Fathers and Sons. . .

Friday night . . . Annual Father's and sons campout. . . Every year I take a picture of the boys on the back bumper of the car, right before they leave.  It has sort of become a tradition. . . this year Justin wore his head light several hours before leaving, this was his second F&S campout, and he was so excited!!   We had a girls night in.  Girls requests:  Dinner - scrambled eggs and bacon & Hot Chocolate w/ whipped cream.  Movie - Swiss Family Robinson.  Nails - blue.

I remember when  . . . Ryan went on his first trip.  He was three and had a little flashlight necklace that he wore around the house the few days before leaving.  He took the Little Critter's "Just me and my Dad" book with him, while I stayed home with 7 month old Lindsay, in "the new San Diego" at our house on Kismet.  I worried then, as I worry now, but each year they return home happy, dirty, and with new stories to tell.

Hint:  Ryan (above)  / Justin (below) 

Aside from all of the snacks and smores, Alan made tin foil dinners ( hamburger, potatoes, and carrots) that they cooked over the coals that night.  He proclaimed them delicious, and said they were cooked to perfection.   They ate every last meaty morsel. . . 

I sent them with a camera, and actually got a few pics this year!  There was a little miniature golf course near the campsite, the boys had fun with this in the morning.  

Camping tip:  In order to fully relax, remove shoes, and massage feet with salt and vinegar.  Ryan did this in the morning,  after packing back up all of the gear. . . Taking one last moment to soak up all of that stinkin' fresh air.

Run, run as fast as you can. . .

Today Alison was presented with a running trophy at Friday Flag.  She worked really hard for this all year long!  She ran a total of  408.25 miles!!  There were many days that I picked her up from school, with a shiny red face, bows still in her hair, and shoes still glittering.  We are so proud of you Alie.  The trophies were awarded to grades K - 5 who ran more than 300 miles.  She was one of 23 for the school, mostly consisting of boys, and one of 6 for her grade.  What a great accomplishment!!  

 

First Grade Running Trophy

The look on the kid's face handing over the trophy is

 great. (Are you kidding me?)

waiting . . . any more girls?

Ahh, the power of reward.

(Lindsay deserves a bit of recognition, as she was a motivator in Alie's quest.  She received a trophy last year in her 2nd grade class.  This year she provided waving and cheering from the sidelines, claiming that she did not need another running trophy:)  Occasionally, I would see them run together for a lap . . .

Field Trip. . .

Yes, another field trip.  Destination: Zoo.  This time, Justin joined us for the adventure.  We were lucky enough to see two sister tigers waiting patiently, as their mother paced back and forth near the feeding door.

    

The "coolest" place at the zoo is in the "rainforest", where they have chairs to relax and listen to the sounds around you.  This was a very brief moment.  We had to keep moving . . .

There were monkeys of all kinds in the trees, 

elephants to watch and climb on,

and Hippos to make us giggle.  

The plethora of smells also brought on all sorts of chuckles and pinched noses.

Remembering. . .

Memorial Day. . . We went to Memorial Park in Chula Vista.  It has a war memorial there that lists the names of all of the Chula Vista residents who have died in each of the wars since WWII.  We chose this location and monument because it has the name of "Papa the Great's" only  brother who was killed during WWII.  He was assigned to a gun on the USS Bataan, an aircraft carrier, and was taking part in the invasion of Okinawa when he was killed by a Kamikaze pilot who was shot down close to their ship on April 17, 1945.  RB Short was only 19 years old when he was buried at sea .

Taking a few  minutes to read about RB

A "non-traditional" Memorial day lunch at Pat & Oscar's.  

Mmmm. . . warm breadsticks and pasta.

After remembering RB and filling our tummys, we went to the park near our house, met up with some friends, and played until dark . . . Tomorrow, back to the grind.

Short, but Very Sweet . . .

Last Tuesday night, the kids were lucky enough to have their cousins over for a couple of hours in the evening and a couple of hours the next morning!  Brian had business in San Diego, so Danielle brought the kids over for a very short, but highly anticipated visit.  We made smores on our new "firepit", which is actually more of a fire pillar.  It stores away easier and runs on propane, which does not produce ash or smoke.  I was told this might be better for the small covered patio that we have, and for the small hands that might make a mess of the ash.  I have been wanting a firepit forever, and this was the compromise we came up with.  We are loving the warmth and the bellyaches.  Ryan wants to do hot dogs next , Lindsay popcorn (Jiffy).  Alie likes organizing the chocolate and graham squares, and J justs loves to run around the yard in the dark, chanting around the flames.  

Every time we roast, they all seem to find the big dipper, shooting stars, satellites, etc. 

 

Nixon keeping his "cool" as his mallows are flaming

Waiting patiently. . .

Ahhh. . . nice and sticky

This is the guy you want, if you want them done "just right".  A little obsessive compulsive?

In the morning, Pineapple Island "sorveys" (as Alie calls them), were served on the balcony just before the tears started flowing.  Parting is such sweet sorrow. Don't worry girls summer is right around the corner!

A Padre Night Out . . .

Saturday night at Petco Park . . .  Always a fun time - there is music to dance to (Lindsay's moves are the best),  enough food to make you sick ( hot dogs, nachos, cotton candy, ice cream, etc.) , Oh . . . and a game to watch.  The Padres played a great game against the Cubs.  We actually stayed past the seventh inning stretch this time!!  Alie says that every time we go, we win.  Apparently, we need to go more often.  If only our stomaches could handle it:)  She kept referring to the runs as goals.  That's my girl!  

Washing it all down with lots of soda.  One happy kid!!

Field Trip. . .

Today was Lindsay's field trip to M&H Landing along the bay.  Some highlights of the trip were:    having a mommy to help chaperon, 

being able to cast out a net and catch some friendly critters of the sea,

waving to nearby boats,

watching the locals snooze,

cruising around on a boat that looked like this one, which had a snack bar providing treats, and a microscope providing better "eyes" for plankton. 

and having the wind set our hair to flight.

The end result - one happy sailor, one wiped out mom:)