summer kick-off

To kick off our summer, we took a trip up north to the bay area to visit Aaron's family. This has become a summer tradition and I really look forward to it. Debbie and Carl are such great in-laws and grandparents and we always have such a great time when we go there. This time was no exception! We loaded up the kids and the dog and hit the road- it's a short drive, only 6 hours and we were there. The kids actually did really great and we only made one stop- for breakfast.

We were sure busy while we were there. I didn't take pictures of everything, but I got quite a few. We started the week with a celebration- Aaron's brother Lance, completed his Radiology residency! He's been in school for a l...o...n...g time and now he's done! Hooray for Dr. Edmonds! We sure are proud of him and all his hard work. Plus, it's super nice having a doctor in the family- for those middle of the night phonecalls! ( And last weekend my other brother-in-law, Aaron's sisters husband, graduated from the California Highway Patrol Academy- woo-hoo! Don't I have amazing brother in laws??) After his graduation we headed to the pool for a yummy BBQ and some swimming. The kids had such a blast playing all day with their cousins.The next morning Aaron competed in his 2nd triathlon! We were able to be there and see him finish and excuse me while I say... that's he's amazing! What a stud! He did great! Actually, as I was watching- it totally motivated me. I saw lots of women competing and I thought to myself- I could totally do this! So I'm doing one in December- yikes- I'm super nervous. I can do all 3 things separately, but haven't put them together yet. Anyway- we were all able to be there, including Aaron's parents. After we left there, we came upon this fantastic dirt bike park. We didn't have our bikes, but who needs bikes when you have dirt?? The kids made their own fun running around and getting dirty. Even Carter joined in on the fun! After getting back, Nana set up the yard for some water fun while Aaron relaxed a little. Aaron's brother and his wife, Lance and Marlina, came down to meet us and my amazing in-laws watched all our kids (8!) while we went out on a date. Hooray! We had dinner at Benihanas and then some yummy yogurt. Jake doing his business in the flowers, but he doesn't want to get left out of the fun- so he's keeping an eye on his brothers and sisters.



Sunday was Father's Day. We enjoyed breakfast and then Aaron opened his loot- gifts from all the kids and me too. And of course, no Father's Day would be complete with "The Tie." This tradition started a few years back and it's definitely a highlight of our year. This year the kids made a tie for Tata (aaron's Dad) and I gave my sister-in-law a heads up, so their kids had one ready for their Dad, too. We had some stylin' Dads in church that day! After church we ate- again and then played some games. The dads took the kids and the dogs to the park to play for awhile. Even Maggie enjoyed her cousin- Mandy. I did Flour Power with the kids- and of course, they loved it. Anything that involves a mess is always a hit!

On Monday we hit up Gilroy Gardens. It's this darling little amusement park, tucked away back in the hills of Gilroy. It's such a cute park, everything is clean, it's never crowded and there's so many fun things to do. The next day was Aaron's birthday and since we'd be driving most of the day- we had some frozen yogurt and he got to blow out a candle. We got up early the next morning and back home we went. We love visiting our Edmonds family- can't wait until next summer!