San Diego Trip #1 in August

We took Monday and Tuesday off from work and hit the beach in San Diego! It was amazing weather and the water is SOOOO warm! Gabby and Gordon were out in the ocean boogie boarding or body surfing most of the time. Gabby got a once in a lifetime opportunity and had a seal pop up right next to her! She got to see and swim with a wild seal!!!  Gabby is really learning to dive into the waves and to ride the boogie board - it is fun to watch.

Lilly, Maddy and I hang out in the smaller waves. Lilly loves to add rocks and seashells to her collection and Maddy just loves to play in the sand and small waves...and take everything she can out of the beach bag and put it on the sand! 

The weather was so warm and amazing that we were actually at the beach by 9am the first morning and before 8am in the second morning! We stayed until noon both days!!! It was nice to have the beach to ourselves for a little bit and then the kids found friends and that was fun as well.

We hit the zoo both days as well because Lilly really wanted to see the Rhino and Hippos. It was warm inland and the escalators/skyfari was not working so it made for a long walk but we had great elephants and lion sightings. Lilly's favorite part of the trip was playing at Ocean Aire Park. That was the park that we would always take Gabby to when we lived there and Lilly just loved it. There were a lot of kids, fun things for her to climb on and she keeps asking if and when we are going back :)

All in all - it was a great trip and we had a lot of fun. We are looking forward to going back next week!

Finger Painting with Yogurt

Need I say more?  Ann and Russ came over for dinner the other night and Ann was "watching" Maddy as I was clearing the table. When I looked at her again - this is what I found!! Maddy had a blast finger painting with the yogurt.  How much fun would it be to be this age again??

Gabby's First Swim Medal

Gabby had her last Swim Day at LRSH for the summer last week. She earned a medal and was very proud of herself! She is one of the best swimmers in her class and really enjoyed getting to race and swim with her friends.

Lilly's New Horse

Lilly had a special trip to the toy store and had the chance to pick out any stuffed animal she wanted. We did this with Gabby and that is how we ended up with "Old". So we went to the store and what did she want???? A horse! We had a horse (and it was hers) like the one she wanted back at home but I couldn't change the premise of the trip - could I? I told her she could pick out any animal she wanted and that was the one she picked. She did not waiver. Well....at least we now have 2 of these horses and the girls had fun riding their horses around the house. To Lilly's credit - her horse does sleep with her :)

A Day in Ventura

Two weekends ago we went to Ventura for the day of fun at the beach. It was overcast in the morning and the water was a little chilly but it turned into a nice day. None of the girls were into having their picture taken so this is all I was able to get! It was a fun day and the girls had a blast.

Peek-a-Boo

Yesterday Maddy and I were playing on the patio while the older girls were at the clubhouse swimming. We had such a fun game of peek-a-boo....and Maddy's face just lights up when she smiles. We had such a fun time...She is full fledge walking now and it has become her perferred mode of movement. She is also sitting at the dinner table with us which makes it a little more complicated but we are working on logistics. She is teeting and getting some big molars but you would never know it by this huge smile!

Madeline's First Horseback Ride

The girls and I headed up to the farm this weekend for some fresh air. We had a perfect weather day...overcast and mild! It was perfect. Gabby and Lilly rode their horses to Grandma Debi's and then Gage and Gracie went for a short ride. While I was there, I thought it was time for Maddy to have her first horse back ride. She really liked it! The rhythm of the horse walking...I'm so happy that I was able to give all of the girls their first horseback ride! What a lucky mom.