bonfire.

Bolsa Chica Lifeguard Tower 24. My niece Annika's 9th birthday celebration. Lots of bodysurfing, hot dog roasting, sandcastle-building, & smore-making goodness. I can still smell that smoke in my hair. summer.

r and r

9 a.m. poolside...

Monte Carlo



Bellagio water show two nights in a row...love it.




My reaction to winning $2.00 on the penny machine... Woo Hoo.



surrounded by goldfish... all i could think was, who cleans that tank?



much needed adult time... i highly recommend it.

she got it.

What a week. Not sure what did the trick. It was most likely Dusan's persistence. Although, it might have been her choice in outfits today that pushed her confidence level over the edge, in a good way: Ed Hardy bikini, ruffle socks from last year's dance recital, and of course, her favorite saddle shoes. Whatever it was....she's got it!

Viva!

Dusan and I are jumpin' on one of these...

and heading to play here...

Hoping to get our picture in front of this...

Can't wait to see this in person...

and definitely sip a few margaritas here...

Be back Thursday...

All pictures courtesy of Google images.

tess & spencer

using them up...

the number 8's, that is...

always happy.

Hammy, Hamzer-Mammzers, Cutie-cute, Sweet Girl, & Coffee... lots of identities for such a small member of our family.

hide & seek.

Lots of this game going on this summer. Unfortunately for this little "almost Kindergartner"...you must count to one hundred before you seek. Sometimes life is tough being a teacher's kid.

patience.

Dusan decided that this should be the week that Avery masters riding her bike without the training wheels. He is determined for her to "get it" this week. Everyday he has taken her out to our cul de sac (against her will) to practice for about 20 minutes at a time. I figure its their thing, and try to stay out of it...although you know I can't bear to be too far away without my camera.

If my memory serves me correctly, when the boys were ready they just got on their two-wheelers and RODE!

Let me tell you, the practice sessions have not been glamorous by any means. I have heard her yelling things like "I hate this dad" "You are so mean!" "This bike is disgusting!" "I am NOT doing this anymore!" and by far my favorite was "Do you want me to spit on you?"
Again, i try to stay out of it as much as possible.



This might be my favorite picture of the summer to date:

If you can't read lips, let me help you out... she is saying "STOP!"
I have faith...she will "get it".

cousins.

With so many boys in our family, it is pretty special (and rare) for Anni & Avery to get time together. Last night's sleepover consisted of makeup, hair, dress-up, baking cookies, nail painting, and a photo shoot.





Both girls had such a hard time when I would tell them: serious face.








This last picture is for you, grandpa!

attempt no. 99

I had a vision. Corona Del Mar. Perfect weather. The camera set on "self-timer" mode. I even set up the tripod in the sand. This was my attempt to get the perfect beach-summer-family photo. After running back and forth to the camera... positioning the 5 of us just right... and way too many random kids running oh-too-close to our tripod...this is what we ended up with....
Some white-bikini clad woman blocking the scenic view that we've grown to love this summer.

can't put this down.

read about it or buy your own copy here.

the rope.

kids love the rope. they all want to try it when they come over. it hangs down from the big sycamore tree in the back yard. you can climb the rope to the top or you can swing on it. my kids make it look easy, but it is not easy. it takes alot of upper body strength and muscle control to swing on the rope. you can see your reflection in our bedroom windows when you finally make a swing which is satisfying. on the fourth of july, our friend Eli was able to swing on the rope all by himself.