas and Meredith have been so excited all week long.  Every day, several times a day, they would ask us how many more days?  It was clearly something they were very much looking forward to.  Cousins are definitely something special and we're really happy to have these two staying with us!   

yoga kids

I love yoga and I love love love that our kids love it, too!  This afternoon we joined a friend and her two children for some kid yoga at a local library.  Thomas' favorite part was savasana (final resting pose) and having Teacher Kat massage his face and shoulders.  Meredith didn't have a favorite part but enjoyed it all.  I think she also just really enjoyed taking this class with our 6yo friend Sophia; she did a lot of staring at her.  In all, both kids did a great job actively participating (raising their hands to answer questions, along with doing the poses and activities) today.  What a fun afternoon activity for us all!

the 4 hour playdate = two TIRED kids

Bela: puppy days

We cleaned out the garage this afternoon and came across this favorite photo of Bela as a puppy...  [Yes, she's inside a regular-sized backpack!]

girlfriends

Beautiful Bela

  May 25, 1999 - July 20, 2011

our Bela

face painting at a friend's birthday party

Our sweet Bela (the Vizsla) is sick.  We first saw something was wrong Thursday night.  I think the hike (really, just a walk in the fields) may have exacerbated her condition but we were unaware of it until then.  At any rate, it has now been brought to our attention and we've been dealing with it.  The weekend ended up being a very long one for our family with several visits to vets/specialists, a gazillion tests run, and recommendations from our vets.  The masses inside her body point to cancer and the prognosis is not good.  But for now, we're enjoying our time with her and happy that she's able to enjoy her time with us.  Today, she's lounging in the warm sunshine in the backyard -- her favorite thing to do -- while watching the kids play with their friend. 

It was difficult to keep things normal for the kids over the weekend.  We cancelled a concert in the park with friends, a birthday party, a playdate...  Neither of the kids fully grasps the seriousness of Bela's health and maybe that's okay.  They'll understand it soon enough.  I wasn't in the party/social mood Sunday afternoon but taking them to a friend's birthday party at the park was a welcome breath of fresh air...

active days

Today's 2 hour tennis camp immediately followed by a 3 hour hike with friends (in full sun, no less) equals a very, very tired little boy.  He took a short cat nap on the sofa before setting up this little bed in the backyard.  It's no wonder he asked me earlier this week when summer will be over -- I must be filling his days a little too much.  Thomas also said to me (earlier this week), "I want to go back to school!"  Seriously.

Today's highlight: a rattlesnake while on our hike!  Thankfully we did not see it but the very loud rattle was undeniably a rattlesnake letting us know we were intruding his space.  I'm thankful both dogs were on leashes and all the kids (my two and a friend's two) were all behind us.  We made a very quick 180* turn and got out of that area as fast as we could!

Tennis is a 10! for Thomas

t: tennis is a 10 from cherl willardson on Vimeo.

If you ask Thomas what his favorite sport is, he'll say tennis.  He taken lessons twice before (last summer) and when we talked about camps months ago for this summer, he asked again for a tennis camp.  I offered to sign him up at a few - better? more serious? - tennis camps but he specifically asked for Coach Mark's tennis camp through the City.  He's been having a great time this week hitting balls and making new friends -- in addition to doing tennis camp with his good pal, Allison.  Thomas has been exposed to all kinds of sports, but tennis is definitely at the top of his list. 

Legoland w/the O'Brien boys

The kids had a blast this afternoon at Legoland.  My college friend, Sofie, and her family are in town for a few days.  The last time our kids saw each other was several months ago (4 or 5 months?) when they came down for a few days and stayed a night with us.  They live in south LA so not far yet it's far enough that we only see each other every few months.  Our kids (and hers) still talk about the sleepover they had and how much fun it was to play with her boys.  Today we got to play again with her two boys and meet her new baby girl, Delaney.  It was a really great time and ended with all four of these kids totally and completely exhausted.  Good times!

OREGON

We had a wonderful time in Oregon these past two weeks!  The drive was slow and long (two full days, one way) but worth it to spend the week with family and friends.  We enjoyed getting together with our families, our 21st Avenue neighborhood crew, old friends from our childhoods and playing with the little girl who lives next door to Grandma.  I didn't take nearly enough photos to capture all the fun we had, but below are a few.  They are totally out of order because I still haven't figured out how to organize photos I post with this new blogger setup. 

eating our weight in bacon and sausage

jumping for bubbles

sliding fun at Barclay school (my elementary!)

lounging in the pool with 5yo Charlie, Grandma's neighbor

hanging out with our fun cousins

making friends with Uncle Doug's cows

eating all our favorite Portland foods and drinks

making a lot of noise with illegal fireworks

trying to bounce high enough to touch the sky

slippin'-n-sliddin' with old friends

spending special time with Grandma

running personal bests in a local race

getting a thrill from holding our own fireworks

swimming in hotel pools

new tie-dye from the Portland Saturday Market

giving Tow Mater a little love

trampoline fun with Emily

entertaining ourselves with pipecleaners

road trip -- 4 full days total