ryder turns 8!

i feel like we've been celebrating this little boy's eighth birthday for about a week now, but it's been so fun!! jesse and i had the opportunity to take him out on a special date on the day before his birthday. we went to one of our favorite italian restaurants in town and had a delicious three course lunch....it was awesome!! i just can't believe how grown up ryder is becoming...i mean, he's still is a kid, so the occasional melt down is still going to happen, but the conversations....oh, they are getting to be something to treasure!! i have enjoyed every year....every single year!!

grandmama's and grandpapa's

the kids get so excited when we finally schedule our trip to visit grandmama and grandpapa. they have a list of favorite things to do, and we try and do as many as we can:)

 ryder LOVES grandpapa's fish fry! he talks about it every time we eat fish, go out for fish fry, or talk about fishing....it's the best way to eat fish in his opinion. so here they are, eating it the way ryder will always remember: outside, fresh from the lake (both the kids and the fish), straight out of the frying basket...and of coarse, having the first taste! i can't decide who i enjoy watching more, the kids or my dad watching my kids:)

 troy and i brought the kiddos to hayward (yes, this is a MUST, when we go up north). we went mini-golfing, went to the candy store (salt water taffy....yes please!), and then to west's ice cream (the best ice cream ever)! yeah, that was pretty much a super awesome day:) thanks troy...you made an awesome wing man....

 we went to the beach club to swim around in the pool. these are the goggles we found for cohen.....i think he made them work pretty well:)

grandmama always surprises the kids with something new at the house....cause she just can't help herself! well they all LOVE it, and look forward to it every time we go:) this time she supplied the house with water toys....like the good ole, slip and slide!!! they would run this track every evening....so so fun!!

birthday invite

we sent out ryder's birthday party invitations a few days ago. jesse sketched a bucket full of water balloons (eight to be exact) and ryder water colored them. we are inviting a few of his best buddies over for an afternoon of water activities in the backyard, croquet, a bonfire (roasting hot dogs, and of coarse making s'mores), then putting tents up for a little backyard campout!

blueberry picking

i took the kids to a blueberry farm so we could pick a bunch of berries. the farm was in baraboo, in the midst of rolling hills and gorgeous farms.....to say the least, it was certainly inspirational:) we got our buckets, got assigned a few bushes to harvest, and started picking (and eating....blueberries straight off the bush taste so amazing! i taste a little basil in the berry, ryder tasted a little lavendar....) we managed to walk away with about 4lbs in an hour. so much fun and such a wonderful experience for kids.....

warm night

this is how you fall asleep when it's crazy hot.....

water ski show

we finally made it to the sunday night water ski show on lake monona! wow....the ski team is actually really good:) the kids loved watching and it was a great way to spend a warm summer evening.

san francisco

well, i can't believe that our trip to california has come and gone. it was so nice to be back in the city, visiting our most favorite people (the ones that seriously made san francisco our home), eating at our most favorite places, and visiting our most favorite destinations! it was fun, exciting, and super super exhausting!! after packing activities and restaurants into the first few days, we chilled for the last few....lots of beach days, hanging at aunt tessa's , and then heading out to the east bay to visit with the sharps;)

 this was taken at one of our most fav breakfast places, "zazie". we had to go there, and the only day that would work with jesse's schedule was a sunday (the busiest day for this restaurant, and definitely the day that we always avoided), so we went and we waited, about 90 minutes for a table. luckily there is a hardware store right across the street, so we made a few purchases (bubbles, yo-yo, sidewalk chalk) and just played:) totally worth it!!

 hooked up with our good friends, toby and laura, and played at the beach by crissy field.

 took the kids across the golden gate to our most beloved beach "muir beach". the kids were far more daring than they were when we lived here......ryder never got this close to these huge waves....it was exciting and also very very nerve wracking (for me).

 my little sun kissed, peanut:)

our finally beach tour ended with "baker beach". this is where quinn would always just sit and play with the sand, and where ryder would collect rocks. so amazing how some things never change!

overall, we had a wonderful trip. it was good for us to get back to a place that we all held and still hold so close to our hearts. it was good to see our kids in this world again, and see how much they have grown, and what they need to keep growing. as much as we all miss our family and friends that we have left behind, i think that we were all relieved when we drove down the quiet street of euclid ave, back to our little home, our little yard, and our little life, where we have the opportunity to just slow down!