HolleMama: Summertime 2014

I named my daughter Summer because I LOVE everything about that time of year. There is something sort of magical about the bright morning hours, the warm evenings, going to the park after dinner because it is too light to put the kids to bed, and the beauty of an afternoon spent at the pool because it is too hot to do anything else.
I love it.
Even in broiling Davis.
(Until I get my PG&E bill reflecting the hours of AC we used!)

But Summer is loooong gone and I am actually freezing on this cold (almost) winter night as I type. Christmas is only days away and I know that if I don't write about our summer vacation now, I never will. And it was really just too much fun to leave out of the blog. It was not easy, luxurious or relaxing in any way, but it was loads of fun. And here my thousands (you think I am joking, I am not!) of pictures to prove it!! Enjoy!

Family Visit with Sean's Grandpa Harold
(this actually goes back to April, but I really wanted to include it, so I did :))

It was the first time he met any of his great grandchildren
and I think he was a little surprised at how many of them there were!!
We tried our best for a family shot before setting them all free outside :)

The Girls

And, the Boys.

Wacky Wednesdays at Cache Creek

Visit with the cousins for Uncle John's Birthday

And what family party would be complete without a live musical performance for the guest of honor?!

A last minute (and long overdue!) visit from Jessica (and 2 of her cutie pies)

the girls (one month apart :))

And the boys. Being boys :)

One of a few trips we took to the beach...
And we couldn't have asked for better weather!! I love the beach no matter what, but when you drive 2 hours with a van full of kids, it is such a gift to show up and find it sunny :)

I loved that Summer was old enough to enjoy the sand and not just eat it. Total game-changer!

Soaking it all in. Literally.

I love him.

Failed Family Selfie (how do people do these?)

but I thought that Sean looked especially cute so I'm keeping them :)

My beautiful mother in law

learning to fly!

Best Brothers

This pretty much sums up their relationship:

Oliver was having trouble climbing up this rock and so Elliott went and found a piece of wood and stood on his tippiest of tippi toes to hold it in place so that Oliver could use it to pull himself up.

For Elliott, it is no big deal. He just saw a need and did something to help.

Summer trying her best to be just like Grandma

Elliott, just doin' his thing.

Oliver, just doin' his thing.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

Boys and their rocks :)

(I told them that there would be gummies if they held hands and walked towards the water :))

Best seat on the beach!

Like all of our trips to Stinson, there is only one way to end the day :)

The always special Grandparent Visit with Grandma Ellen and Grandpa Jack

Lake Tahoe Adventure

(notice I used the word adventure and not vacation?)

Starting at Fallen Leaf Lake Campground

It was a really nice, calm and conveniently located campground...the only thing missing were more of our friends!! Next time, you are all coming with us! :)

Always training for Ninja Warrior. Always.

Off to find Fallen Leaf Lake.

Everyday scenes from my everyday life because it won't always be this way...

Lucky Summer. Lucky Daddy.

We are so glad Oliver has overcome his fear of campfires!!

It sure makes the whole camping experience a thousand times more fun for us all- especially him!

And we O-Fish-ally have a Go Fish player!

(sorry...couldn't resist :))

So, Sean and I have got daytime camping with kids down, but so far, the nighttime hours are just a whole other story for us: overly tired kids + excitement over sleeping in a tent + unfamiliar sleeping arrangements + real darkness + slight inclines that mysteriously become steep inclines at 2 am + the awareness that every sound your kids make (good or bad) seem louder than ever and are probably bothering a neighboring childless camper, can make for a rough start to the next day.

Thankfully, I remembered seeing a Starbucks on our way through town the day before, and I am embarrassed to say that this exact moment was one of the real highlights of this trip for me. I may have smelled like a campfire, but I got to brush my teeth and wash my hands in a clean bathroom, get some coffee and an ice water and pretend to start my day over again with a better attitude. I cannot believe I am saying this, but I am now adding Starbucks within 5 Miles to my future campground criteria.

Or maybe it wasn't the coffee :)

Thanks to Grandma Gloria staying back at the campground with the other kids, Sean and I got some rare and precious time alone with our first born.

It's so weird to wonder what our life would be like if it was just him...

But SO glad that is not the case!!

Back to camp for more exploring!

And then off to introduce our kids to the magnificent Lake Tahoe!!

Sometimes, I just get a little bit jealous of her life :)

I saw a chance to take a cute picture of my kids and I guess Sean didn't want to miss out :)
(that's him in the upper left corner...)

Photo-Bomber!

And only a little bit creepy :)

My loves!

We only sort of look like we are at a nude beach :)

One of these boys is ready for a nap and one of these boys is ready for the next adventure!!

We had only planned to camp for one night,

but when Grandma and Grandpa offered us the chance to stay over at the hotel,

we could not turn them down :)

This one is for you, Auntie!! :)

Showing off their souvenirs before packing up to go home

And, as if they hadn't already had enough fun...

"I did 17 backflips!!"

Thank you to my handsome husband for taking us on this trip,

and to our amazing Grandma who is generous to us with her time, patience and hotel rooms :)

And how does one end a birthday weekend full of driving, camping, exploring and going to the beach?
By running a (untrained for) 5K, of course!!

After years of saying that I don't like to run, and one request from my son to run with him,
I agreed to participate :)

First up, the Kid Run!

And then it was our turn.
Starting Line

...and more importantly, the Finish Line!

I am proud of myself for doing something that I really thought I couldn't do.
It is pretty cool when you find yourself inspired and encouraged by your own children :)
Being a mom is full of unexpected surprises!

Back at home, things carried on as usual.

Oliver was OBSESSED with American Ninja Warrior, but that deserves an entire post of it's own. When he's not "training" or writing books about Ninja Warrior, he continues to love music and performing for us...

...while Elliott finds other ways of keeping ~~himself busy~~ us entertained .

"Treasure"

Water Station. In case anyone get's thirsty.

It must be tiring to be so awesome :)

On this afternoon, I had to break the news to Elliott that Ranger Rick was a magazine for learning about animals and not a shopping catalog with animals that we could buy for pets...I am still not quite sure he understands :)

We headed to the Rec Pool almost every afternoon,

and after dinner, when the sun finally went down enough to make a little shade,

the backyard was the place to be :)

Bangs!

(first haircut, by Auntie Alice)

Camping in the Redwoods at Samuel P. Taylor Park

Such a beautiful place, but we quickly discovered that our entire campsite was FULL of poison oak and stinging nettles. And on a hillside. And bordering a steep ravine. We planned to return to my parent's house nearby, but since we were already there, we decided we may as well explore the grounds first.

(for you Jenn Rogge!)

After running around all afternoon, our sense of adventure was restored and we decided to just make the most of our site and have a good time.

Time to set up the tent!

Girl likes to camp!!
Girl also likes to get into everything and cannot be trusted near the steep cliff so...

...we let Elliott "babysit" while I made dinner and Sean and Oliver put up the tent :)

At this point, we were glad we had stayed.
And even over night, the sound of thunder and lightening and unexpected rain coming down was thrilling.
Not so thrilling was standing in the doorway of our tent the next morning, surrounded by mud and all of our soaking wet shoes, and trying to decide what was the next best thing to do.

(after driving back to town for coffee)

We decided to get to the beach and it turned out to be another amazing day.

This trip turned out to be a lot of work, but it was OK because we had some great family time in a beautiful place. (And it was never more than 70 degrees!).

And besides, we had a whole week of family camp in the Santa Cruz mountains to look forward to...

Mt. Hermon Family Camp

After 2 camping trips where we needed to pack every item and all the food we would need, it was a breeze to pack up for our week at Mt. Hermon. Among many things, I was mostly excited to have a break from cooking and cleaning for my family. I had been daydreaming about it since we made our reservations in May and now it was going to happen!! Woooo!!

Our little cabin was cozy and perfect.

And right next to an amazing playground surrounded by majestic Redwoods.

(like I said, perfect!!)

Oliver wasted no time making himself at home :)

Dinner and games on the lawn for our first evening

Next to Not Cooking or Cleaning, I was really looking forward to some quality time with this pretty girl :)

I don't think we have had a week together for almost 10 years!!

I let Elliott through the buffet line alone and this was what he came back with :)

Off to breakfast and the kids program the first morning.

The boys were so excited they wanted to do their own hair :)

25 minutes into the first morning program, we got a call from childcare to come get Summer because she was sad and not calming down.

I think she knew we were eating donuts :)

Dinner time with the Fam

And so many friends from FBC!!

It had the makings of an amazing week for us all!

Buuut....over the next 24 hours, all 3 of our kids came down with a fever and the rest of our trip looked a lot less like what I was envisioning...

I spent the next few mornings pushing the stroller around the beautiful, but very hilly, grounds while Sean attended the morning program.

They were good sports...

but they were not quite themselves :(

Long, hot afternoon naps

We did try to participate in as many open-air activities as possible:

Archery

(Sean looking super hot while channeling his inner Robin Hood ;))

An Un-be-liev-able Ropes Course

(We were here to cheer on the grown ups)

And then Oliver got his big chance!

It was the kid's course, but it was pretty challenging and spectacular (and really high up!).

I stayed back with the other kids, but Sean reported back that Oliver was very, very brave and that he didn't give up, even when he felt pretty scared.

Thank you Emma for taking pictures!!

Back on the ground and feeling bigger than ever!!

We spent the rest of our time exploring and keeping to ourselves. It really was a beautiful place.

And we even made the trek to the pool

(Let's just say that Sean is amazing!)

In order to go down the waterslide, Oliver had to pass the swim test. To be honest, I really wasn't sure if he could do it, but he DID!! He worked so hard to earn that ride down the slide- it was probably the best part of the whole week for me :)

Oh, and this place too :)

Huge servings of delicious ice cream for super cheap? Yes, please!!

By Wednesday morning, Sean and I were ready to take our sick kids and go home but we were convinced to stay for at least the steam train ride (in an open air car) to the boardwalk. My mom drove our van so we could leave as soon as we were done- thank you Mom!!

Through the Redwoods, over bridges,

...through a couple of pitch-black tunnels

(I snapped this one with my flash- Summer doesn't look too excited about the darkness, poor girl)

and 45 minutes later, we arrived at the beach!!

(I highly recommend this adventure if you ever get the chance!)

First Carnival Ride

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

I could ride one of these alllll day!

I love to be reminded of just how small my kids are :)

We finished our afternoon with some fun on the beach and then made the long, bittersweet drive home. It was disappointing to have to cut our highly anticipated trip short, but it wasn't much fun keeping to ourselves and eating in our room while everyone else was having fun together. Oh well- what are you gonna do?

Back at home and fully recovered, our days were filled with adventures all around town with some of our favorite people. Sometimes I wonder why we even tried to go on a vacation- what is there not to love about spending your days riding bikes and swimming with friends and then going home to your own bed?