Family and Friends weekend

Last weekend our good friends Bart and Meriel came to town. It was a perfect weekend. Friday we spent the day up in Orange county so that Derek could partake of the epic waves. Unfortunately he had a battle with a wave and the waves won...taking one of his boards. We went to Salt Creek in the afternoon to hang out....Jack and I played in the sand (the ocean was to crazy to play in the water) and Derek and Mitch surfed. The waves were pretty unbelieveable. I meant to take some pictures of them surfing, but forgot my camera. The only pictures I have are of some random guys surfing at a surf spot at El Moro which rarely breaks.

We then had a bonfire with some of my cousins at Big Corona. It was a bit difficult with Jack...lots of people and lots of firepits brings too much temptation and too much wandering. But, we had a ton of fun catching up with family members we don't see too often. Not to mention we could see the tops of the waves at the Wedge...and they were huge!

notice Jack chasing the ball and Landon chasing Jack with a stick....this pretty much sums up the crazy night!

The next day was the main event! Our good friends Bart and Meriel came down so that we could shower them with gifts and food! Bart's Mom and myself threw Meriel a shower, and Moranda did the amazing flowers! It was a lot of fun and she got some CUTE things for baby Isla.

*Bart is on the left and Meriel on Right....don't they look so much alike? So cute!!!

How cute is this baby tutu? Meriel is grooming her already!

Meriel, myself, Moranda

We spent the rest of the day with a surprise visit from my niece Lauryn and meeting up with some of Derek's cousins who were also in town. It was a busy weekend but definitely lots of fun! (and I know Jack had a blast with all of the attention and different surroundings!)

Summer Treats

Any season is an excuse for treats, they just inspire different ones. Summer is the perfect time for ice cream. We are definitely ice cream people, and Derek's favorite is Butterfinger. Whoever had the last bowl left this amount for the next person. We need a survey here to settle our different opinions....is there or is there not enough ice cream for one person left?

In honor of Julie & Julia, I decide to channel my inner Julie Child and try a new recipe with some leftover strawberries I had. So I made strawberry cobbler. I've never had/made cobbler before, and I must admit, it turned out quite good!

Gotta love summertime and the yummy treats that we crave! Now I can't wait for fall!

500 (must-see) Days of Summer

I have been dying for this movie to come out. I already downloaded the soundtrack, watched the trailers, and was waiting for a date night with my man. We finally went and saw it (after downing some d-licious Station Suishi in Solano Beach) and it lived up to all of my expectations. It was endearing, honest, cute, sad and hilarious at times. After all, "it's not a love story, it's a story about love".

I would definitely go see it again....and again....and again...

It's fun to be a Mom

For Mother's Day, Derek got me pedicure and lunch gift certificates with my BFF Erica. We finally got around to planning a weekday where I could get a babysitter and her mother-in-law could watch Camryn. What was going to be just pedis and lunch turned out to be a fun-filled 2 days of mommy time. We started on Monday by meeting up at Swami's Beach (my new fave since tourists crowd my usual spots) with the kiddies. Jack of course loved getting the two of us covered in sand, and I think Camryn and Erica were starting to get used to it too (neither of them are big beach-goers.....yet....). I took them to my favorite yogurt shop in Encinitas and then to a cute outdoor furniture store called Gardenology.

That night Erica and I were finally able to take a ballet class together! We both have been dancing since we were 3 and all through high school and some of college. However, we've never taken a class together! And every year when So You Think You Can Dance is on, I get a huge ITCH to start back up again. Well this year I finally found the perfect studio in Solano Beach. I go on Monday nights (it's only been 3 weeks so far) and would go more if money grew on trees. Anyways, it was so fun to have Erica come with me, and I think we agreed to do it together once a month. I am loving dancing again, and definitely wish I could perform too, but this is incredibly enjoyable for now.

Tuesday once I put Jack down, I was able to sneak away and meet Erica in Del Mar to get our pedicures. I've been in dire need of one ever since my marathon. We then drove to Rancho Santa Fe to have lunch at a quaint and very girly place called Thyme in the Ranch. It was so fun to just hang out kid-free in the middle of the day. Girlfriends are the best- and so are husbands for recognizing that! Thanks babe!

Caught....

Caught Red Handed....

I caught Jack playing in the dryer, and it brought back memories to when I was young and used to play in the dryer as well. Except my dryer at home was bigger, the door was bigger, and two of us could fit in there and spin around.

Love Audrey

Love her and love this quote. You can order it here.

Feeling Patriotic for the 4th of July

I have always LOVED the 4th of July. Perhaps it's because I grew up in Washington, D.C. where it is patriotism at its finest. People unite to celebrate together, sparklers and tacky outfits galore. In D.C. no firework show can ever compare...I mean, the backdrop alone is surreal, then add the Boston Pops music playing and the crowds and the energy, I just love it! Then there was my home ward which always put on the best 4th of July breakfasts ever....with performances, games and even an omelet man at times.

I even love the colors red, white, and blue. I am often attracted to that color palette, but just don't know if I could have it around me full time. But if done the right way, with the right blue, I think I could. What do you think?

Unfortunately, I haven't been back for the 4th in years, but I have created my own traditions instead. Now, the 4th wouldn't be the same without fighting the crowds at the beach, massive BBQs and being able to watch more than one firework show go off at a time. I didn't take a single picture this year, but was able to poach some from friends. This weekend we were able to hang out with friends and family in Del Mar. Kathy's family were staying in a beach house right on the beach, so we hung out there all day and BBQ'd in the evening. The kids (and adults) had a blast playing in the sand and water enjoying the perfect weather! We then went over to the Smart's house where Jack crashed and we soaked in the hot tub and watched fireworks. I'm sad that Jack missed out, but he was so pooped from playing all day! Thanks everyone for such a great weekend! (more pics to come)

Jack and Camryn's first kiss.....future wedding video material for sure! Good technique alread...leaning in with his eyes closed....we'll have to keep a close eye on this one!

Us, the Smarts, and Tom and Alana

The beach house the Joselyn's were staying at

Kathy and I

The boys had a beach-olympic competition. I'll have to put the video footage up soon.