Surf Camp with Adam

I should have used the telephoto lens. Adam caught some good waves.

Adam and Nathan. He is a little young to surf in the real thing, so he directed how this picture should be.

Adam, Mark, Kyle, Andrew, Jacob, Nathan
Five of Adam's younger cousins.

They all had matching surf shirts for their surf camp experience. (custom made by a friend) They were successful all week in getting up on the board. As they would say in Australia: good on them.

Another upgrade

This is the new vanity in our bathroom. It all started with the free pint of paint that Glidden offered a few months ago.
Then it was the buying of a desk/vanity. Next we used the mirror that we had in the downstairs bedroom (which has just been completely repainted thanks to Adam). But if we were going to have a new vanity, it just begged for a new light to be above it. I mean, it's the law, right? So David removed the fluorescent light that was there and to the far right of the wall. That light got moved to a downstairs bathroom that desperately needed a replacement. So off to Home Depot he went in search of a new light fixture. In the meantime, we had some plastering to do to get the wall prepared and to remove the evidence of where the previous light had been.
Then the painting. Two coats. Then new baseboards. And of course, any respectable vanity has a leopard-print tea light holder. {Still holding out for the perfect stool/chair.}
And like I mentioned, the downstairs guest bedroom is still being renovated.
And all because of this "free" pint of paint . . . .

Crackle/Shatter

Today Emma and I bought some shatter nail polish and then invited friends over to try it out. {By the way, Emma talked her mom into bringing her down because "I need some shopping time with Grandma.} Smart girl. So tonight, Jill, Maddy, Mckay, Cheri, Emma and I tried it out. We were all a little underwhelmed, but it was a fun thing to try.

Seven (or Eight) glowing stones

Jessica is quite a story teller.

Happy Birthday David!

Today we celebrated David's 54th birthday. We grilled steaks for dinner and then we had the obligatory picture with the cake. {And no, I don't believe in putting 54 candles on a cake. After 13 years old, it's ridiculous.}

And the obligatory 'blowing out the candles' picture.

Then he opened presents. He got gift certificates to Cafe Rio, Outback, and Applebees, new wing-tip shoes, running shorts, and DVD's.
I don't think he's looking any older; in fact, he keeps getting even more handsome every year. And I'm not just saying that because he's the one holding the gift cards to yummy restaurants. No sir-ee bob. It is true! And I'm the lucky one. Happy Birthday to my favorite person in the whole world!

From David: I am married to the most wonderful girl in the world. She makes silly celebrations like birthdays amazingly fun, even for an old guy. And by the way, it was the best cake I have ever had.

Go Dodgers!

First of all, Adam is home for 7 weeks! We picked him up from the airport, went home to change clothes, and then back on the road to Dodger Stadium for Mormon Night. We have a friend in the ward that rents a suite for Mormon Night and we got invited. (She kept her regular seats right behind home plate.) So as far as I'm concerned, this is the only way to enjoy a MLB game.

The room consists of 7 television screens. You can sit in the "living room" on the couch to watch, sit up to the bar (above) and watch the game, or sit outside on the room's two rows of stadium seats. We pretty much played musical chairs all night.
We dined on Dodger dogs, chicken wings, potato salad, sandwiches, chips, caesar salad, popcorn, cookies, and peanuts and cracker jacks. And then there was an awesome fireworks show afterwards.

Oh, and then there was a game being played . . . .

Florida trip

I spent last week in Florida with these three little cuties. (and their parents too)

Jessica is such a good big sister to little Benjamin. She starts kindergarten next month and will be sorely missed by her brothers. She kept me entertained all week with her story telling (made up completely on the fly), dancing and singing in Spanish. Her version of Spanish. Hilarious!

Chandler is armed and dangerous. (We had way too much fun with those water guns.)

The boys.

Getting a picture of a newborn smiling was just random dumb luck.

Is that the cutest little face??

Jessica is more tech savvy than I am. (I can't even compete with kindergartners anymore!) I think Benjamin should just get used to being posed for pictures. With dolls.

Chandler was my little buddy. We read books and told stories all week. And the kid is a fish in the pool! {And the day I left, I found him unpacking my suitcase with a vengeance. How sweet is that??}

The week went by quickly and it was hard to leave. When you're with the kids 24/7, you get attached. And then it makes it so hard to leave and there are tears. Mostly mine. But thanks for letting me come and play!

Grandsons

Tanner -- 1st Birthday -- July 15th

Benjamin with Grandma. One week old

We took a quick two day mini vacation to Las Vegas to see family. Melody was able to shop, eat out, and swim. I, on the other hand did what I like which was work on a few handyman projects for my parents. I was also included in the dinner as shown in the photos.

Totally Me!

Dang -- they don't come in pink or purple? What is wrong with these people??

Fremont Weekend

I have plans to visit all my grandkids this summer, and the first stop was to see the Wirthlin's in Fremont. They had a lot going on, so it seemed the perfect time to go. The plan was to first go to Tyler's T-ball game and then Emma's dance recital on Saturday. Tyler's game got rained out, so it was off to the recital. Here's a picture of us playing with Tanner before the dancing began. (which was really good, by the way):

Emma's dance was way too cute. "The Codfish Ball." She, of course, was the best one.

Right before church.

Quiet time after church with Tanner and Tyler.

On Saturday, David helped Cheri and Spencer put up the back-splash behind the stove-top and then Monday morning, Cheri and I grouted it. Crown moulding was the next project and it went up in the kitchen and dining room. That took the rest of the day.

That evening we went to Tyler's rescheduled T-ball game and watched him for a couple of innings. (They also got their trophies.)

You gotta love this well-dressed coach that clearly came straight from work.

After he made an impressive hit (coach pitched, no less), David and I left, arriving home at 11:30 p.m. Fun trip.