Beach Days

We've had lots of fun at the beach this summer. We're pretty close so heading over to Bolsa Chica is just a few minute drive. Several times we've packed up dinner and headed out of doors. We had a Rock Steady beach party and spent the day on body boards and enjoying the waves.

Little Dirtbag: The summer of baseball

JT attended Dirtbag Baseball Camp at Cal State Long Beach again. He went last year for two weeks and had a blast. (here's the post about that) This year, he went for three weeks in a row. From 8:30 am to 4:30 pm he breathed baseball. And then when he got home, all he wanted to do was talk about baseball or play catch (preferably with dad but he'd take anyone) or practice pitching. He would lay out his baseball cards, especially the ones he'd gotten of the CSULB Dirtbag baseball players that were coaches at the camp. He was pumped to go every single day and had we not signed up for a week of tennis camp (which was a new sport that he wanted to try) we'd have probably gone the last week too. His second week, he won the Hustler Award. It was an award that he also won last year. We love baseball as a family and it makes Mr. B and I SO happy to see the joy that it brings to our JT.

JT with his namesake, Jack Schlarb. 

Summer fun for Hea Bug: Gymnastics and Pre School

Hea Bug loves her preschool and so do we. Yay for school continuing during the summer! Her teachers sent home a calendar of the upcoming summer activities. There were themed two week sections. Space, where they made planets and spaceships. Fantasy Land where they were treated to a marionette puppet show and got to dress up every day. Island weeks, making sand projects and watching Lilo and Stitch. Nursery Rhymes, a visit from Mother Goose and itsy bitsy spider hats. Around the world, "Visiting" a new country each day like Greece (tasting feta and olives), India (doing yoga), Canada (hockey). Her teachers are just the sweetest ever and we feel so lucky that Hea Bug can go to school where she truly feels loved!

She took a few weeks off of school as we did our summer traveling and she also enjoyed a week at Gymnastics Camp. Hea Bug has been at AGA since she was 18 months. She LOVES gymnastics and the week she attended was leading up to the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympic games in London. Hea Bug LOVED doing gymnastics all day and didn't squawk as single bit as we had to come back twice in the afternoon for her regular class. She loved being out there and would even ask to stay and "watch the big girls". We recently got a letter from AGA inviting Hea Bug to be a part of the Hot Shots which is a competitive team! We are so excited and she is too. Look out Olympics!

4th of July 2012

 Happy 4th of July!

We have always enjoyed the 4th of July. The kiddos LOVE fireworks and so do we!  This year, we spend the afternoon with our friends the Darby's. Their neighborhood hosts a block party complete with slides, a bike parade, cotton candy and popcorn. JT and LaDy played and swam and had lots of fun! Hea Bug has been taking swimming lessons this summer from Mr. D and so she felt quite comfortable playing too. 

 We ate lots of yummy treats and then headed out to our evening o'fireworks. They aren't legal in Long Beach but our shop is in the city of Artesia where they are perfectly legal. Rock Steady is on an industrial street so we didn't have to worry about bothering neighbors. Our friends the M's met us there and we attempted to make vanilla ice cream in the lobby of our office. It never actually froze up but we had the most delicious strawberries and cream!

We pulled the furniture out in front so we could have comfy seats and hooked up Pandora's 4th of July mix via laptop and speakers. It was pretty cool just hanging out, letting the kids play, not worrying about too much and just being thankful that we live in a country where we can enjoy these freedoms and more.

Jammin with Auntie

Growing up, going to Auntie Harriet's house was always a treat. We'd get to hang out with cousins, watch cool videos, make milkshakes and eat as much toast as we wanted. I remember looking forward to that especially because Auntie always had REAL butter and more often than not, homemade strawberry jam. It captures summer in one bite. Even if it's Christmas time, Auntie could pull out a jar of jam from the freezer and we'd have that fresh strawberry taste in the winter!

I knew it had to be a magical recipe and to me the mere idea of making jam seemed SO hard! Auntie moved back to Wisconsin a few years ago and was out this summer for a visit. I was so excited and asked her to come over and teach me how to make this AMAZING jam of my childhood. She of course happily obliged. I picked up her and my younger cousin Madison on a Tuesday morning. We headed out to the commissary at the LA Air Force base in El Segundo. The pectin that we used for the jam, Surejell, was cheaper there by about $4 a box! We bought 7 with the intention to jam away! We also picked up 16 lbs of strawberries. I was committed!

Auntie, Maddie, Hea Bug and I spent the next few hours washing, slicing, mashing, stirring and jarring 7 batches/42 cups of delicious strawberry freezer jam! It's delicious. On toast, in a sammich, on shortcake, in a milkshake, on a spoon... I loved learning something new from Auntie, I will remember how to make jam for my whole life and every time i take a bite, I'll think of her, and my childhood and this awesome day that we spent hanging out and jammin'.

Love you Auntie!

Visiting with our Brandow Ohana

 We were lucky to have our Ohana visiting from Northern Nevada at the beginning of Summer. We enjoyed having a good times backyard get together in our new place. Uncles, Aunties, Cousins, multi generations, local, and from afar... it was awesome.

JT got to play with cuzzos Kian and Mateo. Those rascals were up til 2am and then outside playing in the backyard from a 8am the next day til 8pm! They were tired and filthy by the end of the day but it was awesome to have these little boys so entertained just by the backyard. Never mind all the unripe honey tangerines and cherry tomatoes were used as bullets and that there was a game of ultimate dodgeball taking place with a volleyball, some foam balls, whiffle balls, foot ball, and tennis balls (ouch!)

Grownups chatted around the tables inside and out, played cribbage and talked story. It was like the old days, when I was little and kids would only come inside to see what they could grab as a snack. Where anyone older than you was your auntie or uncle. Where everyone remembers to throw away their own trash, Uncles give you quarters for your pocket, you eat what's there and then eat some more.

Being surrounded by our family we felt so blessed to be a part of something so amazing. It was great to have a house full of awesome people and all that love.