Summer Fun

In August, we made a last-minute trip to CA to visit family.  You know the kids are growing up when you arrive more refreshed instead of completely exhausted, and actually enjoy yourself while there. :)

Andy and his parents took the kids to La Jolla for a day
while I enjoyed a little R & R.

 

Then Andy and I headed back out to La Jolla for a date night, complete with a walk on the beach under a full moon.  Wish we could do that more often!

 A little cousin time and a birthday celebration
rounded out the week.

And we can't forget the caterpillars.  Classic Lucas.

We finished out the week with a trip to see Auntie Elise and cousins Claire and Kyndra on the way home.  We'll definitely be heading back to that river.  Maybe we'll visit Elise and the girls while we're at it. ;)

Summer fun!

good times

 

Itty bitty Destany, back when I was first learning to care for her beautiful curls. :)

I wish I could remember how I ran across the Adoption Hair & Skincare Yahoo group.  Especially since it has brought some pretty amazing people our way!  I joined when Destany was a few months old, and most of what I've learned about natural haircare, I learned from those amazing ladies. 

Shortly after joining this group of 2,000+ adoptive families, I met Cate, then Brit and Elise.  Brit and Cate and their families are special parts of our lives.  And Elise and her girls are now family.  (Are we blessed, or what?!)

A few weeks ago, Brooklyn and I flew out and brought Claire & Kyndra here to visit.  Then Elise came and joined us for the last couple of days.

Brooklyn's first flight!

Claire & Andy went on a Niece/Uncle date to Mojo's.

Cuddly pajama girls.

There were many tea parties!

When Elise came, she prepped a bazillion veggies for me to cook.  We'd just received our CSA produce, and I was a bit overwhelmed!

The obligatory 'nice' picture.

How they really look.

The picture *they* prefer to take.

The Mamas....just because. :)

Auntie & Uncle. The girls love saying it, and we love hearing it. And don't try to tell the kids they aren't 'real' cousins. They won't believe you. :)

Elise & the girls

It was one year ago that my friend, Elise, became terribly ill, battling both cancer and a serious case of MRSA, and she asked that Andy and I bring her girls to stay with us for a while.  We already had 5 kiddos at home, so it was quite an adventure!  (See here and here if you need a refresher.) 

Well, thankfully life is very different for them now, and this time Elise and the girls came for a visit together.  It was busy, noisy, and fun!  The kids kept us on our toes, and made some more happy memories together.


(The slideshow captions don't seem to be working, but kids' yoga was a hit, we celebrated Claire & Maya's 5th birthdays, and my sister and her kiddos joined us to feed the ducks.)