Beach Vacation

Well, we FINALLY managed to get out of town for a little vacation. About time I say!

We took the kids & went to San Louis Obispo for a few days. It was a really nice break from the hot temps we were getting in the valley (102-113). As a matter of fact, it's been so long since I've been to the California coast that I forgot how cool it is in the evenings & mornings. All I took were shorts & t shirts for me and the kids. I know this will surprise you all, but I decided that since our hotel was next to a mall, I needed to get some warmer clothes for the kids. Tragic, I know! By the end of the trip I had gotten each of them a jacket, jeans, & shoes. Next time, I'm going to forget my stuff, I've been wanting a cute pair of Wedges!

The kids LOVED the beach. We went to Avila, which I hadn't been to since the rebuild & it was gorgeous. The playground, swings, shops, & beach were so nice. The kids were shocked at how cold the ocean here is, it's not like Teaxs' bath water, not that it stopped them from heading out. Kiernan fell into the water her first time out & was not impressed. The rest of the day she complained that her mouth tasted like dirt. "Kiernan, STOP spitting! you don't do that in the car!" Here are some pics of Avila:

That night we went to dinner at Mclintocks. It's a fun restaurant where they give you TONS of food & there's lots to see. See if you can figure out why Mike liked the restaurant so much? Here are some pics from there...

Overall, we had a great time. So fun that Mike actually said we needed to do it more often...in spite of my shopping! On our way out of town we went to Morro Bay to check out the tide pools around the breakers. The kids were enthralled! Hermit crabs, Crab crabs, anenomes, shells, seals, so much to see! Here is Jake & his hermit crab that we carried around for awhile, Kiernan poking an anenome "Mom, it licked me", and us on the breakers watching the tide come in.

Birthday girl Bella!

Last weekend we went to the birthday party of my good friend Tracy's little girl Bella. It was a fun day at the park, and luckily we managed to avoid the 113 degree heat that had been plaguing us earlier that week. I was especially thankful that it cooled off because, fool that I was, I made Bella birthday overalls for her party, not even thinking that it might be outdoors (I forget that I'm in Cali sometimes & that here we do everything outdoors). I tried to let Tracy off the hook on Bella wearing them, but she was determined that Bella would wear them, even if only for 5 minutes. Well, the morning was pleasant & Bella managed to wear them the whole time! Happy Birthday Bella!

Most of you know that my sewing "itch" comes & goes. I won't touch my machine for months & suddenly I'll be on it every night. Anyways, I got a little crazy that week making some tops for my Aunt & her daughter (3 tops in one week) and was on such a roll that I decided to make Kiernan an outfit for the birthday party. I had this awesome fabric & just had to make something out of it! Of course, it had to be for Kiernan. Kiernan is getting pretty picky these days, luckily I've got Peep's to sew for, should Kiernan ever fully abandon me.

Ready to party!

Birthday girl bella & her mom Tracy. Yes...that is a tutu you see.

Bella is really digging that cake, literally!

Balloons, tattoos & face paint, oh my!

Kiernan & my friend Keri's daughter Abbi. Abbi is Kiernan's princess role model, she's always telling me "But mom, Abbi does it". They are in dance class together & quite enjoy each others company.
Tutu cute! Bella & Jocelyn.

It's called a George

Well, the summer is halfway over & we're beginning to see racks of binders and backpacks in our favorite stores *sigh* Really, what's the rush? Christmas is out at Halloween, Easter is out at valentines, ect...

This year I officially become a mother of school-aged children, no more babies, toddlers, or preschoolers in this house. Yikes! When did this happen? You know whats crazy about kids in school, sometimes I feel like I'm in elementary school too. It's frightening! For example, last year I was...kept after school by the teacher, called to principals office, contacted by the librarian for lost books, and had to do homework nearly every day (in reviewing homework you actually need to do the stinkin' problems to be sure they're right, gah!). Not only schoolwork-wise, but drama-wise as well. We had to deal with friends who were naughty, love notes to girls (sooo not kidding here), playground fights, friends who we didn't want in our "group", ect. Well, you get the gist....

So, here begins another year...
Apparently, my mother has a "new school year" tradition with the girls, they get a George. Yes, you read that right...they get, what we call in our family a "George". George would be my mothers hairdresser. Actually the familys hair dresser, my aunt, niece, & grandmother get "Georges" too. What's that? You want to know if I get a George? Hah! Not so much people. I do love George, but you need to know that my mother does enjoy the finer things in life. Georges SALON is downtown, trendy, pricey & awesome. Thus, I cannot afford it.

My mother scheduled the girls & I opted to go along as George is a bit trendy, and my child is FOUR. I'm sure you will all be so shocked by this, but Kiernan was in heaven! She loved every bit of it! The attention, the washing, the trimming, the GIANT mirrors where she posed & practiced "teen aged" facial expressions while she was being worked on. *shaking head in fear*
Thanks goodness I went along, my sister didn't, and her 8 year old daughter left with what my mother described to George as "a Victoria Beckham cut" & HIGHLIGHTS! She looked awesome, but WHOA! Here a some pics from the event, enjoy.

Here is the salon, it's on the second floor of the tallest building in Fresno, now loaded with high-end condos...in the middle of the ghetto. I wanted to wash myself after walking up from the parking garage.
'Nuf said.
Here's our George. Melanies quote after I texted her a pic was "Scary"
The princess on her throne. Here is where she mugged in the mirror. My mom & I just sat and watched her practice posing & expressions with no concern for anyone around her.
How she felt about the experience... Here's how Jacob felt about the experience...

The final products & our George (how about those earlobe gages & the lip piercing?). The sweetest guy, and part of the family.