Get back here!

On the to-do list for today and tomorrow:
1. go to Gamestop for James' reading reward game
2. swim at Granny and Grandpa's
3. Cub Scout planning meeting
4. haircuts
5. shop at Kohl's for new church clothes for David
6. set out clothes and backpacks for school
7. say goodbye to summer!!

 

Freckles

These sun kisses are what Abby is famous for....

 

Wipeout

Saturday was a beautiful day at La Jolla Shores.
The waves were perfect. Mark pushed Ethan and Zane out on some waves. He watched James catch a few of his own. The boys were done with surfing so it seemed like the perfect time for the "old man" to catch a few of his own. I saw him ride one nice wave and drop off. Next thing I knew, he was walking up the shore towards us. Strange. Mark never catches just one wave...
Mark has been surfing since he was 13. The pasttime has never caused a trip to the Emergency Room. Until today.

 

Mark's own board came back at him and the fin knocked him in the forehead, causing a nice gash in the skin. It was quite deep so we went to the lifequard who cleaned him up and directed him to the ER.

 

What a happy guy! He's also never had stitches before. That's all about to change...

 

He earned himself 5 internal stitches and 8 stitches for us all to see and awe at. What a trooper! I always love a good trip to the Emergency Room, so it was quite an enjoyable day. The doctor did a very nice sewing job, so it should heal nicely and hopefully the scar won't be too bad. So, the next question is, when does he get back out surfing again???

Oakley Home

Our summer vacation this year included a stop in Oakley, Idaho. We love this little town! There is so much of our family history there and fun things to do, we just totally enjoyed ourselves!

 

As soon as we arrived on a balmy Saturday afternoon, the kids played in the sprinklers on Nana's front lawn. (What posers!)

 

We were all so excited to see our Nana at her home. And she was so happy to see us too!

 

I love the old Haight family home. It is so beautiful, all the way down to the fine details. I love the way the windows are framed and how Nana has hung the lacy curtains. The stained glass at the top of the windows is exquisite! Abby looked angelic as she played the piano in the front room on Sunday morning.

 

We got a nice family shot before everyone started squirming. Ok, maybe David had already started to squirm a bit...

 

Mark is the bbq-man! He only singed off part the hair on his arms.

 

Not even 24 hours into our visit I got to perform surgery on the kitty cat, Princess. Luckily it was just a ball of matted fur and not some giant tumor like I had feared. Really, that hair ball was the size of a lemon. Good thing I showed up. Oh, good thing Kim had dish gloves to wear too.

 

Monopoly was a big hit. Lucky for James and David, they have an uncle and cousins who are up for any game of competition. At any time. And, they'll play till all hours of the night. It's like a dream come true for my boys! (Mark included!)

 

Mark and Chris managed to roll out of bed, with Monopoly hangovers, and go for a nice ride.

 

 

 

This picture of Nana and Abby is one of my favorites. I love seeing my Abby following Nana up the path. It makes me smile!

 

We filled our days with playing in the creek, bocce ball, croquet, trips to Searle's for treats, gun shooting and fishing.

 

We also went to the pool, met friends from church, went to a car derby smash-up and stalked the carnival that was coming to town. (It was the talk of the town that week!)

 

We also did a little work around the yard. Abby and David worked down in the root cellar, sprucing it up a bit with Febreeze. David loves any opportunity to spray the Febreeze.

 

Of course, we rewarded ourselves with cheeseburgers at Searle's. We just walked over. (I love that!) While there we met Cherie, the local photographer who agreed to come over and take our family picture. (More on that to come...)

 

 

We just about didn't come home! If it weren't for our own little Oakley back home, we might have just ditched our city folk gear and become real Idahoans. These kids make country gear look pretty darn good~

 

And that's the end of the story!

July 4th