California Part 1: The Beach!

We had an awesome, wonderful, and pretty darn great trip to California the first week of August! (I know it is October, but time goes fast!) The condo we stayed at was on Tait Street, which our Tate thought was pretty cool. The condo is less than a block from the beach. We loved walking out our front door, down a few steps, and being at the waves. There is just something about the beach...time stands still and for a little while everything is just perfect.

Tate loved pulling the wagon on the beach. He would fill it with "sea poppies" and haul them up to where we were sitting. He and Max also liked to fill it with sand and search for sand crabs.

Soccer on the beach is great...until the waves steal your ball!

Haha Mommy! You're stuck!

Pulling in the seaweed is a lot of work!

The giant hole!

Jaxon and Max digging in the giant hole

Buried alive! (And lovin' it!)

Lindsey and Max digging

Grandpa Harald after boogie boarding

Max playing soccer

More digging...look at his legs! They were covered!

Max and Tate searching for Sand Crabs

The whole fam

Searching for more sand crabs

Max chasing the waves

Ready, set

JUMP!

Tate and Nana digging

Not sure what the plan was here, but they sure were having fun!

Tate, Lindsey, Max

Searching for shells

Chad digging a trench so the waves would not get us

Handsome Daddy!

Fireworks!

We had a great time last week during Draper Days.  We went to the parade in the morning and then did fireworks that night.  The boys were a little unsure about the sparklers at first, but absolutely loved the pops!

Max and his sparkler

Max and Tate on our neighbors awesome excavator.  Life is good when you've got heavy construction equipment next door, and a neighbor who lets you climb on!

Tate the excavator driver

Tate and his sparkler

Tate Soccer

Tate finished his summer soccer season this past week.  Tate loves to go to the games!  Sometimes he plays soccer, and sometimes he stands in the middle of the field pretending to be a cowboy.  Either way, he had a good time.

Being goofy on the field

Big Kick!

Gathering up his trophy and pictures

Go Team Hot Lava!!

"I is this many (holds up 3 fingers)...I a big boy now!"

Our sweet little Max turned 3 on July 12.  It is hard to believe that so much time has passed since we had this great little guy!  He keeps us on our toes, and loves to follow Tate everywhere.  He is so excited to be a big boy, and to go to preschool this year.  Happy birthday little one!  We love you!

Fun anecdote:  I was working in the garage and out in the yard when Max suddenly shouted "Mama, you got to come see this!  You won't buweve it!"  I quickly walked into the garage to see what he had.  Turns out he had found his birthday present-an awesome scooter that we had been so excited to give to him.  He looked at me with his big blue eyes and said "it was hiding, and I found it!"  Well what else could we do?  I smiled and called Chad to come out.  We wished him a happy (early) birthday and he zipped away on his "really cool scooter!"

Max was adamant that he wanted a soccer cake.  Thanks to Wilton, who makes a great soccer cake mold!

Tate and Uncle Kevin

Hurray!  Sand toys for the beach in California!

Max and Uncle T.  Max love, love, loves to golf.  Uncle T, Aunt Briana, and Uncle Kevin hit a homerun when they gave him 2 real golf clubs!

Splashing in the swimming pool

Daddy telling Max to go give Mommy a hug.  (Note the dripping wet clothes!)

Searching the sky for the bubble whirlygig that Nana and Grandpa gave him.  He loves to see how high it will go.

Don't Blink!

Holy Smokes!  Don't blink, or the summer will be over!  We have had a wonderful summer...  Here are a few highlights!

Tate really enjoyed taking swim lessons at the Shaw Family Pool.  It is just around the corner from our house.  His swim teacher, Drew, was great.  Tate's favorite part of swimming was jumping off the diving board.  He thought it was kind'ave scary, but once he did it he had a blast.

One of our favorite things about summer is that we can go up to the cabin the Chad's parents have.  The cabin is right up the hill from Wasatch State Park in Midway.  It is beautiful there, and is one of our favorite places to go.  

Max, Chad, and Tate walking on the trail.

Tate eagerly fishing for a fresh catch.

Tate's fresh catch (AKA little brother Max!)

 

Max and Tate playing in the dirt with our ever present supply of toy trucks

I'll huff, and I'll puff...

and I'll blow your seeds off!

Hiking with Grandma Janet and Aunt Briana

Hiking with Mommy

In the wildflowers on our "adventure walk"

Tate in deep thought about something

Uncle Kevin, Tate, Uncle T, Aunt Briana and Max roasting yummy marshmallow's

Max, Tate, and friend Ashlyn riding Trax to the Gateway downtown.  We went to splash in the fountains, but their favorite part was definitely the train and the rock candy!

"Hi Guys!  I not tired!"    

Oh my, our little night owl Max has taken to prowling around the house after he is supposed to be in bed.  We have found him in our sink covering himself with toothpaste; doing his hair with all of Daddy's gel; and washing his toy trucks in the sink.  In this picture, he went through the baby boxes (that I just recently organized, may I add!) and pulled out some fun things.  You can't really see, but my favorite part was the 6 month shorts he had on over his pajama bottoms.

Happy Birthday to you...

My mom, Janet, turned 27 (again) on July 1.  We celebrated by going up the canyon with my Grandma to Ruth's Diner up Emigration Canyon.  It was beautiful, and definitely great company!

Train Station = Happy Kids!

A trip to the cabin in Midway is not complete without a visit to the Heber Valley Railroad.  For two model train afficionado's, this was the icing on the cake!

The Big 3-0!

Chad turned 30 on May 23rd.  He is such a great husband and dad.  We are so grateful to have him! His birthday present from me and the boys was tickets to see U-2 the next week.  But darn that Bono, he went and hurt his neck and  couldn't come!  (What happened to "the show must go on?"  Sheesh!)  But things turned out great.  We ended up taking a little getaway to a local B & B, and going to Market Street Grill for a great dinner.  Thanks Nana and Grandpa for watching the boys!  And we just found out that U-2 will come back on May 24, 2011.  So we will still get to go see a great show!

  Chad opening his presents from the boys--they drew pictures that we framed for Chad to hang in his office.

Make a wish!