First Camping Trip

We just got back from our first overnight camping trip.  We went to Sycamore Canyon at Point Mugu State Park.  It is only a half hour from our house which made for a short drive.  Kim endured the trip, while the rest of us had a great time.  Actually, Kim seemed to be smiling a lot and having a good time, despite the sleeping on the ground, hair smelling like smoke, and dirt everywhere.  The surrounding area of the camp had been burnt by the fire earlier this year, but the campsite were for the most part saved.  The beach was a short walk.  However, the tides were not very kid friendly so we spent most the time playing in the sand.  When not at the beach the kids enjoyed riding bikes, climbing trees and playing in the dirt.  They did also help with some of the chores like putting up the tent and doing dishes.  the kids had no problems sleeping at night and woke up with big smiles ready for hot cocoa.

A new pet

I had a great birthday.  We spent a nice relaxing day around town.  We did some shopping for our upcoming camping trip.  We ate at the Habit for lunch and had a delicious Pork Chop dinner.  Kim made a fantastic corn bread cake to celebrate.

 

For my birthday I asked for a new pet.  We are trying to decided a name for it.  So far the leading names are Nibbler, Cinderella, and Dusty.  Anyway, I do not have to take it for a walk or feed it anything more than what it finds on the floor.  

 

The kids like the new pet and are very proud of it when it makes it back to it's home.

Kim's 40th birthday

Happy 40th birthday for Kimmy.  She enjoyed a day at the beach and a nice dinner.  However, the majority of her birthday celebration took place in Vegas.  She, Danielle and Betsy all  stayed at the Palazzo for a Friday and Saturday night.  They had dinner at Mesa Grill.  They also went to an 80's concert. 

Swimming

Caitlin and Jack recently finished another week of swim lessons.  Caitlin is getting much better.  She can swim across the pool the short way.  She can dive and get rings off the bottom of the pool in the middle to shallow end.  Jack, on the other hand, did not learn to much in swim lessons.  He pretty much just relaxed on the floats and let the swim teacher carry him around.  At home he is trying a bit harder.  He can creep around the edge of the pool and can now hop around the bottom of the hot tub.

Knott's

We had a fun Day at Knott's Berry Farm.  We went with Kathy and a couple of her friends.  It was a lot of fun.  It was not hot and the lines were short.  We did not get there until 2:00, but we were able to go on all the rides we wanted, including the log ride twice.  It has been nicely renovated.

Dodger Game and so long Rivera

Kim and I were able to join Dan's family at a Dodger game.  It was a good night, even though the Dodger's lost.  Well, Kim was happy since the Yankees won.  Kershaw pitched a great 8 innings, but a questionable non strike three call and a miserable error, Puig should have called off Ellis, cost the Dodgers the game.  It was great to see Mariano Rivera pitch and hear the fans cheer for him. 

Nathan's and Grandma's birthday party

We celebrated Nathan's and Grandma's birthday while James' family was in town.  It was a lot of fun to have all the grand kids in one place at the same time.  Everyone pitched in to bring some food.  It was a lot of fun.  The kids all played very well together.  The parents did pretty well too.

Baby Emma

Baby Emma made her first trip to California.  She is extremely adorable.  She smiles constantly and has a perfect little giggle.  James and Tracey are wonderful parents clearly showering Emma with love and attention.  It was great to see the three of them.

Rockets in the park

The kids received some rockets balloons from Pat and Bill.  They, and grandma, had a good time chasing after them in the park.  We were also able to celebrate Grandma's birthday wish of a carrousel ride.  Sadly, I could not get a good picture of everyone while we were all on the ride.

Pats birthday party

We were able to celebrate Pat's birthday while visiting Connecticut.  The kids have a great time playing with Pat and Bill, although Bill was out of town for the party.

Lady bugs

Jack received a ladybug home for his birthday.  He sent in a letter and a week or so later he received the lady bug eggs.  He and Caitlin took care of the lady bug eggs until they transformed into adult lady bugs.  After feeding them some soaked raisins, they released the ladybugs.