Kelley comes to visit

Kelley came for the last week of June and we loved every second with her. Aquarium, beach, lone cypress, Lula's tour, river in Big Sur, walks, games, shopping, matching shirts, good food, and great talks. I love my sister!

Summer bucket list

The kids and I came up with a bucket list for summer and we had fun doing a lot of these activities!

Here we are exploring some Monterey history downtown.

 The boys attended a couple of camps and had a blast! Declan got his face painted one day.

 On a walk to the beach, Audrey found a painted rock--a trend sweeping the nation.

 Kite flying at the beach on a family walk.

One day we decided to take the trolley from the Aquarium to the Monterey farmer's market. The traffic was terrible, so we sat on the trolley for 45 minutes, when it should have taken 8-10 minutes! Poor Ian needed a bathroom, so it got a little frantic, and boredom was high, but we made it to the market (where Mr. B patiently waited for us), found a bathroom, and ate some yummy food, which made everything better.

Mr. B flew out to Missouri to attend his cousin Julian's wedding, and while he was getting some work done before I took him to the airport, Audrey and I left the screen-focused boys behind with Dad and had a fun beach date! We had to get back pretty quickly to take Mr. B to the airport, but we HAD to take advantage of the rare summer sunshine.

 Mr. B having fun with his nieces at the wedding reception.

  One day I took the kids bowling, which was fun until the boys realized that one of them would lose, ugh. Let's not go again for a few years.

  Summer is off to a great start!!

June family fun

As soon as school got on on June 2nd, we headed to the beach with friends to celebrate the start of summer break!

We spent a Saturday as a family picking berries--strawberries and ollalieberries. Delicious berries and amazing jam!

 Declan lost his first baby tooth!! This was a couple weeks after he also got his first set of stitches--the first Monday of summer break, he hit the back of his head on the fireplace and had to get stitched up at urgent care. At least the tooth was expected. Love this cutie!

Family fun in May

Experiments in the kitchen--meringue cake! 

On the rec trail--kids on bikes and grownups running. Some tree climbing was definitely in order.

Family hike to Garland Regional Park on Memorial day.

My blessings

Audrey was Elizabeth Blackwell, first woman doctor, for "Famous Person day" at her school. She memorized a speech and would give it to whomever tapped her shoulder, a living wax museum. We are so proud!

 My best friend Amber spoiled me by making bow ties for my boys, a headband for Audrey and a necklace for me out of fabric that I loved but couldn't figure out how to create with myself. Then I forced everyone to wear them on Mother's day to make me happy. I'm loved.

  Beautiful flowers, beautiful family!

 Mr. B's orchestra--they sound great!

Happy birthday Mr. B and other fun times

When the weather is nice, head to the beach! 

  My beautiful daughter out with me and Claire for girls' night.

 Happy birthday Mr. B!! We celebrated with lunch at Oceanside Lalla Grill and a round of Pandemic: Legacy. 

April we partied!

Audrey got her purple belt in karate!! (3rd level). She is doing amazing and she's so fun to watch--disciplined, strong and powerful.

 On my birthday, I took the kids on a hike, ate a yummy lunch at Beth's, and then Mr. B took me out for a fancy dinner. Lovely day!

 Declan turned six and had his first birthday party. He invited a few friends for superhero games and cake. We had a great time! 

 Declan got his gold belt--woohoo! It's the first belt test, so he's at the second level now. We're so proud of his hard work and determination!

P.S. I love his teachers, Hannah Miller and Matt Durney. They run a wonderful dojo.