Getting ready to read!

I was making lunch and then suddenly... it was quiet.

Too quiet.

I instantly wondered what kind of trouble they were getting into now.

Then I remembered the library books that I had just put out on the coffee table for them.

This is what I found!!

2 sweet little thomases sitting quietly while reading library books!

Sally and Mary both love books so much. It is a pleasure to take them to the library and to give them books as gifts because it is just the best thing - better than TV!

Its HOT in San Diego!

The dog days of summer are just beginning to hit us here in beautiful San Diego -- we feel it so much (although about 3 miles from the coast) due to not having air conditioning.

To stay nice and cool we are enjoying some water play in our backyard with our "shamu" pool ~ really just a whale pool that Mary has named shamu ~ and our fun sprinkler hook up toy.

I am doing lots of bathing suit laundry around here and lathering up of sunscreen like you would not believe! Today I was so desperate for a clean suit for Mary that I actually (NO REALLY!) got out a needle and thread and repaired a suit while my highly impressed girls looked on. I was a super hero to Mary when the straps on her top were fastened back on and we were ready to take on shamu.

When the evening rolls around and the house is too hot to enjoy (after sweaty naps) we hang out in our backyard once again for some hammock time!





(You can see our veggie garden in the back ground. We are growing: carrots, arugula, brussels sprouts, artichokes, tomatoes, corn, basil, rosemary, thyme... and a few other herbs)

Happy 4th of July 2009!!

This year to celebrate the 4th of July we headed up to Manhattan Beach to house-sit for Mimi and Popi while they were in Genoa.




We had fun walking to get our coffee in the morning and going to the beach for a little bit each day to play in the sand.




We also had a BLAST at Auntie Monica's house for her big party!!


















Here are the girls walking up to the party at Monica's in their festive new outfits (from Nana for their birthdays)





























Here is Sally getting toasty in Monica's turtle neck sweater before we head to the roof top patio at her home for a 360 view of the beautiful fireworks along coastal LA County!!


















The girls were both seeing fireworks for the first time ~ ever!! Normally they have been too young and asleep by the time it is dark... but not this year! Miss Mary being 4 years old wanted to stay up for the fun!

Happy 4th Birthday to Mary!

July 1st 2005 our baby girl Mary was born in San Diego at Sharp Grossmont Hospital at approximately 8:50pm. All went well and there were no complications during the pregnancy, labor or delivery. Clifford was a little jealous at first - and he never got over it.

This week she is attending "Garden Camp" through the La Jolla YMCA - a program for 3-5 year old children. She thought that she was going to Kindergarten ("kinder-garden!") and was really excited, but I had to break it to her that she has another year. Little Miss Independent would be the type of kid that would never want to be part of any homeschool program.... especially since she has informed me several times that she is going to be a "bride when she is 18 and have a baby in her tummy that wants to be born... [and that she] is going to marry Pablo".

Over this past weekend on Saturday (after her day of Kayaking) we went to the Corvette Diner with my Mom to celebrate her 4th a little early. It moved from Hillcrest to one of the first buildings at the former Naval Training Center in Pt. Loma. Click here if you want to read a little press release about the restaurant - it is awesome and we had a blast!

Mary goes Kayaking for the first time!

Mary and her Dad went out on the Mission Bay in San Diego for her first time on a kayak! She was really excited to be out in the middle of the bay and picked some kelp out of the water. The weather was perfect that day and even little Sally had a good time getting her toes wet.

Mary and Sally celebrate the Graduation Season!

Miss Addie Rowe (our second cousin once removed) graduated from Chadwick High School on June 14th and we drove up to Palos Verdes for her party and to celebrate her accomplishment of attending USC this Fall! Go Trojans!

Addie, Me, Sally and Molly
(Molly took great care of Mary in Genoa when she went up with
her Popi and Mimi later on that same week for about 5 days)

Me and my Dad

Sandy (Mimi), Me and Dad (Popi)

Me with Great Aunt Barbara and her first born (of 9) Alice

Mary met her match! This is her 3rd cousin twice removed (?) Abby.
They are both the same age and met for the first time at the party.

The girls had a blast playing the drums! I believe they are
musically inclined thanks to the Thomas side of the family.

Sally meets the Umana boys and baby Jack!

While Mary was in Genoa with her Mimi and Popi, Sally and I drove up to Orange County to visit with some of my friends and their children. My friend Jen has a little baby boy Jack that is 6 months old! My friend Stephanie from high school has 4 boys! I only wish that I lived in Orange County to be closer to these great Moms/Women, but we are very happy in San Diego.
Sally and I stayed at her Nana's house (my Mom) for the night.

Thank you Nana for letting us stay the night!

Nana keeps a box of my (yes Julie's!!) old toys for the
girls to play with. Or - to play in...

Me holding Jack and Jen holding Sally.
The kids were a little jealous.

Jack drinking water, but not about to miss a photo opportunity!

This is Sally with Stephanie's youngest boy Ruben.
They were a little unsure of each other.

Paolo with Sally

Paolo (8), Ruben (2), Luca (6) and Marco (7)
(AKA - future Husbands for my girls)
They really are as sweet and polite as they look in this photo!!

Stephanie and her sisters (the Umana ladies) opened
The Umana Academy of Fine Arts in 2004!
We got a tour of the school that currently enrolls Tiny Tots - 7th grade

Stephanie Umana Russell - Tiny Tots and Pre K Director and Founder
Check out the school!