Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Week 25

It's been really nice and relaxing coming back from vacation and still having a few days off before heading to work, but the party is over.  The kids are now in summer day camp, and we have bills to pay so John and I are hard at work.  At least this coming weekend is a holiday weekend and the weekend after we have a long weekend for a camping trip so we're still making the most of our summer.  Our home atmosphere is a lot more casual too because there is no afternoon homework or school issues to deal with.  We can just come home and chill--mostly  in our pool ;0)

Now for last week's pictures, half of which were taken while still on vacation--

Day 169- Saturday, 6/18/11
Tyler took this picture of us while on our last hike in Utah.  I love the background.  We're on the Mossy Cave trail in Bryce Valley.  Tomorrow we start our journey home by heading back to Vegas.



Day 170- Sunday, 6/19/11
Happy Father's Day!  We made it to Las Vegas, NV and checked into our hotel before heading to a Sports Bar for dinner.  John and the boys loved it here so it was the perfect place for Father's Day Dinner.



Day 171- Monday, 6/20/11
New York, New York hotel was our home base for the two days we spent touring Vegas.  We took in a couple shows and checked out many surrounding places.  The roller coaster at this hotel and the Tournament of Kings dinner show at the Excalibur were favorites.



Day 172- Tuesday, 6/21/11
Home sweet home with our greatly missed dog, Bella, and a few loads of laundry to work through.  You know it was a good trip when you unintentionally bring back dirt, in this case, red dirt!  We flew in early this afternoon and have been slowly unpacking.  Thankfully I still have the rest of the week off to help get us back into the swing of things.



Day 173- Wednesday, 6/22/11
The best part about being gone during a heat spell was coming home to a perfectly heated pool that we can finally use.  The boys spent the next few days here enjoying themselves in the summer heat.  The pools on vacation were nice but there is nothing like your own pool at home.



Day 174- Thursday, 6/23/11
John heads back to work today so I quickly snapped a shot of this Father's day gift before he took it to hang in his office.  The boys and I had these pictures taken the Friday before we left on vacation and he had to wait until we got home to see the results but was pleasantly surprised.



Day 175- Friday, 6/24/11
Yep- the official start to the end of my vacation.  It's time to get back to reality and take care of some business like balancing the checkbook, paying bills, filling out forms for summer camp, and stocking the pantry.  I'm ready for another vacation!


One more shot! It's time for . .

June's Family Photo



It seemed only fitting that this month's photo be taken in Utah on one of our many hikes.  My mother snapped this shot on our last day with them.

Thanks for stopping by.
See you next Tuesday!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Week 24

I know I'm a couple days late, but we just got back from vacation Tuesday, and I had to sort through pictures before I could complete this post.  We had a great week and enjoyed every bit of our time away.  It really feels like summer now, and it's so nice to have the break from work and school to just hang with family.

Enough said!  Here are last week's pictures:

Day 162- Saturday, 6/11/11
Today's swim meet was our first away meet so it was fun to have a change of scenery and see how other meets are run.  Here is Justin ready for his freestyle race at the blocks.


Day 163- Sunday, 6/12/11
There is an army of Hero Factory creatures taking over the playroom.  Justin's goal is to collect them all, and I'd say he's well on his way.


Day 164- Monday, 6/13/11
It's been a crazy day tying up last minute details for our trip tomorrow.  I'm finally getting around to packing and trying to figure out how we're going to manage to take everything we need for this trip.


Day 165- Tuesday, 6/14/11
And we're off!  It was a big travel day.  We flew from Sacramento into Las Vegas and then immediately drove through Nevada, part of Arizona, and into Utah where we stopped in Springdale just outside of Zion National Park to stay for the night.


Day 166- Wednesday, 6/15/11
This morning we took the shuttle into the park and explored until lunch.  We pretty much got to see everything except the back country, and then headed out on a 3 hr drive to Bryce Canyon Valley where we met up with my folks to stay and visit for the next few days.


Day 167- Thursday, 6/16/11
It's gorgeous here and the weather is perfect.  We hiked around Kodachorme Basin today.  Here are my 3 boys with their cousins they are meeting for the first time--and yes, all boys!  It's great to have my sister and her family here with us for a couple days.


Day 168- Friday, 6/17/11
We made it into Bryce Canyon National Park today and hiked most of the day.  One of my main goals for the trip was to hike through a slot canyon and here we are headed into "Wall Street" which was an amazing journey.  My dad is a great tour guide as he knows the area well and all the best spots and sites to see.

That's it for now. 
Our vacation pictures will continue next week and of course this is just a small sample of the near 500 pictures I took!
 
Thanks for stopping by.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Week 23

Things are finally warming up around here, and I like it, but it's just as we head out to leave on vacation.  We're hoping the pool will be warm enough to use upon our return.  I'll have to make this short as we fly out this morning so I don't have much time.  Also next week I'm sure to be a day or two late since we'll still be on vacation Tuesday and I'll have limited computer availability.

Here are last week's pictures-

Day 155- Saturday, 6/4/11
Swim meets are a lot like camping--tents, sleeping bags, coolers, folding chairs and fun.  Unfortunately this day it poured rain the whole 7 hrs we were there.  They only cancel if there is lightening.  What an interesting meet!


Day 156-Sunday, 6/5/11
The sun came out today and things started to warm up so Justin took advantage and played out front showing us how he can spin a ball like a pro.  Love the curled tongue.  Maybe it helps him balance?


Day 157- Monday, 6/6/11
One of the cool things about my job is that I get to use my interests in graphic design and scrapbooking to make posters for our group to take to scientific meetings.  This is one of my latest creations and my boss liked it so much that after the meeting she hung it outside her office.


Day 158- Tuesday, 6/7/11
Brandon had to stay home sick today.  He was running a fever and slept most the morning away.  Thankfully John could stay with him until I could return from work.  We tag team a lot when it comes to the kids and our jobs.


Day 159- Wednesday, 6/8/11
Here is Tyler after school enjoying a snuggle from Bella.  Only one day of school left and the kids are so happy to be almost done.


Day 160- Thursday, 6/9/11
The school year if officially over and the sun is shinning bright so we headed straight for the frozen yogurt shop to celebrate.


Day 161- Friday, 6/10/11
Tyler sold a bunch of old video games and pooled all his extra cash to be able to buy an XBOX.  I guess we know what his plans are for the summer.
That's all folks.  Time to catch my flight.
See you next week.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Week 22

Is it really June?  Because it feels and acts more like February or March.  We've had a CRAZY weather week with lot's of rain and even some thunder, lightening, hail and a couple tornadoes!  I'm wondering how much longer my kids are going to have to swim in the rain before summer actually hits.  At least it's the last week of school and next week we'll be leaving the state on vacation hopefully heading for warmer temps and better weather all around.  Wait!--nothing but sunshine and 80's in the forecast for the rest of the week.  WooHoo!

Enjoy last week's pictures-

Day 148- Saturday, 5/28/11
No swim meet this week for the long holiday weekend which makes everyone happy.  It's a nice break.  John is using his free time to play with a new DJ toy.  He loves mixing his music.  Honestly, I can't tell the difference but the lights are sure pretty!



Day 149- Sunday, 5/29/11
 The sun has decided to peek out and John fixed the tires on my bike a couple weeks ago so Justin and I decided it was time for a ride around the neighborhood.  His brothers didn't want to go which was fine by him.  He enjoyed the time alone with me and talked my ear off about girls!



Day 150- Monday, 5/30/11
 It's Memorial Day so John busted out the BBQ books to help him grill and smoke all kinds of meat for us to enjoy and share.  The weather was awful, but he still managed to make the most of his grill, and now we have enough cooked meat to last us the rest of the week.  Yum!



Day 151- Tuesday, 5/31/11
This afternoon we were playing ball with Bella when she peered through our kitchen stools in search of a ball that rolled under them, and she looked so cute that I just had to snap a picture.  Brandon plays a game he calls "hide and seek ball" with her that is simply adorable.  She loves her afternoon time with the boys and this week was extra fun because there was no homework so they were all hers.



Day 152- Wednesday, 6/1/11
 Time for my monthly marker.  This sign should have a question mark on it because it sure doesn't feel like June!  Our normal temps this time of year are breaking the 90's or even 100's by now.  The plants, animals, and people are all confused and not happy about it either.  It was this one day that was really crazy with all types of wild weather too.  A tornado touched down in Natomas just an hr after I was there picking up a cake for our lab meeting tomorrow.  I had planned to take this picture in the pool while wearing my new swimsuit cover bought for our vacation but dipping my toes in while wearing my jacket will have to do!  Our pool is freezing and not getting used anytime soon :0(



Day 153- Thursday, 6/2/11
It's Tyler's night to bring dinner for the local youth group, and he loves tacos so we made a run for the border.  One size feeds all is an understatement.  I needed 5 to feed this hungry group!  That's 60 tacos in all plus chips, homemade layered dip, watermelon slices, soda, and brownies :0)  It impresses and pleases Tyler that my car smells like Taco Bell for the next few days after one of these runs.



Day 154- Friday, 6/3/11 
Brandon is feeling resourceful today and decided to use all kinds of things laying around his room to build a fort.  He says he's having a camp out with his toy dog Buttercup, and he did actually end up sleeping in here a few nights so I'd say his efforts were a success.


Thanks for stopping by and taking a look.
See you next Tuesday if I can get the post out before our flight to Vegas!