Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

As I sing along with the Go-Gos, I recall the fabulous week we spent at the beach house up in Solimar thanks to our friends, the McCalisters. Liv and Malia lived like true beach bums, waking up to the sound of the waves crashing and heading straight out for the water. The weather was less than ideal; fog every morning and wind in the afternoons, but it didn't keep our water girls out of the ocean. Plenty of goose bumps but the laughs and shrieks assured us they weren't ready to get out just yet.

We stared out at the ocean as we ate breakfast, lunch and dinner and the kids loved playing on the deck, hopping in and out of the warm kiddie pool and standing on the "stage" to perform ballet dances. During our daily beach walks, Liv collected hundreds of shells and spent her days washing and sorting through her shell collection. She found lobster tails, lots of sea snail shells and even a completely closed clam or oyster shell, with the animal still inside. And Malia did her best to win the sand-eating contest, of which she earned top prize, every time.

And although it's hard to believe, we were able to grudgingly convince some friends to join us for a few hours at the shore. Candice and the boys came out for dinner along with Grandma Yolie and Sandy; Livy loved sharing her temporary beach home with Luke and Jake, and it looks like the Imbler boys enjoyed their time as well http://mytwoblondeboys.blogspot.com/


Uncle Jon joined us for a few games of horseshoes and some kayaking, and later that afternoon our happy-hour friends Amy and Tracy and their husbands and kids came out for a happy hour bbq. Liv had a blast with Kate and Hayley and the girls ran wild, eating junk food and heading into the ocean fully clothed after dinner.

A perfect ending to a perfect beach retreat...

Daddy's Day

I have two sleeping children so I find my fingers itching to get on here and catch up on topics I've been meaning to blog about for weeks. I've got Pandora playing one of my favorite Grateful Dead songs and I'm soaking up the silence of the house...I live for these breaks nowadays.

Paul woke up to coffee, donuts (the breakfast of champions) and the first artistic thing I've accomplished for him in quite awhile...possibly since our dating days?? I had so much fun snapping pictures of the girls and watching them be playful with and imitate one another...I probably enjoyed making this banner more than Daddy enjoyed getting it. It is still hanging above our kitchen counter as I don't have the heart to take it down. Maybe it'll happen when Christmas decorations go up, which would be about now if I lived in a department store.

And Daddy's LOVE-ly girls...

Parade people

Well, my youngest daughter and my husband are evidently parade people. When Amgen gave Paul and his coworkers the week of the Fourth of July off, I'd imagine this is exactly what they expected their workers to be accomplishing.

Not only did Paul get into the Fourth of July spirit by preparing this Tall Ship masterpiece, but the girls were equally enthused to be celebrating and parading about town. Well, at least one of the girls was thrilled; the other was not so excited to receive so much attention in her red, white and blue galleon on parade day. Olivia was far more interested in helping Daddy get the float ready, while Malia was more than happy to oblige parade viewers with her smiles, shrieks and giddy bouncing off of her seat. The girl ate up the attention and keeping her in her seat and off the ship's mast, (please refrain from pole dancing commentary, it has been duly noted), was Olivia's main objective. With swimming at Uncle Scott and Auntie Kellie's pool in the afternoon and some fireworks at a spectacular viewpoint from Candice's house, the Mowads celebrated the Fourth thoroughly.

And as you'd imagine, Paul's brain has already begun to work through plans for an even greater Push 'Em-Pull 'Em parade "float" for next year...

Summer Lovin'

We've been enjoying the bounty of summer fruit. We've been blueberry picking in Somis and hitting up the local Farmer's Markets in Ventura and Oxnard and getting the most sweet, juicy peaches, pluots and apricots (not to mention some addictively yummy homemade hummus). My girls are in fruit heaven...as is my fruit-lovin' husband.

Here's Liv giving blueberry picking some serious contemplation and attention.

And here is what Liv enjoyed doing after we brought home our delicious round of summer fruit from Farmer's Market. Note the lid to the hummus which was disappearing rapidly as Livy arranged her fruit masterpiece.

You're Kidding Me?

Have I mentioned lately how much I love the age of 3? Actually three and a half to be precise. I think I smile and laugh half the day thanks to the sense of humor, imagination and pure sweetness of my Olivia. Because she is so observant and so currently aware of both subtle and not-so-subtle social mores, she is starting to try the out in everyday communication with us and it's a blast.

My favorite is her use of the "You're kidding me" phrase. If I tease her about something and she's not completely sure I'm teasing, she'll look at me with this funny look in her eye and say "You're kidding me?" almost in a questioning tone, like she's unsure if I'm teasing or not. Where an adult might say, "You're joking" or "You're too much!", she always says it the same, "You're kidding me!" and she laughs whether she gets the joke or not. It's very sweet.

Paul's current favorite (and the one to which I grudgingly smile while surreptitiously covering said smile) is Olivia's current practice of calling me Jenni. All kids practice using their parent's names, and she has called me Jen numerous times in the past. But she has picked up on the exact tone Paul uses when he teases me by calling me Jenni, more like "Jen-E", with his same goofy laugh and teasing little grin. And she typically does it only when he's around because of course he gives her great satisfaction by laughing hysterically at her imitation. Oh the things their daddies teach them...

Her imagination is furiously at work and we walked in the other morning to find that her pre-bedtime routine had included a ballet class in which many of her animals were dressed in her skirts (which she assured me were actually tutus). Yes, we are quite obsessed with all things ballet lately, and as much as she is loving her class and is very serious about it, Paul thinks it has more to do with her love for ballet gear (i.e. tutus and slippers) than her interest in the dance itself.

The other day she brought a book to her table at lunchtime and I figured it was something she'd just finished reading while I was preparing her lunch. Nope. She brought reading material to enjoy during lunch. Yep, guess she's picking up some stuff from mom too...

And since we've been busy practicing jumping on one foot in gymnastics, Olivia takes every opportunity to practice this skill at every opportunity, including while holding mom's hand while crossing the street. Must be very entertaining for cars that are waiting for us to hurry up and cross I'm sure. Here she is practicing while we enjoyed an afternoon at Padaro Grill in Carpinteria.

Speaking of Padaro Grill, I think I've figured out why she's always excited about going there with Daddy and I...