Summer Days

Chase and Jayden are taking two weeks of swim class at "The Plunge" through the City of Torrance's summer program. I'm so glad that we did this! The classes are 30 minutes M-F for two weeks and the price is only around $50. I think Chase and Jayden do better in a group atmosphere. These lessons cost a fraction of what South Bay Aquatics cost last summer and I feel like they've progressed so much quicker (could be that they're another year older too).

The parents drop the kids off at the entrance on the first floor and then we head up to the viewing platform on the 2nd floor. Chase and Jayden are on opposite sides of the pool, but it's nice to be able to watch them discreetly.

After swim, we rushed to make Chase and Jayden's 10:15 dental appointment. Jayden was a champ, but we had problems with Chase. He did not like having the suction in his mouth and cried so much when the technician was trying to take his x-rays that we still don't have a full set of his mouth. I also got a lecture on how they need to brush after breakfast and that I need to be solely responsible for brushing and flossing their teeth. Ugh!

Now the kids are outside playing with the neighbors and I'm soaking up the last hour before I have to pick up Riley from Mary's house. I can't believe tomorrow is Riley's last day at Mary's! Then she'll be with me 24/7 ALL SUMMER LONG!! ;)

Impromptu mac and cheese dinner with the neighbor kids on the driveway. We love our neighbors and all the goodness to everyday life that they bring!

Get This Summer Started

The first Tuesday of summer break we were ready for swim lessons at the Plunge by 9am. Actually, we were there early, so we had time for a couple of selfies in the car. Jayden and Chase did great! And by great, I mean that they went willingly into the swim entrance and the pool without tears. That in itself is a complete victory for me! 

We went to our local library and joined the summer reading program. The kids got a reusable bag and a reading log. If they read for 8 hours this summer, they earn their choice of a free book. Jayden checked out a lot of Knuffle Bunny books and Chase chose to read Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Chase seems to be really into the book and keeping track of his reading time. I hope he lasts all summer. Next we played for a bit at the adjoining park~

I left Chase with Marius and took the girls to Redondo Beach. We had fun building sandcastles, looking for shells and running away from the waves. We spent about 1.5 hours and then "had to" get gelato at the Pier before going home.

10 Year Anniversary Trip to Santa Barbara

June 17th marked our 10 year anniversary. To celebrate, we went to Santa Barbara for a weekend of wine tasting and relaxation with the Bigejs and Hutchins who were also celebrating 10 years. They arrived at our house late Friday night due to flight delays, but we were up and out of the house by 8am on Saturday morning (with a quick McDonald's stop) so that we could meet the driver that we hired by 11am. Kyle found us a great little house to rent in Goeta and we were able to access it early thanks to a keyless lock (technology!). Bobby, our driver via Captain Jack's, arrived on time and had a big van for us all to sit comfortably in.

Our first stop was Shoestring vineyard and winery. It's a beautiful place with a converted barn for a tasting room. First up was a group picture~

It was really windy, hair flying everywhere~ 

We all enjoyed getting to taste the different varieties. My favorite was the pinot grigio and the syrah. They also had little snacks to sample the different salts that they make in house. I should've bought the truffle salt and the syrah salt. Regrets! Must remember next time....I also bought a little box of chocolates for my mom that were DELICIOUS. A local confectioner made the dark chocolate and one of the Shoestring workers made a syrah salt that was sprinkled on top. I should've bought 10 boxes because my mom really loved them. 

The next winery was Bridlewood. I think it used to be a hospital. The grounds were gorgeous and the tasting room was spacious and beautiful~ 

At the rear of the winery was a working horse race track~ 

After Bridlewood, we went to Firestone winery which is another one that was visited by the characters in the Sideways movie. This one was probably my least favorite in terms of liking the wine. Unfortunately, we didn't get any pics while we were here. In the back by the bathrooms they have a cork tree growing. I had no idea that real cork came from trees. It was neat to touch.

Our last winery was Fess Parker. This is my favorite because the grounds are so lush and there are plenty of tables, couches, and chairs to sit on outside. Our driver, Bobby, took a couple of candids of us enjoying a snack and he even catered to us by bringing us our tasting glasses for the different wines. He really hustled and provided us with great service~ 

For dinner, we went to the Hitching Post which was featured in Sideways too. The food was good as always, but overpriced because of its popularity due to the movie. They sent us out on a sweet note and Bobby took a group picture of us~ 

On Sunday we went to downtown Santa Barbara for a delicious brunch at Dawn Patrol. I had the three egg white frittata with avocado and it was so yummy! I think everyone was pleased with what they ordered. Next, we walked down to the Wharf and bought little souvenirs. The rest of the day was spent lounging in and around the pool. Another perfect day!

For dinner on Sunday night we went to the Lark. This restaurant was highly recommended and I enjoyed it, but my groom did not. Tanner does not like family style or remakes of classic dishes, which is the foundation of why people love this restaurant. Haha! We had fun teasing Tanner and enjoyed our memories of our Europe trip together where Tanner tried to order the Spaghetti Bolognese at EVERY meal.  

After dinner I was tired and we took a vote on what to do next. Cara and I voted to go home, but we we lost to the others who wanted to find a bar to hang out. In the end I'm glad I lost that vote because we ended up having so much fun! We went to the Sandbar and since it was a Sunday night it was fairly empty (which I like because as I get older I'm starting to get really irritated at crowded places) and it had a DJ. Going to dance with Hillary is the best thing ever because she LOVES to dance and will dance nonstop for hours and hours. We all ended up having drinks and dancing until 1:45am! I can't remember the last time I stayed out this late. It was a great way to end this wonderful weekend. We ubered home and left about noon on Monday.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch I got two photos of what the kids were doing while we were in Santa Barbara~ 

Jay's Last Day of Preschool 2016

Chase Last Day of 1st Grade

While Chase was attending his last day of school, I was watching this super crew~

Of course I forgot to take any pics of Chase at school to memorialize his last day, but I did get a couple at a bowling birthday party he attended for one of his classmates~

Crazy Hair Day

Jayden had crazy hair day at school where I attempted to put blue and pink coloring in her hair, but it didn't really show because of how dark her hair is. Nathalie got into the spirit too and came up with a great creation. There's a plastic soda bottle in her hair to give it this nice shape~

Pajama and Park Day

For the last Monday of the school year, Jayden got to wear her pjs to school. She had a lot of fun dressing in her Hello Kitty nightgown.

Posing with her teacher, Ms. Alba~

With some school friends~ 

That same day all the 1st grade classes got to have park day. Each class set up an activity and then the rooms rotated through the activities. Our class was the obstacle course~

Easy BYOpicnic lunch followed by popsicles~

Chase and his friends really enjoyed the day~