Ethan and Owen's Birthday Sleepover

Ethan and Owens birthdays are 1 month to the day apart (Owen July 25 and Ethan August 25) and we have always done separate parties for them but this year we decided to do their parties together. It was a great decision as they have a lot of mutual friends and we were able to kill 2 birds with one stone so to speak. The boys invited 17 of their friends and all 17 came--wow lots of boys! We started at our house and then walked to the park down the street for pizza and lazer tag. The lazer tag did not start until 7:30pm so they played mostly in the dark and they loved it. After lazer tag we came back to our house and had cake, presents and then swimming, hockey, bikes and whatever they wanted to do. The boys spent the night in our back yard in a huge tent (which was a great plan to keep them out of the house)and the fun was still going at 2am. They tell me that they fell asleep around 3am and were up promptly around 7am so I think we will have 17 tired boys. This morning they played and ate and swam and just acted like boys. Really fun party!!!

This is the barriers they set up for the lazer tag.

Miss Mia had a blast as well


The boys eating pizza

There are a ton of fires burning in southern California so the sky is just beautiful against the sunset.

The kids with their guns

Silly boys

Trying to look way too cool!

Again, way too cool!

Uncle Brad and Ethan

Owen and Mia

Bass Lake and Yosemite

Before I begin I must mention to those who are not on facebook, that Mia was put under general anesthesia this morning at 6am to fill the 14 cavities in her teeth. It is just crazy how she ended up with 14 cavities but we are on a rigorous regimen now and we will keep those nasty cavities at bay from now on!!!! She went under easily and had a tough time waking up but she did fine. She was under for about 1 hour 45 minutes and took a long time to wake up. Once awake, she was really groggy and could not even walk for a long time. Very uncoordinated and fussy today but tonight she was much better. Thanks for all the prayers out there and she is doing great!!!!

We just got back last night from Bass Lake and Yosemite. It was a great time with my family. I did not realize it until once we were there, but I totally forgot my nice camera so all I had was my little camera and it was almost dead. I do believe if my head was not attached to my body that I would forget it as well. I am just clueless and needless to say I have very few pictures- ugggg!!!! Here are the ones I got:

Boys on the back of the boat hanging on for dear life while their father attempts to knock them off!

Like I said before, my camera was almost dead when I pulled it out of my purse so I had to spare pictures. Sadly, I forgot to bring the camera on the speed boat day and did not get a picture of the boys wake boarding. They both got up really easily and was able to totally wake board. I was so proud of them. One picture I am happy we did not get was the picture of me wake boarding. I did however wake board three times and had the sorest muscles ever the next day--ugg!

Family picture in Yosemite-- one of my favorite places on earth!!!

The whole crew posing for the traditional Yosemite pic. My parents have been bringing us to Yosemite since we were little kids.

Totally cute picture of the kids-- love it!!!

All the kids showing their souvenirs from the gift shop in Yosemite.

Mia hanging with John Muir

Mia and Savannah in the cave

Mia playing with her little stuffed mountain lion and the squirrel

We went rock scrambling and Mia actually climbed a bunch of rocks and did a great job. She had one fall and scraped her belly but overall she did great!

Owen climbing a rock

Cassie, Owen and Nathan

Cassie, Savannah and Mia

Papa and his girls!!!

Disneyland with Auntie Lo

Before I begin, I want to apologize about not being a stellar blogger and blogger reader this summer. I really have just had a lot to do and blogging has been put towards the bottom of my must do list. Starting your own company and then it growing so quickly along with starting a special ed department at my kids private school and then also trying to get things squared away at my normal work-- oh ya and raise 3 kids and be a wife-- its just a lot right now. So, something has had to give a bit and sadly, blogging is one of the easy things to let slide. I think that when school starts again and I am back to work -- official work not my business- that it may be easier to jump online and do some blogging, but we will see. So sorry dear blogger friends that I have been a horrible blogger friend recently. Sorry to all my lucky mommies that I have been a bad lucky mommy friend as well. This summer and next year is going to be such a transition year for our family with growing my business so there are things that have to give. Hugs to all!!!!

We have been to Disneyland a few times in the last couple weeks with Laila, kids, Laura and Cassie. It has been a lot of fun in our busy summer. Sorry the pictures are so limited but there are very few pictures of Laura and I or even Laila and I that I decided to post many of them here so we always have them. Laura just moved back from Manhattan (she is a doctor)so it is great getting the opportunity to spend all this time with Lo.

I also played with the Sepia on these pictures since many of them the lighting was off. I used my little camera so the pictures are not nearly as good as my big camera. I love this picture with the girls holding hands. Too cute!!!

The girls are 9 months apart in age and hopefully will be in the same grades at school as long as we put Mia in on time (she is a late October bday and the cut off in CA is December 2, so she is really young for her grade so we are not sure to put her in or keep her out-- probably put her in since she seems so academically inclined but we Will see)

They just crack me up. They are so different but get along so well. Mia is-- well like her mommy and Ava is-- well like her mommy. One loud and sometimes obnoxious and the other, not so much-- Ill let you guess who is who--hmmmm.....

Laila and I


Laura and I (one of those rare pictures). Again, strange lighting so I turned us sepia.

Playing on the railings while waiting in line.

Beautiful Ava. I just love this picture of her. She looks so beautiful with her long gorgeous hair!!

The Carousel-- a Disneyland must!!!

Another Lo and I picture

Laila and the kids

Sadly, one of the only pictures of Owen. They are always off on the big rides with Cassie so I just never get them in pictures. Sorry boys!!

Ensanada Mexico

Ensanada Mexico was an interesting experience. Kevin did not want to get off the boat because he had always envisioned Ensanada to be very similar to Tijuana which is the boarder city to San Diego, so it is just a mess. I really have no desire to go to Tijuana and because we had heard Ensanada was similar, we were just going to chill on the boat. Sitting at breakfast we got the wild idea to just walk into town and check it out and if it was lame, then we would go back to the boat and so we did. Surprisingly, when we got off the boat and got on a bus to downtown and then another bus to the Bufadora (blowhole) we were really surprised how much we enjoyed ourselves. The Bufadora was really beautiful and was on the ocean so it was cooler and really a good time. The vendors in the market were not pushy although I got "Common pretty lady--come see my stuff" from every vendor on the row. It gets really old but they were not too bad. The kids liked looking around and we had literally the best fish tacos I have ever had. Literally a woman pressing the tortillas right in front of us and frying the fresh fish right there. They were AMAZING and I wish I could have brought some home!

Entering the Bufadora vendor row

Walking down vendor row

The bufadora blowing-- totally cool and gets everyone wet!

Blowing again. There are only I think 5 Bufadoras in the world. 3 in Hawaii, 1 in Ensanada and one more somewhere else-- we have now seen 2-- one in Maui and one in Ensanada.

The family

Climbing the really steep rocks-- yikes!!

The blowhole blowing-- cool!!

The boys up the hill looking down on the blowhole

Surprisingly, we really had a great time in Ensanada!!

Mexico Cruise

We had a great time on our little 3 day Mexico cruise. We went out of San Diego, cruised out into the ocean, then to Ensanada Mexico and then back to Mexico. It was short and sweet and we had a great time.

Boys getting their drink cards at the bar-- soda cards

Checking out the ship

Checking out the pool and spa

Mom and the kids-- a rare picture-

Mamma Mia!!!

Chilling before we left port

Dancing on deck

Dancing girl

Dorky kids

My amazingly handsome boy-- I mean tween

Remember the view from the Midway to the Elation a month or so ago-- now here is the view from the Elation at the Midway.

The Mini Golf on the top deck with San Diego in the background

Owen hitting some balls

Ethan hitting some balls too

Pretty Girl!!

One of those funky side ways picture

Tomorrow I will post the Ensanada pictures