Besties be gone

IEven though my kids ride a school bus my girls always insist I drive  them on the first day of school.  This year the school decided to do some red carpet thing through the front doors which caused a huge confusion of kids who I could tell would have been way more comfortable going to their routine safe doors strategically located around the building.  Soon the principal came out and lined the kids up in classes and marched them into the school and just like that they were out of site.

Aaron and I turned to walk back to the car and I just got this sudden sense like I'm losing my best friends.  It came on rather suddenly and unexpected because I'm such a cheerleader of  my kids getting older and more independent.  I realized then that I just spent practically every moment for the last three months with my kids. Even at night I usually have one (ahem Emily) of them sleeping on my bedroom floor.    We've also spent almost every day doing fun "friend" things together.  Like driving places singing along to the songs on the radio like "Shut up and Dance" by Walk the Moon, "Honey I'm Good by Andy Grammer" "Budapest by "George Ezra" and "Geronimo" by Sheppard.

I know sooner than I think these two girls will be too cool and embarrassed to sing along in the car with their lame mom or want to follow me around all day doing whatever I'm doing.  So here's a shout out to a final farewell to a fabulous summer spent with 3 of my Besties!!

On the 8th day

The Gospel of Collette states that after God created the Earth and rested he turned to Jesus and said "There will come a time on this Earth where mothers will worry as summers are starting about what do do with their kids that they will be with them 24/7.   Mothers know that when it gets too hot to play outside the kids will get bored inside and bored children turn into fighting children which in turn destroys the peace in a home." So let us go down and create cement boxes filled with a vast amounts of water where the children can play for hours and be so exhausted that when they get home that they no longer have the energy to bother each other."  And it came to pass that they went down and created swimming pools for the benefit of every mother.

I guess you can say we are Water People!!

Thank a Farmer

I often think Grandma Becky and Emily are two peas in a pod.   For instance...  Emily is playing on my phone when I get an email from my mom asking if any of the Grandkids would like to join her on the Farm Bureau float for the "World's Fair" parade.

Emily sees the email and thinks its the best idea. She immediately says "Write her back fast and tell her I really want to do it".  I mention she will not get any candy and she says "Who cares I have enough in my room".    Emily got the other kids on board and off they went down the parade route with pounds and pounds of candy to throw out.

I love this picture.  It's totally my mom

My Grandma Pace was this years Grand Marshall along with another guy who graduated from Wayne High 75 years ago.  I wonder if they are the only 2 remaining?  

Mutton Bustin

I think these pictures speak for themselves.

That's Emily in the far left corner.  She told me she didn't want to run too fast  because the pig looked too greasy to touch

Emily and Bentley giving it a go with three legs

Home

A very bored Jane took these selfies during the long car ride home.  What do I see?  I very exhausted bags under her eyes, a little sunburned girl.  All the signs of a successful vacation!!

Beach Babes

If I could go back to our vacation I would not forget to take out my camera on the beach.  We went there a few times and each time my kids had a great time.  Matt said because of El Nino the ocean was a few degrees warmer than normal.  Just the right temperature for the girls to take out a couple boogie boards and "surf" the waves like they are southern California girls.   In my heart I shall freeze the memory of sitting on the beach late one evening watching Bart splash around in the water with the kids while I enjoyed a cool ocean breeze and a most beautiful sunset.  It was a moment filled with love for my dear family and a love for God's great creation Earth.

After our last adventure to the beach we took these salty kids down the shore line to the  "The Carlsbad Chocolate Shop".     These guys don't like chocolate do they?

Sea World

When I was a kid we only came out to California once for a Disneyland trip that did not include Sea World.  I guess I must have seen a lot of commercials or a movie or something because sitting in the stands for the shows I felt like I had been there before.  The only thing different was in my head I imagined the Killer Whale show with people in the water doing amazing flips off of the whales almost like an acrobat show.  Needless to say I was a little disappointed to watch Shamu swim around and do an occasion flip to the side all the while hearing about what great things Sea World does for the ocean.  I suspect the documentary "Black Fish" has ruined the show or I had unrealistic expectations of what it should be like.  

But the rest of our time at Sea World was fantastic.  The Dolphin show had trainers in the water and  Sea Lion and Pet show was fun.  My favorite was the cirque du soleil sort of show over the ocean. 

We didn't have time for the rides but we did manage to go on the sky ride over the harbor.  

We also ran into Sesame Street!

  It made me smile to see cookie monster was one of the characters.  See this post.

Aaron loved a real life Elmo, who actually tickles

They even got a smile out of my Emily who apparently isn't too cool for Sesame Street

For weeks my girls have been talking and saving for a souvenir stuffed animal from Sea World.  Jane was set on getting a dolphin until she laid her eyes on the Polar Bear.  Emily chose the white Sea Lion and Aaron at first picked out a remote for your selfie stick (of course he would it has buttons to push).  I tried to tempt him with a stuffed turtle which only slightly caught his attention but then he saw the binoculars with a toy whale and he was sold.   

Here's the type of family picture you give  the assistant to the photo card photographer your phone and she says I took a few fast ones.