Camping Fun

Lizzy amazed me this summer!  She went out on a limb and went to Camp Putah with her friend Bria.  This camp was so special.  Lizzy would ride her bike every day miles and miles out to Putah Creek.  There, so would swim in the creek, canoe, do art projects, sing, and just have a great time.  One night, all the campers even spent the night under the stars.  We all were so proud of Lizzy!  We thought she was so daring and adventurous.  It was well over 100 degrees this week, and Lizzy still rode her bike all that way.  What a super star!

Beach Baby

This lady loved to play at the beach!  She couldn't get enough of the sand, water, and sun.  She's a true California girl!

Hike to the Top of the World

One of our favorite hikes in Tahoe is a great path right behind our hotel in south shore.  At one point, you feel like you're on the top of the world.  We climb this big rock and have an amazing view of the lake.  I always get scared we're just going to all tumble down because it feels like we're so high up.  It's so, so fun to go hiking with the kids!

Emerald Bay

Last year on our hike around Emerald Bay we were, well.....unprepared.  The long hike downhill was easy peasy, but the hike back up was tough, and hot, and not too fun.  This year we were ready.  We had on good shoes, we brought water, and we were ready for a great day.  Emerald Bay did not disappoint.  We absolutely loved the amazing views.  Once at the bottom, we rented kayaks and rode to the tiny island in the bay and hiked all the way to the Tea House.  It was awesome!  We were very proud of ourselves as this was no easy task.  The rocks on the island were very sharp, and hike up was steep.  We practically had to drag Catherine up, and Lizzy cut her foot pretty badly on the rocks.  But we did it!!  I will always treasure this amazing day!

Let's Go Bouldering

To kick off our summer, we've gotten into the wonderful tradition of heading up to Tahoe for a few days.  It's so gorgeous there, and we all have so much fun being together and going on lots of adventures.  One of our very favorite things to do is to "boulder."  The kids coined this term, and what they absolutely love to do is go hiking and then climb around and explore all the huge boulders and rocks off the trails.  They are amazing climbers!  Catherine is so big now that even she likes to boulder too, but always in style, of course.  At the end of this particular hike, we made it all the way to the beach.  The kids loved playing in the water.....even though it was very cold!!  

Little Fish

In the summer, it's hot.......so we like to swim, and swim, and swim!  It's so fun to see the kids having a blast together in the pool.  Summer days at our cousins' house are just the best!  The adults get to kick back, and the kids go crazy in the pool playing all sorts of imaginary games, having races, and just enjoying the water.  There's nothing better!

Party Time!

Of course we had to have a big party to celebrate Peter's special day, and since he's a summer baby, a pool party it was!  Peter had his buddies over to swim and play, and we all had a great time!  We swam, had lunch, ran around like crazy during a silly string fight, and topped it all off with cake.  What an awesome way to celebrate our special boy!  We love you, Peter!