I love being a dad and doing stuff with the kids!

Last week while I was enjoying game night with the girls Greg took the kids to Rock Sport. KJ absolutely loves climbing and has made it to the top of the small wall multiple times. RJ on the other hand, only makes it to the red line and starts to freak out. We are very surprised, seeing as how she manages to climb up everything at home. Anton is just happy to be somewhere where he can walk around and touch stuff. Greg has taken the kids twice and I can see it becoming a Thursday night tradition. Thanks for being such a great Dad!






Look at that brave girl climb



Reach Anton Reach- I made it to the first hand hold, only problem is, I'm not letting go of my sippy cup

How Could I Possibly Be Mad?

We lovingly refer to Raija by a couple of different names. Spider monkey, Gecko climber, you get the idea. She gets into EVERYTHING! No matter where I want to hide something or how high I put it she always finds a way to get it. She helped herself to one of my dark chocolate puddings the other day. I saw the fridge door opened and went to close it only to find Raija inside. She had climbed up the freezer door and was standing inside the fridge. At first I wanted to be mad, but then I just opened the pudding for her and let her enjoy it. After seeing what came next I'm really thankful that I didn't get mad. Anton saw sister enjoying something good so he climbed up into the chair (looks like he is going to take after his sister- Great.)Watching the two of them share and interact was one of those priceless mom moments. Raija was so good to Anton and Anton was equally as thankful to his sister for sharing.




Carefully sharing bites with brother



Nothing cuter than pudding faces right?



I love how Anton opens his mouth wide for bites.



Anton giving sister some pats on the back for sharing



Ahhh a kiss for my big sister

A Visit from Mummo

Greg's mom came out on Thursday night for a surprise visit. No one knew about it except me. We had a lot of fun in the short time that she was here. Our first stop was Pump it Up where we were able to get a good workout and let the kids work off some of their energy. Saturday we relaxed at Boca reservoir for Greg's company picnic. Then on Sat. night Greg and Mummo (grandma) took the girls to see a play as part of art town. We wrapped things up with a fantastic Sunday brunch and Mummo headed back home. Hopefully it won't be as long as last time before we get to visit again. Thanks Mummo we all had lots of fun.



Off to see The Sword and the Stone



Don't be so serious Greg

Onnellista Syntymapaivaa Greg!

Translation- Happy Birthday Greg!

Tuesday Greg celebrated his 32nd birthday in style. A quick road trip to Texas and a few side stops along the way. All in all I would say that he had an excellent day. I surprised him at work with a yummy homemade "looks like a store bought" cake. I was even impressed with how it turned out. Then we headed to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. If you have never eaten there it is very d-lish. Greg gobbled down two pork chops while I thoroughly enjoyed a pulled pork sandwich. Finally, we toured the world while playing a little mini golf. Just so you know Greg I did LET you beat me, it was your birthday after all. Happy Birthday! We love you! You are an excellent husband, father, protector and provider.



Yes, it tasted as good as it looks



Enjoying some fine Texas hospitality



Looking good in Egypt



Sometimes you just find yourself between two rocks and a hard place



Hansel and Gretel eating the candy house

Grow, My Pretties, Grow

Greg and I Love our garden this year! We have tried to no avail for the last three years to grow a nice garden. This year, after much hard work, I finally think we are seeing the fruits of our labors. Although, all may be in jeopardy because of one big, fat, hairy, squirrel. I'm going today to get a trap for him. He has already dug a nice hole by the foundation of the house and nibbled on three of our green bean plants. The war is on little buddy, and I have a feeling YOU are going to lose.....


Then again, maybe he is more prepared than I thought











Garden looking East



The Goliath- aka- our pumpkin plant



He's little now, but this pumpkin will soon become a great jack-o-lantern



Mama Mia tomato



groovy green beans



cucumbers



Our miracle tomato plants that came back to life after being caught in a late season frost



Peas



Pole green beans



Beautiful summer squash blossom



I'm so excited! I love summer squash and I get to pick and eat this beauty tomorrow :)



Rows of carrots



Straight from Idaho potatoes



Last, but certainly not least- Luscious strawberry plants



Yesterday we enjoyed our first pot of garden fresh peas and green beans. They were extra tender and super sweet

Run'n in the Dark

Last night the whole family participated in the 3rd annual Moonlight Madness Run. All three of the kids and dad participated in the kids 1 mile fun run. I was so proud of the girls. RJ ran the last half of the race and KJ almost ran the whole thing. She ran a mile in 13 min. Not too bad :) She is already asking when the next race is. She's making her momma so proud. Mom ran the 10k (6 miles). It was so hot outside. I didn't make it in under an hour (really close though), but I didn't walk. We are getting ready for our next family run on August 14th in South Lake Tahoe. This will also have a mile fun run for the kids and I will do a 5k (3 mile) run with Anton in the jogging stroller.



KJ's pre-race photo shoot



On your mark, get set, go



KJ's first pair of running shoes






Look at all that sweat dripping from my head..it was very hot last night. I better get going, I still have three miles to go.



Hooray! We're all done and we both won Gold medals



Celebrating at home with our bling!

Return to Emma

This weekend we returned to one of our favorite places-Emma Lake near Sonora Pass. We camped on Friday night with all three kids, which was an adventure. The campsite was great because the sites were nicely spread out giving us plenty of privacy and a noise buffer. The hike on Saturday to the lake was beautiful. Plenty of wildflowers and a gorgeous crystal clear lake to throw rocks in. We even saw a handful of fish. Unfortunately, mom was very tasty to the local bug population. I received close to 30 mosquito bites, while the rest of my family received ZERO. Not a single one on anyone else. Bummer! They itch like crazy and hydrocortisone cream is not helping.



Two beautiful sisters ready for a hiking adventure






This picture didn't turn out exactly how I wanted, but I think it looks cool



Light pink Indian Paintbrush- such a wonderful color









A spring bubbling up from the ground. On our way back down the trail we fill up our water bottles. There were three spring flowing from the ground in this peaceful meadow












Emma Lake



Someone must have known we were coming- How nice of them to make us a sign, even though the S is backwards












This is my favorite photo of this trip. I love how the sun rays are hitting the paintbrush