L.A. County Fair

We love the county fair. We got unlimited wristbands so we could go on everything. Mom stayed away from the rickety rollercoasters. It seems like half the rides were spinning. The best part of the fair is the yummy smell in the air. There are barbeques all over the place. Our favorite snacks are funnel cakes and shaved ice. What a well-rounded meal!



The boys got to go on the trampolines for the first time. It was really hard to jump because the bands were so tight. They launched Payton really high into the sky. The older boys were too heavy to do it. They even did a couple flips.



Ok, now we have official proof that Brandon won the slide race. I think the heavier the person, the better.

Happy Birthday Sawyer!

Payton and Austin are constantly hovering around Keilani. She is the center of attention. They were excited to go to Sawyers birthday party.


Sawyer got to eat his own Elmo cake. He was so hesitant to touch it. He must have been intimidated by Elmo's big eyes looking at him. The funniest part was watching him open his presents. Just like all one year olds, they aren't too interested. He kept biting each present when he opened it. Is he teething Melinda???



Hi birthday boy. You are so adorable. We saw him walk a LITTLE bit. I didn't believe Melinda when she said he could walk. He definitely has the scratch to prove it.

Camping at SanClemente Beach

We went camping overnight at the beach! We were so excited about it. Some friends from church got a bunch of families together for the group site. It was really fun. There were tons of kids running around. The boys tried to gang up on the girls. No success. They must be arch enemies? Girls have cooties.


Austin, Carson, and Brandon... don't you need some water to use those boogie boards?


Carson, Tanner, and Payton catching some waves. The waves were really crazy, so the boys decided to stick with the white wash.


Take a look at our big piece of crap tent behind Tom. It took us 1 1/2 hours to put it up. Hence, the reason why we never tent camp!


The boys loved climbing this mangled pine tree. It had lots of branches to climb up to the very top.

Scarecrows

Wow! Look at our huge crop of corn in the backyard. Not! Actually, this is a corn field right around the corner from our house. It looks so pretty all the rows and rows of corn. I can't wait to buy fresh corn. Yummy! Maybe they'll make a maze after harvest???

Happy Fourth of July

We spent Fourth of July at our house with Tom's family. We had a BBQ and swim party. We planned on going to the local fireworks show but didn't get around to it. For a good two hours the men were racking their brain about how to put the ping pong table together. It was a big task. Uncle Dave was the champion player for the ping pong tournament. Next time Tommy is going to whoop you!

Daniel, Austin, and Payton taking a dip in the pool.


Aunt Barbara and Tommy. (We missed you Shiv!)


How many chips can we consume in one day?

Laughlin, Nevada

It's been two years since we've been to Laughlin! That's scary! We used to go two or three times a year. Last year we went to Lake Mead instead. The thing we like about Laughlin is that our hotel is 5 minutes from the dock. We also like the fact that there is sand to play in on the shoreline. (especially when you don't sink in up to your knees!) Laughlin has a charm of its own. It's small and less crowded than Vegas. The best part of all is that there's an In N Out there! We can't survive without it.



The boys love playing in the sand. Dad doesn't let them have too many chances to do it. Wouldn't you rather be riding the Sea Doo's? They found it very entertaining to float down the river a little ways with their life vests on. Then they would get out and walk upstream to repeat the whole process.

Coronado Island, San Diego

This was the brig on the ship. I wish I had one of those at home. The perfect time out!




This is the second time we've gone to the Midway Museum Aircraft Carrier. It has been two years and the kids didn't remember much. I enjoyed it just as much the first time. I actually got to listen to all the commentary on the headphones. It was amazing what the soldiers had to go through.


We rented a buggy bike that was enormous. I made the kids promise to help pedal. It was very heavy and bulky. It was really fun riding around with the ocean view all around. The kids did a good job pedaling. Except Payton who has short legs.
We only rented it for one hour. We were so tired when the time was up!



We got to tag along with Tom while he went to a company retreat. We stayed on Coronado Island! I've never been there. I didn't even know it existed. I always thought it was just shoreline. We had gorgeous views of the ocean from our room. It was so pretty that a wedding was held right behind our balcony! Our first day we walked around and explored the area. The first thing they did was go climbing on the dangerous rocks. Why can't we be safe?