Vacation time

The end of June found us in Pebble Beach for a whole week. We had our usual fun and added a new trip to Santa Cruz.

Aquarium fun. The kids are able to stay longer and longer each time we go to the aquarium. They are really enjoying learning new things each time. This time we watched two of the feedings which were really cool to see.

Girls time at Cannery Row.

Riding the carousel at the Boardwalk.

We got all the kids to go on the log ride once, but the second time around Brooklyn wanted to sit out. I remember going on this ride when I was younger so it was really fun to relive it through my kids.

We had a great time on the Boardwalk and then spent some time on the beach with some of our friends from San Jose. We were glad we took the drive down to Santa Cruz to make some more memories. 

Kevin was able to golf with some of his former highschool players so the kids and I went on a walk and discovered this "secret" beach.

Some family friends were spending time at their house down the street from my parents house and invited us down to the beach for a fire and smores. It was such an amazing night and the kids loved playing with the big guys.

After the trip to the beach house I took the girls out to Minnesota, Iowa and South Dakota to visit family. They were amazing travelers and we had a great time reconnecting with family and friends.

Thanks for the ride Uncle Brian!

We were totally spoiled our first night and day in Sioux Falls by my Uncle Brian and Aunt Gloria.

Once we were in Minnesota at my Grandma's house I took the girls on a walk up the big hill on the gravel road behind Grandma Greats house.

The girls were able to meet several cousins (second cousins really) and had a great time on the farm and running through sprinklers. I also really enjoyed catching up with my cousins.

Brooklyn and Shelby had a great time playing together.

One of the main reasons for the trip was to go to the family reunion on the Fourth of July. There were 75 out of 101 family members present. It was a super fun day filled with games, catching up and eating! Here is Grandma with all her great grand kids that were able to make the reunion.

Both girls loved meeting baby Caroline and baby Caleb. The fun fact about Caroline is that her mom is my cousin named Brooke and she has a sister named Morgan. Brooklyn loved meeting Brooke but Morgan was super bummed that Morgan couldn't be there:)

The other main reason for heading out to Minnesota was to spend time with my grandma. It had been 4 years since I saw her last. Brooklyn was a baby. It was really special to watch the girls play with her and help them make some memories that include her.

Morgan had her heart set on making a craft with Grandma Great. I was so glad that Grandma Great pulled together these little pillows to make with them. It was perfect!

More cousins and farm animals:) These girls are daughters of my cousin Shawna who was my penpal for many years as we were growing up. We are hoping Morgan and Nicole can become pen pals now!

My girls and my friend Tonja's daughter. It was a treat to spend time with her and meet Kirsten.

I also swung through the town a few of my mom's relatives live in. It meant a lot to them to see me again and meet my girls and it was good for me to see them again as well. Aunt Thelma  reminded me so much of my Grandma Bulthuis. Among the people in this picture are my grandma's 96 year-old sister and 93 year-old brother. My mom says Brooklyn will hate me for this picture someday...the Iowa humidity was a bit much for those curls;)

I took the girls to check out our Alma Mater. Things have certainly changed in the last few years. 

The last couple nights we stayed with my Uncle Ryan and Aunt Marcia. We loved being spoiled there too. The girls loved their dog Tucker and playing with cousin Trey.

Meanwhile the boys were at home with daddy, doing lots of boy things, playing with friends and eating out:)

Hudson is ready for the 4th! Apparently they had about a 45 min show and loved every minute of it.

They were also able to go to an A's game. The boys first major league baseball game. They loved it!

We only have 2 1/2 weeks left of summer....how can that be????

Catch up!

I realized today how many pictures I have on my phone that I intended to put in the blog but never got to. This continues to be our family scrapbook, so I like to include the little dailies as well as the big milestones. So let's back up to May shall we?

I was able to go with Ethan's class on a field trip to the dairy. It was all very fascinating, but the highlight was definitely watching two calves being being born! Lot's of interesting questions from those inquisitive second graders!

Ethan and his buddy David.

Probably my favorite day of Kindergarten is Muffins and Makeovers with Mom. I was treated to a full makeover by Morgan. Her class sang us a song and she gave me a special plate that she decorated. It was a fun morning with my kindergartner.

A morning of about 1 1/2 hours of independent play....totally worth documenting!

Both KA and KB on their water day.

Mo and some of her Kindergarten friends. Like I mentioned in her graduation post she has some great kids in her class. She plays with so many different girls each day, I love it!

One of the last mornings with just me and the littles before school was out...we went on a walk/bike ride to the bike path. They are really at such a fun age right now.

No summer is complete without our annual blueberry picking. This year we took daddy.

Camping! We did our camping early this year. It was a lot of fun but very chilly at night and the lake was super cold. We all got in the lake though and we all had a lot of fun. The kids were so easy this year. They played with their friends from sun up to sundown. Mommy was only needed for food and trips to the potty:) Night time was a little rough so we cut our trip short by a night, but overall it was a success.

10 kids 7 and under!! (Logan didn't make it to the top of the boulder)

Morgan is turning into quite the little babysitter. She loved holding Logan while we were camping. She loves taking care of her cousin Emily too.

Sleeping in.....a little bit.

We've also been spending a lot of time with friends in the pool and at Papa and Nana's pool.

Babysitting Kamryn.

We are growing sunflowers this year. I've never done that before. They are huge! It has been fun watching them grow. 

Haircuts for Brooklyn....

and for the boys...they wanted soccer player haircuts. World Cup fever has hit our house!