The Circus

I'm blogging a bit out of order because I "lost" these pictures in my camara for awhile. We went to the Circus again this year with our good friends and neighbors. Thanks to Mike's previous employer MillerCoors, we got a suite for a Sunday evening performance and it was a great show. The kids all LOVED it. They also loved hanging out with their friends, eating chicken strips and potato wedges and of course, the ice cream sundae bar to top it off. Good times.

This is William's good little buddy Gavin who lives across the street. They have really gotten to be good friends. They play so cute together. I just listening to them in their little boy voices... so cute!

Maddie and Jordyn...best of friends.

The OC Fair!

We hit the Orange County Fair on Thursday evening with the whole family. The kids and I headed down with Grandma around 4:00 and dad met up with us after work. Maddie and William were so excited as we parked the car and they saw the looming rides and excitement ahead. We headed straight to the rides. Maddie and I went on the "Crazy Coaster" while William gobbled up a hot dog with Grandma and we hit up the kiddie rides later in the night.

Dad worked hard to win some prizes for the kids. The games are such a rip off!
William wanted to help... I love the way William looks at Mike. He looks at him with such admiration ALL the time. It's so cute.
FINALLY... Mikos found success with the balloon popping game. Prizes for both. Maddie picked out the stuffed 100 dollar bill (should we be worried?) and Wil got a blue platapous. Maddie's has been sleeping with her "dollar" ever since.
William was tall enough to ride the kiddie rides by himself. He met the 36" inch min...
Maddie loved the kiddie bumper cars. Wil, on the other hand, had some difficulty pushing the gas pedal and steering at the same time and sat there yelling at us that he couldn't do it. So sad we couldn't help him. After this ride, it was time to go. We really had a great time but I have to say, it was tiring! So many people, such excitement and so loud... we were all exhausted by the time we got home at 9:30. Very fun night though and can't wait to go again next year.

Birthday Beach Bash

We spent last Sunday afternoon at our friends Mario and Ashlea's daughter's 1st birthday party. They had a great setup and party at a beach house right in Newport that they were renting for the week. It was a gorgeous day and Maddie and Wil had a great time splashing in the waves and playing in the sand. I can't think of a better way to spend a summer day!Being down at that house right on the beach made me think of how FUN it would be to rent a house or two with our friends next summer and spend some time livin' the beach life for awhile. Who's in?

Santa in July?

Maddie and Wil love this ritual during tub time... "Ho-ho-ho...Merry Christmas." Enjoying moments like these as I know they won't last long...(sigh).

At the Lake

How do I sum up a terrific week with family at the lake in Minnesota? We had a fantastic time and I am documenting for the record, that I'd love to go for 2 weeks next summer. We had beautiful weather and great company. Highlights of the week:

swimming for hours in the lake, jumping off the doc, swimming like a pro in life jackets (William), playing on rafts, Grandmacita and Papa visiting for the first time, getting caught in a downpour on a leisurely pontoon ride with them, Turtle Races in Nisswa, Mini golf with Auntie Amy and Rachel (William and Maddie), bonfires and smores, eating out, eating in, and just relaxing at the LAKE. We loved every minute. We ended our trip driving up to East Grand Forks, MN where Russell is from and took part in the baptism of baby Lucas. It was perfect and definitely a highlight of our trip. Good, good times all around...William already asked if we could go back to Grandma Jeanne's. So sweet.

Angels Silliness

After a day full of laundry and packing for our upcoming trip, we headed out to the Angels game last night. It was a chilly but fun evening of cheap seats, hot dogs, chocolate milk shakes and cotton candy. Yum!

Saturday Soccer

We started off the July 4th weekend with a morning of soccer! Well... a half hour anyway. :)

I signed Maddie and William up for a Tinytots soccer class that runs for 8 weeks. They are actually doing the class together which is fun because it's for 3-5 year olds. They are also doing the class with their good friends Jordyn and Gavin. This is Maddie's second try at soccer and I'm hoping she's going to fall in love. This is William's first try and he was so excited on the way over to the park. He's been loving kicking the ball around the front yard and he's a fast little runner with good coordination. Maybe he'll be my soccer player!

So after some stretching...
The teacher gave a little instruction...

They were off! They did lots of running around and plenty of stops for water breaks. Very cute. We're going to miss next Saturday as we are off to Minnesota tomorrow morning for a week! We can't wait.