4th of july

the 4th of july was spent, as per tradition, at the beach house in aptos.  ben was able to come home on leave (yay!) and the whole family was together again...just in time for jeff, kerry, & chris to move to ohio (boo!).  [kerry was accepted into the phd program at bowling green, and so they are off to pursue adventures on the east coast.]  it was an incredibly relaxing week and a wonderful time celebrating family and this amazing country we are so blessed to call home.  

she calls and the menfolk come running.  that's my girl.

lily took grandpa on several walks.

strawberry picking at gizdich ranch!

lily and ren; amazing strawberry picking helpers.

apple slush--perfect treat for a summer day berry picking.

the fabulous thurmond family joined us for the 4th celebrations.

supermodel!

grandma made ben a banner to welcome him home.
we were so glad to have him back in cali for a little while.

ready for the fireworks

first sparkler.  she's a pro!

lots of family time on the balcony.

alameda county fair

meeting the goats!

lily met the clydesdale and was not thrilled

the petting zoo had kangaroos!

i was dying over her; so cute!

baby kangaroo in mama's pouch.  so adorable.

random catch-ups

lily is loving working on our feet;
a quick pumice before work is never a bad thing.

make sure your feet are sandal-summer ready!

i cut six inches off my hair!

maggie was not happy with us, but lily insisted everyone in the family
have a turn wearing the rabbit ears, including the puppy.  

we had some gorgeous weather, so there have been lots of dinners al fresco.

sausalito adventures

bay area kids discovery museum, i never get tired of you.  or your views.  

it's a view i never get tired of.

forging her own trail

on an adventure!

anatomy of a walk (as told in photos)

lily decided she wanted to go on a walk, so she brought me my shoes
and pulled me to the door,calling for maggie as she went.
she also made sure to grab her purse, because no walk is complete without "the bag."

it's always important to stop and smell the "flowers."

make sure maggie gets some love.

we made it to the park!

and played on all the toys.

"i don't want to go home!"
poor lily; life is tough when you're a toddler.

everything's just ducky

lily loves ducks.  she has a collection of rubber ducks that she plays with in the bathtub and then brings out to play with in the house.  she keeps them in her shopping cart to push around the house. every bird she sees is a duck.  it could be a chicken, a crow, a bluebird, or some other feathery thing altogether, and it all gets labeled as a duck.  one day i decided to show her some real ducks and took her to the golf course in town to feed the ducks at the pond.  she threw the bread as far as she could, ran around the pond squealing "duck," tried to pet them, and then tried to follow them into the pond (gross!).  needless to say, it was a successful and highly entertaining outing.  it's a distraction i will definitely be taking her back to.

her cuteness cannot be denied

this face just makes me so happy.  i love being her mama and am so glad i can say that.  i was worried for a long time because i didn't find a lot of joy in this whole motherhood business, but once lily became an interactive toddler, everything changed.  i love our little trio and the fun adventures we have together.  exploring things with lily gives me a new lease on my inner five year old (not that it was ever far away...but it is a different perspective for me).   i'm excited to see the changes in our little bean, and for all the adventures we have to explore.