We had a great summer. It started in the begining of June with a visit from Nana. She came to help out while I had some minor surgery. They boys hardly noticed I was in laying low while she was here! That had a ton of fun and we were so thankful she could come and help!
Over the 4th of July we headed to the beach and then road tripped down to SLO for a quick visit with our great friends the Hagobians. We had so much fun seeing fireworks, going to the farm and playing at their house. It was an easy and relaxing trip, we will certainly be back! One great memory from our trip was driving back home on the 4th of July. We stopped in Monterey to play on the beach for a bit and strectch out our legs. We left around 8 pm to drive north to our house and we managed to hit every single fireworks display up the peninsula. Everywhere you looked, either directly out the passenger windows or up into the distance, we were able to see fireworks. It was magical and so special. We partied like rockstars over the weekend, so hard in fact that the boys each had injuries that required a good soaking. Play hard, recover hard, that's our motto!
We spent much of the summer participating in a wonderful "science camp" that was put together by my friend, Georgea. She planed out the lessons and expeirments while we took turns hosting. There were typically 9 kids in attendance and it was so much fun for moms and kids! The boys really likes exploring the inner workings of structures, parachutes, pullies and balances, flow rates, chemical reactions, solutions, water dynamics and bubbles. I jokingly coined it "do all the Pintrest actives you intended to do but likely was never actually going to do". Thanks to Georgea, we got to experience them!
Next we headed to Colorado for Tina and Patrick's wedding. There were lots of family in attendandance and we had a great time. We hung around Golden and Boulder, visited with family and partied hardy. It was fantastic. The boys loved the whole idea of a "wedding" which to them is a place to dance and party with the people they like the most (Nana, Auntie Ray Ray, Aunt Kathy and Uncle Sam, Aunt Lynn, Cousins Kyle and Chloe as well as new favorites such as Kate, Kelly, and Baby Hellen). They partied like rockstars, tearing up the dance floor and staying in great spirits until about 10pm. Chris and I made the strategic decision to take the boys home before they lost 'that loving feelin' and they were asleep before the party bus started its descent down the large hill towards our hotel. It was a terrific night and one they still talk about in great detail.
In Mid August we were lucky enough to have Granny and Papa come for a visit! It was great fun to play and share some California sun with them. We were having a heat wave so we used the opportunity to travel down to Monterey for the night. We spent lots of time on the beach and even swam in the frigid water. They got to visit the boys' pre-school a few days before school started and got a real feel for what we have been up (and will be up to) to on the West Coast. Chris and I escaped for several dates and that was lovely too.
Speaking of swimming, the boys took swim lessons this summer and gained some important skills. I am happy to say they love the water and are joyful swimmers. It seems that their main motivation for learning to swim is to be able to get a snorkel mask and flippers... I am not sure where they got this yearning but I'll use whatever carrots I can to get them to become early swimmers!
In addition to lots of other fun outings, we have done a lot of bike riding this summer. I love seeing the progression from being timid or slightly weak to being fearless and strong on their bikes. It is almost getting to the point where I could run with then while riding. That would be super fun (assuming I don't trip over one of them and meet my demise).
What a fun summer!!! We need to have a Lanza/McLean reunion soon because that post made me really miss you guys (and I don't think Ian has met Chris yet, has he?) Big hugs sent your way! Can't wait to see more pictures of your new pup, too!
ReplyDeleteWe would love a reunion! I miss you guys too much! Us coming to Minnesota is not out of the question....:)
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