Goodbye Summer!

Describes my summer perfectly

 Back to school! Our family enjoyed a fabulous summer. We used our pool a lot, had friends and family over to barbecue, and accomplished small projects around the house. As I mentioned before, it was very busy, which unfortunately seemed to make it fly by. But realistically, it seems these days summers just keep getting shorter! With the kids starting school in mid-August, summer is only 2 months long. It's not like when I was a kid and summer seemed to go on forever, and school didn't start til after Labor Day. Buddha's preschool doesn't start until then, and I am glad although it will be nice when both boys are at the same school and are on the same schedule.

Monkey turned 6 this summer, and we had a small birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese with a few of his school and baseball friends. Buddha really enjoyed the birthday party, I think Chuck E. Cheese is his favorite place to go! Even though our kids really love it there,  Chip and I hate it. The things we do for our kids!

Kick-ass Ninjago cake!

 Our summer highlight - besides my sister's wedding -  was a week of camping. First, a few days on our annual group trip to Lake Don Pedro. It was close to 100*, but we managed to stay cool by boating, jet-skiing and floating in the lake. We stayed on the water as long as possible, since once we were off it was back to the baking camp site. Fortunately we have a trailer, and even better, a generator, so we were able to run our A/C. But in order to hang out with all our friends who could not fit in our trailer, we had to be out in the heat. Really roughing it, I know. It was a wonderful time!

Buddha driving the boat

Monkey getting hauled in a tube. He loved that!

We finished out the rest of the week by taking our first family trip to Yosemite National Park. It was absolutely amazing and we cannot wait to go back! From the enormous trees to the gorgeous waterfalls, there is nothing not to like (unless you have an aversion to dirt). We had a huge camp site there, with plenty of room to run around for the boys. Tons of kids were all over the place riding their bikes. It was like a huge family summer camp. SO FUN. We went on an open air bus tour around the park to see all the sights, went horseback riding, did small walks/hikes, and played in a wide river that bordered our camp. The boys walked across huge logs that had fallen over the river, skipped rocks (their favorite), played hide-and-seek,  got very filthy, and just had good ol' fashioned boy-fun.

Loving his first horseback ride!

The boys played here every afternoon!

S'more please!

Hope to see you soon Yosemite!

We also spent two weekends at different beaches. One weekend we went to Capitola where we met up with friends who also were there for the weekend. We spent time on the beach, had some cocktails and delicious dinners. The kids enjoyed each other's company just as much as the adults. The other weekend we at Sunset State Beach which was absolutely gorgeous. We were all very relaxed and things went smoothly. Our kids LOVE the beach, truly, and they could - and did - stay all day! We ate some great meals, and played Go Fish with our competitive 6 year old card shark each night.

Breathtaking, right?

So while it is so sad that our summer has come to an end, we can honestly say we made the most of it.

Happy Hump Day Friends! Hope your transition "back to school" is a smooth one!

Signing Out...Slacking Off!

Partied out! Monkey and Buddha after the party.

I will be MIA until next week! I have been a busy woman, first preparing for Monkey's 5th birthday party we had last Sunday at Sharks Ice. He had a great turn out, a mix of family, new neighbors, friends from school, and play date friends he's had since he was 1 year old. It was so fun to watch the kids skate and enjoy something most of them had never tried before. 

Can't believe this little guy just turned 5. At Don Pedro in '08.

Even before the party, I had started packing for our camping trip to Don Pedro. I packed all the kids clothes, my clothes, and other things that they were not going to need before our trip. My fabulous husband Chip, who is always doing more than he should, took on going to Costco for me and picking up the majority of our food. In the midst of all this, I got a migraine, which was going on its second day today and I buckled and took my prescription meds again. I know, that is why I have them but for whatever reason, taking a prescription I had to have an EKG to get makes me think it should not be taken lightly!

So, I'm feeling mostly back to normal, although my vision feels a little off. I'm at work today and need to finish packing up my desk because my office is MOVING! Yeah, because our current office sucks beyond any stretch of the imagination, being located next to an allegedly illicit massage parlour (bad) and next to a pub (really good). So I just don't have enough going on right now.

Monkey's first Giant's game in 2007.

I am, however, very excited that the office will be headed out to AT&T Park to watch the San Francisco Giants play the Los Angeles Dodgers (boo! hiss!) in lieu of working tomorrow! I looove the Giants, and baseball games are one of my favorite summer past times. 

One of Buddha's first camping trips. Santa Barbara in 2009.

As soon as I get home from the game I will be making the rounds to make sure all of our camping stuff is packed, and we will hop in the car and hopefully arrive at our campsite while there is still some day light. I am so looking forward to a fun trip with my oldest and dearest girlfriends and their families! I will miss my blogging buddies...Until next time, CIAO!

Fitness Plan +

Me and Monkey at the lake in 2008. Buddha is inside my belly.

My oldest and dearest friends and all of our families are going to Lake Don Pedro for several days of boating and camping on July 20th.  One of our friends has been panicking a wee bit about her body in anticipation of this trip. The last time we did this trip with the same group, I was almost 7 months pregnant with Buddha. I was the lucky one who had a nice excuse for being a little plump. I had an adorable maternity bathing suit and didn't even have to worry about how I looked. I've got to say, it was nice.

At this point, I don't try to compete with 25 year olds. I'm a mother of two, I do my best to stay fit and healthy, and that is all I can ask for. At this stage in my life I am hearing about more friends of friends battling breast cancer, husbands keeling over from heart attacks unexpectedly and other horrible health related news. Believe me, I can be as vain as the next woman and want to feel good about my appearance. I just feel that I am doing what is manageable for me in the fitness department and have better things to do than obsess. While I am not a MILF, I enjoy what I eat and drink in moderation, and believe that I am pretty healthy. I'm not aiming for skinny.

That being said, my running buddy (who is also going on this trip) and I have challenged ourselves to kick it up a notch before we spend several days drinking margaritas, eating barbecue and wearing our bathing suits for all to see. I believe that our bodies get complacent if we are always doing the same thing. Running and some form of Jillian are always part of my plan. We have challenged ourselves to do crunches (100 for me, 75 for her) and pushups (20 for both plus other arm weight exercises for me) every day until we leave for our trip. Planning to do it every day is easy to keep track of. Instead of "I think I did the ab/pushup challenge 3x this week", every day it will be, either I did it or I didn't. And if I haven't yet, I better before I go to bed!

So far I am on day 2. I am really stoked about this, although laughing a bit at how my abs were literally spasming after I was done! But I can already see a difference and know that I will be very happy I did this come July 20! I would love to post more photos of the last trip, because we had so much fun. But my friends would kill me.

Have a great weekend everyone!! Summer is in full swing!