back to school

with summer over comes the beginning of yet another school year.

while it is always sad to see them off, i think everyone was kind of ready 

to get back into the swing of things. seeing old friends and making new ones; 

ruby entering 2nd and declan starting kindergarten...we are off to a good start. 

we shall see what this year brings!

one for franny.

a wee bit belated...

our sweet little frances turned one july 10th! 

since she is quite the food lover she went crazy for her cupcake

like it was the best thing she has ever had. 

franny frou we love you so!!

summer things.

swimming with cousins.

 projects.

making jam.

swimming at encanto.

lazy mornings. 

day trip to sedona.

tye dying. 

good eats. 

and not pictured are plenty of messes and fights. 

just keeping it real. 

summer we will be sad to see you go soon, but we may 

possibly be ready. still not sure.

three yr.old mikey.

june 18th our sweet little monster muh mike turned three. he is mighty delicious these days. no big fiesta, just a simple affair...the usual morning donuts, balloons, and some presents. making and decorating chocolate cupcakes for mr. sweet tooth was a giant tasting bonanza. simply loving his hilarious faces these days. mikey we love you too much!! yippee for three; by far my favorite birthday so far as ages go.

summer.

ahh, summer. here are some bits and pieces. besides being hot and sunny, we've been enjoying the slowdown. a much needed slow pace after the crazy school year. less car and more time together is what i call good stuff. 

so we have a bit of a summer schedule. its rather loose, but enough to keep us on track. we have swim team in the mornings; work on math and reading; we venture somewhere fun on wednesdays (ie. art museum, library, splash pad); we have summer movie passes thursday mornings; and so far we have made it to one glorious swim meet. not my favorite in 115 degree weather with a baby and no way to cool off. 

soon we leave to the beach for the fourth and i can.not.wait.!!!

hopefully the tiny crabs decide to pack up and ship out of balboa by then, bc you know frances will be pulling out her tiny grill and cooking some up with a side of sand sauce. 

keeping it cool.

yeah summer!

memorial day.

a nice long three day weekend was just right for some time together, making yummy food, slip n sliding out back (mom and dad included), bike riding, eating out side and a late night tent by twinkle lights. forever indebted to all the brave men and women who fight for us to keep us safe in the beautiful country we live in!

almost one.

our sweet little frances is nearly one!! how is our chubby little lady already up for her first birthday? unbelievable. she continues to bring constant joy and giggles to us everyday. not walking yet, but very stable. waving hello, making funny faces to show off her teeth, and exploring are top on her list, besides just being with mom and giving out slobbery kisses. franny froo we love you so! let summertime begin!

wild life zoo and aquarium.

so last weekend we enjoyed a lovely sunday funday and spent the day at the wildlife zoo and aquarium. i've been wanting to go for a while, so we planned it out and it was well worth the fun day for all the awesome animals you can see, both land and sea! 
luckily we had beautiful weather, so we were able to spend most of the day there, but im not sure i would go there in the heat. 
proximity to the animals and such a wild variety of creatures made it extra special. go sometime if you want a fun local adventure!