annual family photos =)

Happy Birthday Tegan!

tegan is the coolest. 

christine made the coolest cupcakes .. baked them in an ice cream cone. SO CUTE! i dont have a pic, shocking, i know!


*face painting by juniper =)

dan diego!!

 First off.. I would like to thank my dear friend for her amazing generosity by giving me a buddy pass to fly (I heart you tara!!!). I, in return, of course bought her A HUGE glass of wine at the airport.  Next thing we knew, our names  were being called on the loud speaker... which was pretty awesome. hehe. Thats just how Tara likes to roll.  

Spent a whole day at the beach. AMAZING. rode the roller coaster, ate, drank, ate some more.. packed&hungover the next day, and the third day.. we returned with our best friend Daniel in tow. SCORE!  

my only complaint.. the trip was too short lived!

 more pics HERE

call me crazy...

but i love it when my yard looks like this... 

our first carrots!

yes, they may look strange.. but.. they are sweet and delicious. just like us. hehe. 

fruit !

woke up early & headed out to the orchards for fathers day.. which was so freakin fabulous! Its something we have always wanted to do, and we finally did! yay for brandons day off!! woohooO!

. Then it was off to baba and papas for a BBQ. Man how I love it out there. It had been almsot 2 months since we were out on the farm! woah how time flies for a busy family of four. you have no idea!!  

**sigh..  When I am out there I just miss it so damn much...

the smell , the sounds (or lack of), the warm breeze against my face, sitting on the cool brick steps of the shady porch staring out at the blue sky and hills...the sound of the cock in the distance (hehe) . 

oh, and lets not forget the THREE giant gopher snakes we found in the bird cage!!! check out this beauty! 

Happy fathers day to my B. the best daddy in the whole wide world!!

woke up to find them watching cartoons...

our garden

my feet

last day of school

Kids were standing around the front of the school chanting "summer! summer!" and then they rang the real big bell  & all the kids went psycho!

 The day was filled with lots of hugs, fun, water fights, popsicles, yearbook signings, face painting, & pictures with friends.  Even the crossing guard had a little present for Avery and asked to take a pic with the kids. People honked and waved as they drove by. it was like out of a movie or something.

I cant believe I have 3rd & 1st graders!!! every year seems to go faster than the last. And every year I think.. this year cant possible be as amazing than the last. Yet every year we are blessed with incredible teachers . I am going to miss them dearly. And, as Juniper said last night "I already miss them" =( awwww.

Cheers to summer break!!! we celebrated report cards with candy and curly fries from Jack in the box! =)

i'm on the ballot this year!!

Vote for me! 

casa

Casa Real is my new favorite place to shoot. I wish I could shoot a wedding there every weekend. Its so close, its so beautiful,  and the food is SOOOOOO good!

check out the vendor table. 

 i need to do something different with my hair!

softball

 Between the tom boy I once was, and my skateboarding/soccerplaying/snowboarding//golfing/Icandoanything hubby of mine...I thought for sure we would have crazy sports kids. I mean, thats just what you do growing up in Pleasanton. You play sports! 

And then I gave birth to the most beautiful little thing to ever touch down on the planet. My quite, caring, kind, little girl. She loves to paint, read, write, sew, sing, dance, draw.

She is such a coordinated kid , but so cautious and timid... i love this gentleness about her so much, & to be honest, I am very grateful she is not like I was when I was little.   haha!  But, of course I wanted her to play softball! We had a blast last year, but.. I was surprised when she asked to play again this year.  Yes, she begs to practice all day long, but on the field, she would shut down. 

This year was all about building confidence. We just told her she was the best. And.. well.. turns out she is. =) Two girls from each team are chosen to play in the all star game.   Last night she rocked it!  I think pitching is her niche. which works out great, cause I was a catcher. =) 

jen jen

yay!! my jen jen is blogging again!
here

after...

carpet leading to the backyard = no bueno. 

this.. this right here.. is a dream come true... 

  

 The little bathroom was leaking sewage up the toilet & had water seaping through the wall from a leaky pipe. (groossss!! )...which is no problem if you have a mallot & a contractor telling you where the studs are.. "ok.. hit there!" The vanity was beyond repair.. practically crumbled off the wall. =( 

it was actually really fun to demo the bathroom. The dry wall behind it  (that connects to the other bathroom) is still pretty moldy and rotten, and will eventually have to go too..  but , one wall at a time. 

The little bathroom is out of order for a while, and .. i didnt realize how much we actually used that damn bathroom until it was gone! The four of us, with one sink, and one electric toothbrush (with interchangeable heads!) , is a pretty priceless scene.  

 Our buddy Andrew saved the day & fixed the pipes! 

this guy can do anything!!! and he is damn good at it.  check him out.. Strong built construction

and... the ever so talented creative Katy came in yesterday to measure and brainstorm with me. what do you think!?

 Have I mentioned how blessed we are to be surrounded by such generous, talented, awesome, incredible, amazing, helpful friends? we are so lucky&gratefull. =)  

flashback friday

with all the rotting cabinetry around the joint, I have been going through old boxes and random stuff .. trying to get rid of as much as possible.

These made the cut...

June & clo                       Clay & june 

sorry!

only the best game ever!!

before

(after picture coming soon)

awww man, what a crazy last couple weeks! Its definitely wedding & golf season!! I am three weddings deep, & My hubby worked 8 days in a row, & then put in a floor (with our good friend who is a kick ass contractor. lucky us!) & fixed our toilet (yuk) on his only day off. Man, I am so lucky to have such a hard working guy! He got a break Monday, so we had a BBQ with friends for memorial day.

The rain is crazy weird, and we have a few more T-ball games (make up games from the rain !!) and Juniper's all star game Saturday. please please please dont rain and get rescheduled. Its my last free Saturday until October!! I have to be at that game!!

But, this year I am feeling more and more confident in my skills, and the bills are finally getting easier to pay. There is a bitter sweetness that goes along with this time of year.

my dear sweet girl.

she cracks me up!