Our last month...

LET ME BEGIN BY WARNING: The pictures only represent our fun times this summer- there are many people who we have spent time with who are not pictured in this post. Also, this is for journal purposes and is really long. So with those things in mind, read on...

I am mourning the end of a wonderful summer. The evenings are already becoming chilly and the school year is in full swing over here. I am a little stumped on where to begin as it has been so long since I have really posted anything resembling a journal-ish post. We took some amazing photos in California. There are 856 of them in fact, and every time I go to post about our trip I become too overwhelmed that I might leave out something, that I simply close down my blogger and commit myself to returning back to the task! So, here is my best attempt...

We spent the first week with Dan's family. We visited with family- the first night with a BIG Aldama BBQ and the 2nd a more intimate night with Gina, Josh, Deb, Richard, Grandma and Nan. The next morning we left for Aptos to stay at a beach house. (just outside of Santa Cruz) One day we did the board walk and the next we did the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Bubba Gump's. We were just blocks from the beach and we enjoyed watching the kids make sand castles, fly kites and splash in the water. The beach is such a magical place! We loved every minute of our time with the family- such a relaxing time. The Board Walk was such a treat for the kids and the Aquarium even more amazing than I remember. The kids loved it!!!

Then we switched locations to spend time with the Shirleys. Oh, I am such a family girl. I would happily move home to be closer to family. I can't believe I have already forgotten the break-down of our time. We just played and played. The cousins picked up right where they left off. Noelle had 2 spend-the-nights at Nikki's house. We spent hours just talking- my siblings all together. Callie and her sweet baby Eden flew in from Phoenix to spend the week with us. We did a Lake day, a Zoo day, a temple day, a gymnastics day, I went out to ice cream with my high school friends, we swam, made hair bows and ate lots of yummy food! We also celebrated Marco's 4th Birthday with a Chuck-E-Cheese night and cake, ice cream and presents. I wish I could package up the cousins and bring them home with us- oh, how we miss them! On our last day there, Aunt Nancy arranged for JoAnne, the owner of a darling boutique downtown to bring gift baskets to the kids filled with toys. It was like Christmas Day! Thanks to everyone! The time is never long enough, but we were so grateful that we could devote 2 weeks to all of our favorite people in Sacramento!

We came home from our wonderful trip and Dan began school (the 3rd week in August). We are loving his new schedule-more condensed days with days out of the classroom. He does, however, have to budget his time to tend to all of his research and assignments. It is really feeling like the final stretch. I keep saying to myself, "This time next year we won't be in student housing." It is a feeling that is so bitter-sweet and a little scary, I might add. Where will we be? Only time will tell!

Anyways, enough with my thoughts, back to my family...We have started a parent co-op preschool in our court 2 days a week in the morning. We are in a group with 4 other little girls. Such a treat for Noelle to have her own commitment and a little more structure to her days. I am hoping that she will enjoy the social. (Also good for the mommas during the snowy months to have some form of contact with neighbors!) She will begin her formal p.m. preschool on Monday and is SOOOO excited to be returning as the "Big Fish."

Last week we celebrated Elijah's first birthday. Wednesday evening we went out to dinner and opened gifts from Grandma and Grandpa Shirley! The kids couldn't let the day pass without getting Elijah some balloons. He was so cute and crawled around the house, holding onto a little red balloon. He was just tugging on it and giggling away. When anyone tried to come near it, he would scream. It is so strange celebrating a first birthday when he still feels like my baby! On Friday morning we met up with a dear friend from high school- Julie (Lovell) Savage and her family to go to the Discovery Gateway Museum. I often think about how lucky I was/am to have such childhood and high school friends. No matter where we go in life, we seem to pick up right where we left off each time we meet. Julie and I have lived apart ever since we graduated and I wish I could raise my kids near her. She is settling in the Bay Area-so our efforts to see each other will continue to be tricky. It was so fun spending the day together!

Friday afternoon Dan's parents and Aldama grandparents flew in from Sacramento. We enjoyed our time, especially the kids. Noelle and Corom stayed at the hotel and went swimming and out for breakfast! Such a treat for all! On Saturday we went up to the Olympic Park in Park City and then out to eat. Dan and I created a cake masterpiece and we did cake and presents. It was also Grandma's Birthday! On Sunday we attended the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Music and the Spoken Work- always a wonderful production. We are so glad that they traveled all this way to spend a weekend with us. We are down to traveling a few times a year to Sacramento and it is never enough time.

Monday, Labor Day, we babysat for a neighbor and went to the Zoo with a neighbor family. It was packed, but the traffic seemed to flow really well. The animals were really active, as the weather has been amazingly pleasant. Boy, do we love our zoo pass! We have gone 3x in the last few weeks! I sure hope I haven't left any details out. Today we did preschool orientation, Costco, babysat one of Noelle's friends and canned some jam! Corom fell asleep eating an ice cream cone at the dinner table. All of this playing can be a little exhausting you know! It has taken me 2 hours to put this post together, so enjoy the pictures and I hope all is well with you wherever you are! We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family who stay tuned in to our adventures!