A day at Point Fermin

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We decided to go enjoy a beautiful Southern California day at the beach, but nearly got blown away so we headed up the hill to Point Fermin. We ate a yummy picnic lunch and took in the breath taking views.

How does your Garden grow

This summer I planted my first real garden. I planted tomatoes, squash, basil and bell pepper. My squash was by far a big hit. We ate it at least 3 times a week. I was surprised how quickly it grew. It seemed everyday Andrew or Allison would walk into the kitchen with a new squash they just picked. They were super excited about it as well. I love that they can recognize basil and love to pick it for our dinners.

Concert in the Park

Friday nights are my favorite during the summertime because we have our local concert in the park. We have been going to these concerts since before we even had kids, and now with the 2 of them, they make it way more fun! We decided to ride our bikes this time. Me on my bike, Paul pulling the bike trailor filled with all of our picnic and dinner stuff along with Allison, and Andrew on his own big boy bike. I was a little nervous to have him bike all the way, he isn't that great at breaking quickly, but I knew he would have a blast. We all took off down the road and make great timing. We met up with the Corcoran's and had a yummy enchilada dinner and listened to the Long Beach Municipal Band under all of the massive trees at Eldorado Park.

We all had so much fun, but when it was over the sun was setting and we knew it would be dark before we made it home. I was nervous riding in the dark on the sidewalk and crossing the streets, but we managed to make it home safe and sound a little before 9:00pm. Andrew was exhausted and sweaty! We had so much fun and will defiantly do it again.

Happy 4th of July

This year instead of participating in our yearly block party, we decided to be a little more low-key and head on up to John and Adrienne's for the 4th of July. It has been rough week for many reasons but the only one I will be talking about in this post will be my Grandma Madeline. She suffered a perforated bowel on July 3rd which brought her into the hospital. She had to have emergency surgery and be placed on a ventilator. She had to have a colostomy and she is septic and super sick. I went with Paul and the kids to the hospital to visit her before her surgery. The kids made her a picture and were able to see her before she went into surgery. Paul brought the kids back to my parents house and I waited around with my mom to see Grandma in the ICU. She is on a few drips to maintain her blood pressure. She is stable, but critical. Not a great way to start our 4th of July plans.
We headed up to Santa Barbara early on the 4th and after a rather pleasant drive up we hopped in the pool and didn't get out til dinner time. They had a lot of friends over to celebrate the holiday. Andrew and Allison had a blast swimming. We decided to have them wear their life jackets the whole time, just to make it easier on us, since they both swim like bricks. Andrew really learned to maneuver in the water by kicking and using his arms, which is a great for him to learn but now he has a false sense that he can swim. We had a yummy barbecue, got changed and headed to the park to watch the fireworks. We had a great seats considering we got there 15 minutes before the show started. We watched the fireworks and listened to the patriotic music. The kids were in awe of the magical fireworks, but both were ready to head home and fall asleep in the car. We got them changed into their PJs and we hit the road. They were both asleep before we hit the freeway. I got sick on the way home, oh joy and we pulled in the driveway a little after midnight.

Last Minute Plans Work Out

Saturday evening, we invited the Merandi's over for a last minute playdate and Barbeque. We were so happy when they said yes. All 5 kids played in the pool, and in the sand box and took turns getting their dad's with the nerfs. Later that afternoon, The Tannen's came over and joined in on all the fun. We had all 6 kids running around the backyard and the house until 10:00pm. A great time was had by all. We had a yummy dinner and topped it all of by roasting marshmellows in the fire pit and then the Merandi kids and the Demboski kids all took a bath. It was nice to catch up with old friends and make new memories.

Happy Birthday Grandma Bug

Today we celebrated my mom's birthday. She has had a rough week with my Grandma still being in the hospital. A quick update, she is still in ICU, holding her own, she is breathing on her own, but now having rhythm issues. They are doing a good job and keeping a close eye on her.

So my mom has officially turned 59. Can't wait for next year, I think I see a very big party in the future :) My folks came over and played with the kids in the pool for a few hours until Paul got home from work. They made us laugh so hard, which is something we all needed. Allison's nickname by Grandpa Bug is "Allie Knievel". She would just fling her body in and out of the pool as if she is indestructible. Surprisingly she never got hurt. Andrew thinks he can swim now after the day spent with a life jacket on in John and Adrienne's pool. He does a pretty good job of swimming under water. They loved it when Grandma and I got in the pool with them, fully clothed. After swimming we dried off and went with Paul to George's and enjoyed a delicious Greek Birthday dinner.

NKOTB

July 1st, my due date. I should have been scheduled for a C-section today, I should have been holding my baby boy. I should have been full of happiness and cuddeling my son. But God had other plans and thankfully my mom and dad made plans for me on this very difficulty day. They purchased second row seats to the New Kids On The Block concert. Rochelle brought her kids to my house for Paul and my mom to babysit while we sisters went out to dinner and headed to L.A. to spend the evening with Danny, Donnie, Joe, Jordon and Jon. We started the night going to East Side Mario's for a yummy dinner. We then headed to the Staples Center to meet up with our childhood dream boys. We could not believe the seats that our parents got us. They were amazing!! I have never been so close to the stage before. As you can see from the pictures we were able to read Donnie's underwear "Calvin Klein". Rochelle and I both were in heaven with all of the songs they sang and remembered every word to every song. I think it is safe to say that we made serious eye contact with each of the New Kids. Not only was it a NKOTB concert but they were touring with Back Street Boys, which we were never that into, but it was a lot of fun to see them perform as well. I must say the men from NKOTB have aged very nicely and it is strange to think they are just dads now, parents like Rochelle and I.