My favorite part of summer...

Tan lines in the fat rolls! These pictures doesn't do them justice, but here are Luke's ankle and wrist roll tan lines.

Vacation

We just got back from staying at my parent’s house in Dana Point. We actually only saw them for a day. They were going out of town so we came down to stay in their house while they were gone. We had a fun week. The weather was overcast and cooler for most of the week, but that didn’t stop us from having plenty of beach and pool time. We spent a lot of time with my sister and her kids. It’s nice having them live close to my parents.  I was able to go out to lunch with a few high school friends, which was great! Laurel and Ryan came down one day to hang out. One highlight was we were able to go to Café Rio, yummy. I wish they had one up here! Anyway, it was a pretty low key vacation.

**Spending the afternoon at Aliso Creek in Laguna. One of my favorite beaches growing up.

** Spending time at the Irvine Regional Park. It's this huge park with a little zoo, pond, and there even was a Halloween pumpkin patch.

Luke having fun at the Zoo

Brushing the goats

Rarely am I able to get Carson to look at the camera and smile all  at the same . Way to go me! =)

Facer Fam.

** Dinner at Rubies with the Plewes. Carson loves the old cars out front.

Carson, Luke (rockin' the grilled cheese) and Justin

**I had to add this one of the kids eating popcorn while watching a movie. Check out the 1st picture. See that Luke is on the couch?

After I took the picture, I went to show Becky and came back not even 30 seconds later. And this is how they were:

I don't know who picked him up and brought him down, but obviously they wanted Luke to be part of the fun.

He was mad at me though because I wouldn't let him eat popcorn like the big kids!

** Lunch with Julianne and Jackie. Two of my dearest friends from high school!

In regards to the previous post:

It was nothing too exciting. Carson was chasing his cousin Oliver on my parent's patio. Ollie was jumping off of a patio chair and Carson followed suit. Apparently his balancing skills aren't as advanced as Ollie's... I'm not sure if he hit his head on the table on his way down or if it was just the blunt-force of hitting the concrete that busted it open. I think it was from hitting the ground. It didn't bleed too much and once we started roasting marshmallows he was all better. We let him stay up later than usual to watch for signs of a concussion, but luckily he was fine. To be honest I can't believe this was the first time he has cracked his head open. At least we didn't have to make a ER visit!

It's all fun and games until someone cracks their head open...

Mimi Day

Like promised, here is my Mimi post. We had so much fun, even though it wasn't enough time. I picked Mimi up at the BART station in Pleasant Hill and we got home in time for the babysitter to come. We left the boys and treated ourselves to mani/pedi's and a yummy lunch.

The only picture we got on our afternoon out. Bummer that it's blurry.

 Later that evening Steve, Mimi, and I drove to meet her hubby Dan in Dublin (sort of a half way point from us to Mountain View and ate at Macaroni Grill. Here are a few pictures from outside the restaurant.  I am so lucky to have such a great friend. Even though we don't see each other nearly enough it feels like it's only been a few weeks every time we are together.

Labor Day Fun

We had a fantastic Labor Day Weekend. First, my dear friend and college roommate Mimi took BART up to spend the day with me. She lives in Arizona, but was in South Bay with her in-laws. I'll post more about her visit when she emails me the pictures...Hint, hint, Mimi...

Anyway, My other dear friend and college roommate Laurel (who I see much more often b/c I live near her parents and she lives near mine) told us that she and her hubby are moving from L.A. to Sacramento. We are so excited to only be an hour away! Ryan just finished Orthodontic school at UCLA and got a job in Roseville. Here are some pictures at the Labor Day BBQ we went to at her parents' house in Walnut Creek

Tyler, Justin, Carson, and Kira

*Bonners* McMillans* Plewes*

Leah & Laurel

Book Review #1 A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

I love to read and am always looking for suggestions of good books. I thought I would start writing little reviews on recent books I've read. My latest read was A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard. All I can say is holy crap! It is her biography/memoir of the 18 years she was held in captivity by the hands of a convicted rapist and child molester.

I couldn't put it down. I was worried that it would be a difficult read due to the disturbing nature, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. She is amazingly normal for all the things that happened to her. She had two children while in captivity and they are all currently doing well and living fairly normal lives. It focused a little too much on her cats and the animals she trains in her therapy for my taste. I'm not a huge animal person though so maybe those parts won't drag for you if you are a cat lover. I highly recommend this book. It will remind you of not only the evil in this world, but the good as well. Jaycee's experience exemplifies the strength of the human spirit and the power to overcome anything.

Don't you just wanna kiss that face?

An (after dinner, light is good outside, while Dad and brother are pruning trees) photo shoot. Please note the single tear on his face as well as the pureed carrots.

Milestones

Yesterday Carson pooped in the potty and Luke's first tooth popped through. More information than you probably wanted to hear, but I don't care. Way to go boys!