A Little Lady!

Our rose bushes have been growing out of control lately. We haven't been keeping up with our yard work as much as I would like. So I decided it was time to get some things done. While I was whacking away at one of the rose bushes I found this little lady. I thought she was a pretty little thing and I had to take her picture!

Jaden is 7 months!

September 10 was also Jaden's 7 month birthday! I still can't believe how fast it is going! It was a fun day to share with him. He was happy to be home. We loved the ice cream at the Ghirardelli square that we celebrated with. Happy Birthday sweet little boy! We love you more every day!

The Chocolate Festival!

September 10th was the chocolate festival at the Ghirardelli square in San Fransisco. Who could pass that up? We had to go!  The above pictures were taken from the view of the parking lot where we parked our car. We did have to walk a couple blocks to get to the square, which is normal when you go to San Fransisco. We were really excited to check out the festival but were really disappointed to find out that it was 20.00$ a person for like 15 samples. Um, I thought samples were supposed to be free. We decided that we'd rather spend 20.00$ and get everyone some ice cream or something at the Ghirardelli store. It was much more fun!

This guy is always sitting outside the square making these balloons for whoever stops by. He makes them for free but we always give him a tip. He was great with the kids, they love talking with him.

Jaden actually loves being in the stroller. He loves to look around at everything. It's serious business looking around at everything. He'll be a smiley and happy baby but once he's in the stroller he's all business.  Many people took advantage of the chocolate festival and set up their own stands in the area. This one lady had a stand of these hats she had knitted into animals. They were so adorable. It was a lot more windy than we had expected so we got one for little Jaden to keep his ears warm. Nice and cozy! He was also pretty tired. Poor little boy. He is the only baby I know that can't and won't or maybe it's both, fall asleep in the stroller or car. I guess there's just to much to see.

After we had our fill of ice cream and chocolate we walked across the street to see the San Fransisco Maritime National Historical Park. It was fascinating to see some of the tall ships. They had a rope thing set up where you could pull on the ropes to see what it was like to pull up the anchor and other things. The kids had fun with that one. We didn't take time to tour the ships, maybe next time we will do that. We hadn't planned on going to the park so we really weren't prepared to do a whole lot of exploring. It was still fun. I loved playing photographer.

It really was a great day to be in San Fransisco. Even though the chocolate festival didn't work out for us the way we had hoped we still found a way to make the day better than we could have hoped. It was fun and we can't wait to go back for another visit to the city by the bay!

Half Moon Bay!

The first weekend in September we decided to make another trip to the beach. This time we took the kids to Half Moon Bay. This is probably my favorite beach so far. Ron and I came here for our 5th anniversary. I've wanted to bring the kids here ever since. The back drop of the beach is lined with some cliffs and hills and there is a walk way above them. It was a beautiful day!

Lot's of waves, some of them were pretty big. We did see some type of whale! It was our first time to spot a whale at the beach. My guess was that they were some type of dolphin or porpoise. I didn't get any pictures of them though. I was holding Jaden at the time I spotted them and was having a hard time handling my camera one handed. But it was still a wonderful sight! It was really exciting to spot them out in the wild for the first time.

The kids had fun playing in the dirt. They loved to explore the walk way above the beach. This was a trail from the walk way to the beach. The boys decided to slide down instead of walk down.

This was Jaden's third time to the beach but his first time at the beach not crying! Yeah! I knew he would have this moment!

We actually were able to let him put his feet in the sand and sit in the sand and he liked it. At least for a minute! He was still learning to sit up by himself and he did have a tumble. He wasn't so sure about the sand after that. But at least I was able to get a picture of him in the sand without him crying.

Tristan found a hole that someone had started digging so he and Jaxen decided to continue digging and building up the walls of the hole.

Kaeryn loves the beach and loves watching the waves as much as Ron and I  do. I'm so glad I can share these wonders with her!

She decided to join the boys. It's fun to watch Kaeryn and Tristan play in the sand while standing up. They didn't want to sit down. I had to smile at that.

I love feet in the sand pictures. I had to convince Kaeryn and Tristan to sit in the sand for me so I could get there feet picture. I had to remind them that we were at the beach, it was okay to get dirty!

I love watching the sea birds fly over the ocean. They sure are beautiful!

Jaxen is completely opposite of Kaeryn and Tristan. He loves getting dirty and playing in the sand! He is my dirt boy!

Jaden was very interested in the waves this trip. He watched them for a long time.

Ron and I really don't have a lot of pictures of the two of us together. Kaeryn is old enough now that I trust her with my camera. I think she did a great job!

On our way back to the car the kids wanted to explore the cliffs and hills some more. I love sharing these family adventures together. I love that our kids love them also! This was the perfect way to end our summer break.

The life of Calcifer!

Ummmm.....yup, this about sums it up!

Our Preying Little Friend!

A few weeks ago we came out our door and discovered we had a cool little friend hanging out by our front door. I told him he was welcome and that he could have as many bugs as he wanted. In fact he could have all of the bugs! I really didn't mind. He actually stayed there most of the week and then he was gone. I guess he had his fill and it was time to move on. But he sure was an amazing little guy!

Jaxen's first Day of Kindergarten!

August 15th was Jaxen's first day of school. He started kindergarten! I can hardly believe it! He will go to the afternoon class. Which I don't mind. I think it will actually be easier to get him ready for school at a later time than in the morning while Jaden is still so young. Jaxen was very excited but a little nervous at the same time. He felt better after he saw a friend from his preschool in his class. The first day they had the parents come with their child for the first hour for an orientation. Ron was able to work from home that day so he was able to come with us. I was excited to start this new chapter in our lives. I did cry, couldn't help it! But I am still excited. His teacher was very nice and friendly. The kindergarten building looks very fun. They have their own playground and the pavement around the buildings are decorated really cute and fun. His school is also a free lunch school which means every child that goes to the school recieves a free school lunch, even the kindergartners! I thought that was pretty cool. One less thing for me to worry about. I'm excited to watch him learn and grow! I'm excited to get involved in new things. I remember going on field trips with my little sister Kaela and I'm very excited to do that with my kids! Let more fun begin! happy First day of School Jaxen! We love you and are very proud of you and know you will be great!