Back on the Field!

 Soccer season has begun! This is Haley's 5th season and Ryan's 2nd. Haley is now U10 and is playing by all the real rules of soccer on a regular size field. They're playing some true soccer out there! Haley is still apprehensive on the field but she has made HUGE strides. She's getting her foot on the ball and is learning some skills.

 Ryan's U6 team is just about the cutest group you've ever seen. Nate (my bro-in-law) and I are coaching the team this year. We are having a great time. Ryan has made huge strides too. Such tremendous growth in these kids.

AZ Reunion

Yes, these posts are late, but I am getting caught up. 

 This summer we were treated by visits from the U of A crew. The Meyersons came to stay with us since their daughter was swimming in a meet at a local high school. it just happened that while they were visiting, both Tom and Graham were in town. It was so great to have these guys back together and for me to get in some quality time not only with the guys (including Tom and his creepy mustache), but with Jenny and Emily as well.

 I have often referred to Jenny's blog on this blog. She hasn't been writing in quite some time but is just as spunky as ever. She is a wonderful soul to be around. We had a great time reminiscing and reconnecting.

One of the nights we had the guys over for beer. We all sat around the couches while telling stories of the old days. I even heard some new ones! They bring out such joy in each other. The teasing was in full effect, of course.

I did love going to Emily's meet one of the mornings. I swam for about 7 years as a kid. Being at the pool and seeing the swimmers and smelling the chlorine brought of of those memories back- Jason and I riding our bikes to practice every summer morning at 6:30am. The long meets on Saturdays. Competitive swimming wasn't really my passion, but I learned a lot as a swimmer and it was cool to relive some memories.

It was very special to have those 5 days together this summer.

Transition Time

It's time to get back to school. I am up and about to get ready to return to work in 2 hours. The kids start on Monday. I always feel the same way at this point of the summer. Not ready to go back- a bit addicted to my time off with the kids.
Highlights this summer:
1. Sleeping in. Everyone slept in this summer and it was heavenly. The mornings were leisurely and there were days we were known not to get out of our pajamas until the afternoon.

2. Swimming. We swam an average of 3-4 times per week. That's pretty amazing seeing as how we don't own a pool. We were all pool rats.

3.  Play dates with our pals. We had quite the social calendar this summer. We enjoyed going places with our friends like the beach, bowling, Great America, Rancho San Antonio, Raging Waters, each others houses, San Francisco, different parks, and hikes.

4. Vacation- as you read in previous posts we camped and went to Tahoe.

This has been the best summer yet. I know I say it every year, but it just keeps getting better. I think my kids are cool to be with and I enjoy the little people they are. Ryan has been a nice job of making the transition back to work a little easier by whining straight through the last 2 days (ugh). I'm sure he's only doing it to help me out. See? Such a selfless child :)

I loved this summer. I delighted in playing with the kids. It was a fabulous vacation.

Thrill Seekers

Both of the kids did their version of thrill seeking this summer. At Disneyland, in February, Haley really discovered roller coasters and thrill rides. Now, the only thing that keeps her from riding something is a height limitation. Thank goodness she was too short for the Drop Zone. Hello, heart attack for me! She always prefers to ride with a friends versus a parent and loves putting her hands up. She has done wooden coasters and ones that go upside down. She consistently runs off of rides screaming, "that was awesome!"

 Ryan did his own version of thrill seeking. He always like to watch and study the ride before he rides it, or more often, doesn't. This Junior Jump at Great America he has passed up several times in the past. On this particular day, it was THE DAY. He CRACKED UP the whole time. He rode it 6 times and would have done it more had we not moved on. "Mommy! It tickles!" It was so cute. He even became an expert for other kids- "hands up so he can check us", "don't worry, this ride is really fun." I can tell the other riders really appreciated his help. at least he thought so.

This new phase changes the way we do amusement parks!

Cruisin'

Every summer we have a family reunion here is San Jose. A couple of years ago we decided that this summer would be adults only. We decided to do one of those 3 night cruises. And boy, was it fun! The only down side was that Jake and Cita couldn't make it. 

 We have done a few cruises before but definitely not like this. It felt very much like Vegas on the ship as really it was just an extended weekend. LOTS of young (20s) groups and bachelor/ette parties. Yes, there were families and all, but it felt young and the energy was high. Our first day on the ship my mom was pulled up to dance with this guy at a bachelor party. Of course, all of us were loving it and when she came back she told us all about the groom, etc. Of course she asked him a ton of questions! I loved watching my mom dancing and having a good time. The guy was respectful and even gave my mom a kiss on the cheek after the dance. I watched him as he went back to his friends to make sure he wasn't a punk. He wasn't. He high fived one of his friends and kept on dancing. A gentleman, for sure.

 Our day in Ensenada was hilarious and fun. We walked downtown, exploring the shops along the way. We finally got the the bars and had a seat at Papas and Beer. After one bucket of beers I checked out the place across the street who offered us a "better deal" than Papas and Beer. Indeed, they did. We got to sit on the street where the action was, and enjoy buckets of beer (10 in each) for $30, a round of free shots with each bucket ordered, and 2 for 1 margaritas. The weather was perfect, the music was fabulous, and the entertainment (aka people watching) was top notch. You like Josh's photo bomb?

 The next day was our day at sea. It was quite chilly and windy, but we hit the mini golf on top of the ship. We turned it into a contest with money on the line ($4 to the winner, $3 to the one with the most holes in one). We had a great time heckling each other. After golf we headed inside where we found a large table by a window and a bar - the perfect combination. We played cards for 6 hours. This was my favorite part of the trip. The more drinks we had, the more smack talk there was.

 We did a bit of gambling on the ship and really didn't do that well. UNTIL- Josh put $20 in and got $500 on his first pull. AWESOME!!! We were nice enough to donate $200 back to the casino. thoughtful, right?

The weekend was a great time. I never get time with my cousins without the kids. It was nice to have real conversations, uninterrupted. When we were younger we didn't have much in common because of our age difference. Now, we are all adults, even though Josh and I are MUCH younger adults.
4 day booze cruise= SUCCESS!

Sabercats

 Thank you Joy and Trevor, for our tickets to the game! I haven't been to a Sabercats game since high school. The 4 of us love live sports events and this one was loud and full of energy.

 Sabercats games are very family friendly. They are always doing some sort of give away, playing music, or leading an activity of some sort.

 Ryan didn't love that football is so stop and go- "why don't they just keep playing and not stop all the time?"

Haley was NOT ready to leave when we decided to depart at the 3rd quarter. Her little brother needed to hit the hay. Both kids marched out with their free loot and with smiles on their little faces. SO FUN.

Birthday Boy

Yes, I realize Josh's birthday was almost a month ago. We've been having a VERY fun summer and I'm a bit behind. In fact, the reason I am able to post right now is because it's 8:00am and the kids are still asleep. The adjustment back to the school year will be a bit rough.

 It is tradition in our family to wake up and do cake and presents first thing in the morning. Josh doesn't love cake so this year we made the cake batter, added some chocolate chips and made the cake in the waffle iron. Warm yellow cake- it doesn't get better than that. Thank you Pinterest!

 The next day my parents hosted all of us to a birthday dinner at their house. All of the cousins got to play together. It was perfect.

Josh turned 37 this year. It suits him well. :)