For the Love of Hydrangeas

love my hydrangeas this time of year
this year has been so great for flowers and gardens

speaking of gardens
can you spy with your little eye

 

a tomato cage!!

someone puts them all around our yard in little nooks and crannies...

kinda drives me batty, but I guess I enjoy the fruit of it!

I did not take a pic of our little peach tree, but it was fruitful

this is what I did capture for whatever reason
smashed peaches all over the sidewalk
so I guess boys like to smash stuff up and so sometimes you gotta let em

but it did create this

and brought baby bunny out

 

there are many many many bunnies in our yard
just glad they did not eat all my impatiens and black-eyed susans this year

and just for fun
this guy sure loves his baby sister
he had not been holding her too much, and whenever we snap a picture,
either Evan or Lydia holds her
recently I suggested he can hold her in a group pic
and oh boy, he was THRILLED! 

 

gets kinda happy to hold her ever since...

Beach Holiday

We went on holiday...

(I love to say that verses "vacation")

traveled to Florida, by car from the heartland,

it really was not too bad, we only went to the panhandle.

I took waaay too many pics, like 600 -ridiculous!

And I have this problem, not being able to delete some, even if the shot is sooo similar to the next one. 

Here is Lydia holding a jellyfish!

With red snowcone "lipstick".

All this pics are unedited - cept for the last one of our fam - cropped and "auto" fixed in PSE!

my little model!

Evan loves the beach, waves, shells, etc

Lydia loved the noodle-

she went under with this one though!

We had some big waves on some beaches!

loved, loved the boogie boards too.

The house we rented had a couple of them,

she was a little leary as it was a "boy" one, but

she soon got over it!

this one quite liked the beach too!

not too shy,

kept getting more and more daring.

She wanted her daddy

 to keep taking her in the water to "jump" the waves!

This guy waaay shy about the water,

(he fell in a hotel pool in April - daddy was right there, but he swalled a couple of good mouthfuls and has made him scared ever since)

but did not stop him from finding all kinds of treasure!

tons of finds

had to show me everytime.

every time.

This boy drinking a chocolate milkshake

that we were all "sharing", told his brother,

"Cyrus, once you put your lips on it,

you just can't stop"

needless to say it disappeared quickly!

Loved my pirates.

Doesn't being on a play wooden ship

turn you into a pirate!

my beach boys. 

they were being so cute-

I love it when everyone is getting along-

beach/holdiay atmosphere helps!

I just wanted to yell at that guy in the background-nobody

else around and he has to stand right there!

Didn't he know I was trying to capture a moment!!!

she did not want to stop

once she got a taste of this

Pretty sure she was thinking,

"hey, I want to ride more why did it stop?"

Here we are-

almost got everyone looking!

I started off wearing my swim cover as being pregnant in a swimsuit

is not all that fun for me, but eventually it was hot, and I just wore the darn thing (maternity suit)  - I never wore one with the others!

Growing Pumpkins

Man, I fail miserably to post! 
We have the best down home pumpkin patch in our backyard practically.  It truely is one of the nation's best actually - in the top 10 of pumpkin patches.  I am not sure who keeps that list?!
I did not even get great pics this year.  But I thought I would throw these up as our pumpkins are growing!

This man is 7 now! 

So he is Evan, and 7 and (usually!) a slice of Heaven!

I usually get a way better smile than this!

Oh, don't even get me started on that tongue!

I don't know why he started doing this lately for pictures!

And this wee one!

This is the best I could do - as we all know

17 month olds do not stay put!

Than my camera battery died shortly after...

Anyway, we were here for some festive fall cheer!



A Family Trip to San Diego

I love the beach.  Someday I tease Evan that he is going to build me a cottage (just a little one) on the beach.  I wonder if people who live near the beach take it for granted - if it becomes an old hat for them.
We had a very nice vacation/business trip.  I have so many pictures, I am looking forward and at the same time dreading putting them together on Shutterfly in an album.

He loves the water & sand

He was not so sure the first day

I think she enjoyed her 1st trip to the beach.

We had a picnic one day and fed a squirrel a cheeto.

This squirrel would have sat on our picnic blanket had we let him!

worn out kiddo

She is my "easiest" to snap a picture of

who is that girl?

Happy kiddo

I love these simple moment pics - nothing fancy, not even looking at the camera

He was having fun

please do not eat it

please!

I do not even have words for this one,

except for melt my heart

She turned 5 on me on our vacation....boo hoo!

While dad was doing business at the coin show in Long Beach,

we went to a local park for awhile

then headed over to the Aquarium of the Pacific,

which was very neato indeed!

And I may add we timed it perfect as all the school field trips (school was still in session for them)

were leaving and the summer crowds had not begun!

touched some stingrays

posed

Evan not happy to be posing

played

"I Spy"

I love this guy.

so pretty

pink is my favorite color.

we had a small melt down at one point.

But did become happy especially when we bought him his "souvenir"

happy as can be on the longish walk back to the car ~

but I got free parking!

We went to the Mission in San Juan Capistrano 

we have read Song of the Swallows

so I wanted to take the kids there.

went to a stinky beach - Cy did not like the smell

it actually was not that bad and I have a sensative nose myself

stroller worked well on this beach

Evan always-always lingering...

We played at the park at this beach as it was cooler and evening was setting in.

Aliza loved the slide - just ask her dad how much...

97-98 times??

Skipper

They got to turn some thingy ma jig

How confusing is this?

Can you spy the workers?

"Straw Hair" at the Corvette Cafe -

cute place, the staff sing & dance

and there is a balloon guy

that makes lightsabers (and other things)

If he is not lingering,

he is frolicking

we took our umbrella,

next time I want to remember our little tent.

I think that would be fun.

I love Cyrus behind Evan

really enjoying the warm sand and sun!

And this wee one kept doing this!

I already want to plan another beach trip!