The Lucky Slumber Party

On July 2nd, the Grace Family had some wonderful overnight visitors come into town! Jeff and Julie made an overnight trip on their way to Coronado for the 4th of July weekend and Godmommy Katie wanted to get in on the action too! We had a wonderful dinner at McKenna's and then hung out in the back yard for some nighttime swimming and "final-final" cocktails!

Julie was teaching Ryan about clovers and literally found a 4-leaf clover! Unbelievable! Do you know how many hours I spent on the playground in school and on the soccer field looking for the so called 4-leaf clover??? I had to wait 36 years to find out that they really do exist! Luckily for Ryan and Charlie, they won't have to waste all that time growing up looking, they already have their proof! Nice find Julie!

The girls went swimming. Charlie wasn't supposed to get her head wet because of her ear infection. "It was an accident Mommy, I promise it was!" Hmmm, not so sure!

Lounging during cocktail hour!

Hmmm, that head looks pretty wet to me Char Char!

Enjoying the "final-final" of the night.

Thanks for the slumber party everyone. We loved having you!

10 Hours, 2 Kids, 1 Mommy and 2 Much Fun

So with summer here, it is time again to buy annual passes to Disneyland so that we can take advantage of our time off of school! The girls and I headed to Disneyland for what mom expected to be an easy 3-4 hour trip like our usual trips to Disneyland have been in the past. Oh no, mommy did not take into consideration that her girls are "big girls" now and don't want to miss out on ANYTHING!! Both girls insisted that we stay for the 9:25 fireworks show! Mommy accepted the challenge and a day of adventures began...

Every line was ridiculous! Poor Ryan had some rag-a-muffin hair all day long! The tangles just got worse and worse as the fun continued! It took thick conditioner rinses to get all the "fun" out of her hair! Here we waited 40 minutes for the Alice in Wonderland ride. Whoosh!

We waited in line to meet Mickey. Charlie got a little too scared for her close up when our time arrived! But Ryan was Brave.

Snow White's wishing well. We threw in our pennies and made a wish. No matter how much I asked, the girls would NOT reveal their wishes. Hmmmm... still wondering!

Toon Town

Mickey's House... the girls got a kick out of the phone ringing over, and over, and over again! Notice Charlie, she doesn't like loud sounds.

Lunchtime... everyone got their energy back!

The Tiki Room! Charlie quickly covered her ears when the Tiki Gods started talking in the waiting area. Ryan, on the other hand, was ready to take on the Gods all by herself!

Autopia... Ryan was the driver and Charlie and I hung on for dear life.

Waiting in the Autopia car while we waited for our turn to get out! Guess what color our car was? Charlie was so pleased!

Still going strong for the 6:30 parade! Front row seats took an hour of waiting on the curb! Okay by me, I need a break! We ate popcorn and frozen lemonade for dinner! Wish I would have planned ahead better!

Awww... after one last ride It's a Small World the sun started to go down, Ryan's cough started to pick up, Charlie started to "whine" down, and Mommy was fr-eezing! Fireworks will have to wait till next time! Ryan was so sad but...

...it didn't stop her from falling asleep in the car before we even exited the parking structure!

Charlie wasn't far behind!

Anyone want to join us for another trip soon?

When the Kids are Away, the Grown Ups will Play!

Every June is our annual Palm Springs trip with 7 other couples. Yes, 16 in all (after adding two more "significant others" this year to the mix). We rent a house that can hold us all comfortably and enjoy some adult fun without the kiddos! This year, our number was only 14 because Joe and Claudia needed to stay home with Baby Jack (ahhh, priorities I guess). Anyway, here are some pictures of the weekend...

Bryan, Dana, Erin, Colleen, Tracy, and Julie

Colleen, Lori, and Julie

Dana and Bryan Sullivan

Lori and Steve

Ryan and Michelle

Tracy and Scott

Erin and Dana

Lori, Michelle, and Tracy

Julie and Lori

Jeff and Julie

Tracy and Julie
(The newbies to the group!)

2009 Buckeroo Boot Camp

Every year, on the weekend of our annual couple's Palm Springs trip, the girls stay with my parents. It is so nice to be able to drop the kids and drive on down the 111 for our "weekend away." Well, it is also a tradition that Nona hosts several Buckeroo Club meetings throughout the year with the grandkids. I'm not quite sure what happens at the Buckeroo Club meetings because it's supposed to be a secret from the mommies and daddies but I know it involves fort building, tea parties, and "secret stuff" (Charlie's word).

When we drove up to the house this year, we noticed some strange signs all over the yard! At first, I thought the realtor was trying to market the house in a strange new way until... I got a closer look!

It was like Christmas morning as soon as the girls realized their pictures were all over the signs! They ran up to each one and giggled. The ones with words, they'd say, "Mommy, mommy read it, read it!!" I still don't know exactly what happened at the Buckeroo Boot Camp this weekend because it's top secret stuff but hopefully Nona will send us some pictures to post and we can try to figure it out!

Thanks Nona and Grandpa for watching our little Buckeroos! You really pooped them out and we NEEDED that!

Last Day of McGaugh

McGaugh (T/Th preschool) had their last day of the 18th of June. The parents were invited to the graduation ceremony and a picnic. Each child walked the down the "aisle" for graduation in their homemade "Graduation Visor" and instrument.

I couldn't help myself by putting them in their matching silk dresses. They looked so cute... the only siblings in the classroom were matching! Adorable. I even let them wear sandals (which is not allowed)... I'm such a rebel mom :-)

Charlie received her certificate and is welcomed back to another year of McGaugh preschool!

Ryan received her certificate with a congratulations of finishing preschool and well wishes for beginning kindergarten in the fall.

The whole class sang 5 of their favorite songs to the crowd. Look who is sitting front and center. Coincidence? I think not! Charlie entertained the crowd with her fabulous dance moves! What a ham! Ryan, the most perfect rule follower, was in the back row with the rest of the kids that will be attending kinder in the fall. Ryan is one of the tallest in her class.

Last Day of Teddy Bear School Forever

So sad... the girls had their last day at Teddy Bear School! Next year Ryan will be moving on to Kindergarten and Charlie will attend the pre-school at the elementary school full time instead of splitting time between 2 pre-schools. This gazebo on the church grounds is where the girls liked to hang out every day before and after school. A fitting place to take some pics of their final day!

Happy Summer Munchkins!

Someone's Got the Need for Speed

So, we have been visiting the park a lot lately to have a family walk and so Ryan can practice riding her bike without having a street to maneuver around. Well, Charlie never wanted to ride her tricycle because "it's not fast enough so it isn't fun." As a matter of fact, she chooses to ride in the stroller over the tricycle. Someone is really growing up. Anyway, I know it's not her birthday or Christmas but it just seemed appropriate to get her an actual real bike so that she could enjoy it all summer long.

One morning we packed up the stroller and Ryan's bike and put the kids in the car to drive to the park where we like to go. We tricked them and surprised them by going to the toy store instead. When Charlie realized that we were in the bike aisle and we weren't really "getting a present for another little kid" she lit up with the best smile ever. She picked this purple bike to be her very own.

We headed straight to the park afterward to try it out. She had to get used to it a little. Not a whole lot of exercising happened for mom and dad that day but we loved helping her learn.

And now... Well that munchkin we know and love, loves to race! She makes those little legs move pretty fast! Next, we'll have to work on the training wheels!