LONG TIME NO BLOG

Hi! I just went crazy and posted our whole summer so don't stop here. Keep hitting the "older posts" until you see it all. I'll try to be better.

Gilroy Gardens

Yesterday we experienced the joys of Gilroy Gardens, a little amusement park nestled in the hillsides of Gilroy. The kids loved it, which made for a great day for this mom. Max was able to ride on many rides by himself so he thought he was hot stuff. Camille was a little dare devil and went on any ride for which she met the height requirement. There were even a couple of larger roller coasters so Allyson could get a thrill. We went with 2 other families and had a fantastic trip. We will definitely go there again. Anyone wanna come?

Cinderella

Allyson & Amanda participated in another play. This summer they performed in "Cinderella". Amanda played the part of a mouse and Allyson was one of the narrators. Darling show and such a fun experience for these girls. They practiced from 9-12 every morning of the week for 6 weeks then had 4 days of intense technical rehearsals and now are wrapping it up with a total of 9 performances. We'll be done on Saturday and be able to go on a little vacation.

Fun in a box

Why do we buy toys?

Milk

This bottle's too little...........

Just give me the jug instead.

HORSES!

I am extremely allergic to horses - but do not fear - I am married to an allergist. So after getting properly medicated, I took Max and Camille up to see my friend, Carrie Coit Hodgson. She is living her dream on a horse ranch and my kids were in heaven. Feeding the horses carrots was the highlight (except Max wanted to eat his carrot instead). What a fun day for all of us!

Folsom Zoo Fun

My friend, Carrie.

Daughter Camille

Little Jack (Ali's son)

Bri (Carrie's daughter)

My best friend from Elementary School lives about 3 hours away. (And her sister was my sister's best friend). So all of us sisters decided to get together for a day. Carrie arranged for a fantastic behind-the-scenes zoo tour at the Folsom Zoo. The zoo was closed and we got a private tour with the zookeeper! What an amazing experience. I think the adults were more thrilled than the kids were. We got to see the kitchen, the zookeeper's office, a bathtub for the bears, etc.

Little Boys are GROSS!

Daddy Daughter Day

Troy took Allyson & Natalie to Magic Mountain for a day. They had a blast riding all the roller coasters and just having that special time together.

A new cousin

Yes, we have a new cousin in the family. Seth Edward was born last week (4 weeks early). This is my sister Ashli's third child and he came out with RED HAIR. Out of the 13 grandkids, Allyson has been the only one with red hair so far. We're all thrilled about it (especially Allyson). Such fun awaits this little guy with this group of cousins living so close together. And how fun to have another little baby to hold.

Sprinkler fun

Grandma's pool had to get chemically zapped so Aunt Cyndi picked up a $5 sprinkler toy at Target. The kids were in heaven! They were so funny running about. Max thought he was one of the big kids and joined right in. My parents grass was a swamp by the end of the evening but with Fresno heat that was dried up within hours. Best $5 ever spent.

Piano recital

Another year completed for piano lessons - the one thing my kids don't have a choice about (and surprisingly they have not ONCE complained about taking piano lessons!). So here are the photos at the keys.