Pre-vacation prep

We had some great vacations in May! Part of pre-vacation chores is changing sheets and thoroughly cleaning rooms so that it is welcoming and peaceful to return. The boys are now old enough to help with not only the cleaning but the changing of sheets.. although I am not sure of their method.. I am learning to let go of process as long as the outcome is the appropriate one, ie clean beds.

June 5, 1999...

June 5, 1999 will always stand out in my mind as one of my very best days - it was the day I married my best friend. Today, we celebrate 13 years, and in my wildest imagination I could not have envisioned what our lives look like today that blissfully naive Saturday in Philadelphia, but I would have it no other way. Happy Anniversary, Bob!

Yes, we have been married so long that this is a scanned film photo.... hence the quality

Saturday beach time

Saturday evening, after an early dinner, we headed to the beach for some digging, walking, photography and fun family time. Noah and Lukas set out to dig a hole larger than any they have ever done, while Bob and I walked the surf with Lucky and cameras in tow. Back home, we tried to capture the Super moon - Lukas contraption using telescope and smart phone was definitely the right combination.

Pajama duels

Noah is continuing to find large packages addressed to him in outside the mailbox. In his words, 'my birthday keeps on going.' The most recent package contained guns - obviously the sender knows Noah well, and even knew to include a spare, in case Noah would find it in his heart to share with his brother.

Early morning found the boys ready for duels, bandanas, guns and pajamas.. We may have read one too many Western stories in our quest to cover 'all' American history aspects.

In California we recycle..

Our town is serious about recycling. Our regular trash can is half the size of our blue recycling can. It is surprising how many things can be recycled, although I am pretty glad we are out of diaper.. not sure even CA will venture to recycle those stink bombs.. but maybe a Noah? What would they turn him into?

The boys had fun as the gathered the weekly trash and I could not resist snapping a photo

After dinner fun

The days are getting longer, the boys are getting older, and our evenings can handle more than dinner, bath and bed time. As the sun was slowly descending into the Pacific after another beautiful Monterey day, we headed to the park to use Noah's new football. The boys tackled, blocked, ran and climbed trees... well, who says one must only do football when in the park?

Leftovers...

We have many dear military friends, and we get use to the hellos and the good byes. It is never easy to wave as the truck pulls out, but often these sweet families leave treasures behind for us: ketchup, delicious vinegars, fancy oils, half bottles of top shelf liquor, frozen vegetables and ice cream.  I smile as I open my refrigerator and find another unexpected treasure to use to jazz up left over dinner...
One such delicacy that was left behind was Key Lime Curd, sitting on the shelf clearly ready to be used for something delicious and sweet. In the mail box landed a cooking catalog and a few pages in to the many temptations I found the answer to 'what to do with the curd question'  - braided lemon bread.

Lukas quickly joined in the fun when he realized there were treats in the making and not long after he took over the entire project, rolling, measuring, spreading, cutting and braiding dough like a pro. The result was glorious, sweet bread with a tangy tart curd, sprinkled with fancy sugars - another left behind. What a sweet way to remember dear friends.