happy campers

We took our new motorhome for it's maiden voyage a couple weekends ago. We didn't go far- but we didn't need to, we had such a fun weekend together. I am not an "outdoorsy" person- at all- but I could totally get used to this motorhome thing. We had a blast and I really enjoyed being out in nature with my family, but I also really enjoyed my cozy home at night- with it's warm blankets, fans, and bathroom. We're taking it to the beach this weekend for Labor Day and I can't wait! I really think we have opened a new door in our families life- camping!

(Ok Melissa- no negative comments about my camping style- I'm making progress! :-) )

Enjoy the pictures... there's a lot!

On our way out- 2 thumbs up for vacation!!


Movie time- popcorn and M&M's for dessert!

Dinner time- hot dogs, fruit, pasta salad and Pringles- yum!!

Poor Addie- she fell off her scooter and got an ouchy! The boys were so concerned about her.

We took a scooter ride together around the campground- I really got going on the boys scooter- it was fun!
Making brownies to enjoy by the campfire.

The kids making "ice-cream." Did anyone else do this as a kid? I remember doing it all the time with my bike. I can't believe I have kids that are doing this now. Wierd!
Hanging out at the water park- after a fun afternoon in the sun. (part of the campground)

Little game of Tiddlywinks- I bought some toys/games, just for the motorhome. It's fun to bring out some new stuff!


My cute girl with her new scooter. She worked hard to earn it and this was her first time using it.
Breakfast... we used to (and still do) go to Palm Springs every summer for family vacation. When we were kids, my mom would always bring Trix and powdered sugar doughnuts for breakfast. It's kind of a random b-fast, but that combo always reminds me of family vacations- so I brought it for the kids and they were in heaven! Sugar cereal AND doughnuts- yum!! We ate so much junk food on this trip- I had to work out HARD all week- to counteract the damage.

Puzzle time! Maggie came with us and was perfect.
I thought this was so cute- she loves her brothers!


Addie in her cozy little bed. The kids slept SO good!

multi-tasking mommy

What do I do while Aaron has the kids at swim lessons,
I have the baby and the kitchen needs to be cleaned?

Well, of course... I put him in the sink for a bath- with a chocolate popsicle!He's happy, I'm happy and my kitchen gets cleaned!
(don't worry, he was clean at the end, too!)

the first day

My little boys had their first day of school today... Tyler started first grade with Miss Dannewitz and Jake started kindergarten with Mrs. DeBruyne (Tyler's K teacher last year). As many of you know, I was sad to send the kids back to school. I went through this last year too, and I have a feeling that it will happen every summer before school starts. I remember my mom telling me that every September all of her friends would be so excited to send their kids back to school and she would be the only one that wished they could stay home. She loved having all of her kids around her during the summer. Funny coincidence- I was talking to my grandma about this exact thing a couple days ago and she said she did the same thing. I guess it runs in our family!

We had a special dinner last night, our Back to School feast, to celebrate the upcoming school year. I decorated the table with our china. My Dad bought this china in 1971 in Vietnam when he was there for the war. He brought it back for my grandma and after much use, she passed it on to me. I absolutely love it and it is such a treasure. It has service for 12 people and contains all the serving dishes. It is beautiful and I love the history behind it. We also used the crystal goblets we got for our wedding. I hesitated as I was pulling them out, but then I realized that we have never used them in 10 1/2 years! That's terrible. I decided tonight was as good as any and if something broke, then oh well- we'd buy a new one. We had candles and roses and I had a little gift for each of the school kids. Aaron had taken them out for the afternoon and when they came home they were just thrilled and so excited for our celebration. We ate all their favorites: homemade lasagna, garlic bread, caesar salad and watermelon with rice krispy cakes for dessert and sparkling raspberry lemonade to drink. After our yummy dinner, we went around the table and each person said their goal for the year (mom and dad, too!) and we toasted each other. It was fun to have this special dinner together and to kick-off the upcoming school year. It really was a celebration! Then Aaron have them their special school blessings, we read "The Night Before Kindergarten" and they were in bed by 7:15.They were definitely excited this morning- when Aaron woke them up this morning Jacob yelled "Yee-Haw" It was hilarious! They looked so cute and handsome in their school clothes. Jake was more than ready to get to class and say good-bye. After we dropped him off, we headed over to Tyler's classroom. He was definitely more hesitant and wanted us to hang around until school started. I was worried about him. He is more timid and quiet than Jake. He kept grabbing my hand and laying his head on my side. It was sweet. The bell rang and we walked him to his classroom, he found his desk and after hanging out for a minutes, we left him there. I hve to admit, I did cry as we left his classroom. Just a little. I really worried about him all day. Jake- not so much. I knew he would be totally fine. But I couldn't wait to pick Ty up and hear all about his day. He didn't disappoint- I got all the details while I took the boys to get ice cream cones. They both loved their first days and are excited to go back tomorrow! Tyler loves his teacher and said that "she is the best teacher he's ever had" and "this is the best first day of school ever." I was so relieved and honestly, I am glad this day is over. I am strange... change has always been hard for me and causes me some anxiety, so I like it that we know what to expect now and that everyone will have a great year!They asked us to take this picture of them. Best friends... and brothers, too!Jacob- patiently waiting for school to start.
Tyler at his new desk- I think this is his nervous smile. Cute boy.

our tri athlete

This is not the first triathlon Aaron has completed, but it is the first one I have good pictures of. I wasn't able to be there, I had to attend a crazy lottery to get Addison a place for preschool, but my family and the boys went, so they were there to cheer Aaron on at the finish line. He did great, as usual, and had fun doing it, too. I think the only hard part was the swim, since it was in the ocean. Yikes- I am sooo glad that the tri we are doing in December is in a pool! I am proud of Aaron. He is so disciplined with his eating and also exercise. If he puts his mind to it, then he gets it done. There's no sleeping in, relaxing or cheating with his routine- he means business. So even though I wasn't there, I hope he knows how proud of him I am. I think he's amazing and he is great motivation for me!
My younger (but much taller) brother Mike also did the tri with Aaron, they ended up together at the run and were able to finish together.
The boys love jumping in at the end and crossing the finish line with Aaron. They are asking when they get to do a triathlon- the do actually have kids ones- so we'll have to sign them up.

My boys- minus one- maybe next summer he can jump in there, too!
Great job, Aaron! You're amazing!!!

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!