Southern California here we come!!!

At the end of August, we took our annual trip to Southern California to spend some time with our family and friends. Jim's mom was hosting her annual Maltese picnic and since we are never able to make it, we decided to drive down and surprise Jim's parents. We knocked on the door around 4:00 in the afternoon and Nanna was very shocked to see her grand kids in her doorway when they live 9 hours away.

The first few shots are of the kids at her picnic. We all had a fun time and there were over 140 "Maltese" people there. Who would have known??

 
 
 
 

Cole taking his turn at the pinata
 

On Monday we took the kids to the Irvine State park and went to the zoo and took them on a train ride. It was a HOT day! We thought we left Northern California to escape the August heat, but Orange County was having some serious heat of their own.

Here Olivia is once again enjoying the animals.
 
 
 

Jim and I decided to take advantage of our "free" babysitters and so we went out to dinner one night in Laguna Beach with my brother, Eric and his wife, Michelle. They suggested a restaurant called, "Splashes" which also happens to be the place he proposed to her. It was in a beautiful hotel, right on the beach (and I mean RIGHT on the water). The waves pretty much crash up to the wall at the restaurant. We were able to watch a beautiful sunset and enjoy a nice meal, with great company!! What a treat!!
 
 
 

On Monday we took the kids back to Laguna to spend a much needed day at the beach. It was another HOT day, so the beach was the best place to be. The kids had a great time playing in the sand and jumping the waves. We got down there around 10:00 in the morning and stayed until 6:00 that night. An absolutely perfect day!!
 

 
 
Olivia decided to throw a temper tantrum (she was beyond tired and was having a hard time falling asleep at the beach...go figure!). I was sitting there holding her in the shade under the umbrella with a nice big blanket for her to sleep on and she just started crying, threw herself off my lap and into the sand, rolled over a few times to make sure she got herself nice and dirty and then literally passed out. She slept for over 2 hours!!
 
So while Olivia slept, we all got ice cream!! Of course Cole got wanted bubble gum. Yuck! Talk about a mess, but he enjoyed every bit of it!!
 

After a few days at the beach in Orange County, it was time to head up to the mountains and spend some time out on the beautiful lake!! My mom and Mike bought a boat and a dock last year and this was the first time we had the opportunity to enjoy it!
 
Here we are getting ready to take off.
 
Daddy and the kids!
 
 

 
 
 
 

My sister,Kristen (due with baby #2 in October) and Olivia.
 
Cole getting ready to take the plunge into the cold water.
 
There he goes!!
 
 

 
 
 
"Cheers!" Olivia has this new thing where she is really into saying, "Cheers" to everyone. This is something she has learned from Mommy and Daddy during our cocktail hours. Possibly a sign we drink too often? Maybe?? She usually does it with her sippy cup, but she will also do it with pretty much anything she eats. So here she is giving her cousin, Alec, a big Cheers with their Jensen's donuts!!
 

My mom's birthday was in August so we were able to celebrate with all of the kids and grandkids together. The grandkids were sooooo excited to sing to her and help celebrate her special day. We love you Mom!!
 
Happy Birthday Grandma!!