10 Years

Bob and I celebrated our 10th anniversary this year. We decided to do a "staycation" since we were keeping Ruby with us and that way we'd have access to babysitters and she could sleep in her own bed. (We've been planning a trip to New England for our 10th, but then I got pregnant with Ruby. So we'll have a big 11th anniversary!)

We dropped the kids off Thursday evening and got a babysitter for Ruby. We went to see the Lion King at Mandalay Bay. It was great and the costumes were amazing. Friday we stayed at a hotel on Lake Las Vegas. It was nice to have Ruby with us. We got some alone time while she napped, but it was great for both of us to be able to focus just on her. She never gets that and she loved it!

Baby Shower

As part of the kids' summer goals, we had a mock baby shower for Baby's Bounty, an agency that supplies baby supplies to mothers in need. We had a few friends over and played games. We played a baby rattle race and crawling race; we melted candy bars in diapers and the kids tasted baby food and guessed what kind it was. We had cake and ice cream and pacifier straws for their drinks. We had a great time. And we got lots of supplies for the babies.

Start of Summer!

The kids got home from their last day of school at 12:45 on a Thursday and by 1:00 we were on the road to Visalia. Bob went on a jam-packed high point trip to New England for 3 days with a friend (he got 6 high points) and then he went to scout camp. So the kids and I went to visit Grandma Zonda and Grandpa Cliff for a little over a week. It was wonderful--a perfect start to our summer.

The kids swam at a neighbor's pool every day. They were in heaven on the slide. And Aaron is really coming along in his swimming ability.

Just down the road from my parents' house we found a massive hatching of baby frogs. The covered the sidewalk and were hopping everywhere. Several morning the kids went and "harvested" frogs and brought them home in little cups to play with. Then we released them a few hours later.

The kids also always love watching the turtles in the pond and feeding them carrots. Those turtles must have gained a few pounds while we were there because the kids were always feeding them. Seth especially loved the pond this time. He'd stay out there as long as we'd let him. He'd sit next to the pond and watch and then he'd usually give in to the temptation to throw rocks in.

We went to Delano to Grandpa's farm to pick blueberries. We had a great time and ate a ton of berries and brought a big bucketful home. Danny was all over this trip. He was the most excited before it and he was a serious picker while we were there. He loved talking berries with Grandpa and learning about the different varieties.

And we went to the Rotary playland in Fresno to ride the "roller coasters". It was a wonderful trip!

Cholo Hit Me!

Seth has already learned the art of tattling. We hear "Cholo hit me!" several times a day. Most of the time it's not even true. I guess he just hears things like that so often he thinks it's a normal thing to say.

Tennis

Rachel is still loving tennis. She's been playing for almost a year now. She was recently moved up a level by her coach. She's got a great backhand. And we really love how tennis is just across the street from our new house. Tennis goes in six-week sessions. This session Danny and Aaron wanted to take tennis also. Baseball got done and Aaron was a little distraught and asked me, "Now what sport am I going to play?" The boys are loving tennis too. The coach has to keep reminding them that in tennis you use a nice easy stroke and not to "kill it" because the boys want to hit it like a baseball. But they're both picking it up quickly and having fun.

Doesn't Ruby look so cute by the pool?

Little League

Danny and Aaron finished their second season of little league.

Aaron was in his second year of t-ball and he was a Grasshopper. They had a great time. Aaron really got it this year. He loved to go to his games. He's come home and talk about how he "crushed it" when he hit the ball to the outfield. He was a great player and played at first base a lot. He also entertained the parents by doing handstands while his team was in the field.

(I can't find what I did with pictures of Danny in his uniform :( I'll post it later when I find it)

Danny was in AAA and was a Yankee. This was his first year in AAA and he was one of the youngest on the team. He was super lucky to get on the same team with his best friend, CJ. In this level, the boys have to try out and the coaches pick which boys they want. He had a great time. He played outfield most of the time.

Pinewood Derby

Danny made his first Pinewood Derby car. He planned his design and then got Bob to help him build it. He had such a great time! His car was named the "Flaming Hot Rod" by the judges. He came in 5th out of all the boys.