Time for some pumpkin doughnuts!

Another annual trip to Greenbluff, Washington for singing, doughnuts, doughnuts, pumpkins and fun!

You can take the boy outta Cali

...but you can't get the sand out of his pants!!!

WE LOVE YOU PAPA AND ALL OUR CALI FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!  THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE AND FUN TIMES!!!

The reason we went

It's party time!  The stories we had to tell to trick my Dad, it was so fun but such a relief once the surprise was out.  Karen put on a fabulous party and we got to meet so many of my Dad's friends that knew so much about us.  I told my Dad..."now I know why you are working all the time, because you spend half of it talking about us."  Anyway, part of why I really felt like we should go is because my Dad always did really special stuff with me and my sister for my Grandparents and I knew this would be very special to him (and to us to share this special time with him). 

Also, a wonderful day out in Murrieta with my Mom's side of the family.  Sunny, Carlo, Uncle Terry and Garrett had us out for a wonderful and relaxing time in the backyard by the pool.  Couldn't get these boys out of the water.  So wish we lived just down the street again.  A wonderful childhood growing up with these guys. 

Cutie pie, Miss Georgia with her chickens.

So good to see Gigi, I think just watching all the kids exhausted her :)

Surprise trip to Cali

 Back in July my Dad's girlfriend, Karen, told me she was gonna have a surprise birthday party for him (because he had never had a "proper" party) and really wanted us to try to come.  Mandy, Chris and the boys had already planned on going down for a family vacation but I really wasn't seeing that we could make it.  Well, just a week or so before (and alot of hinting from my sweet cousin Sunny) there was something in me that wouldn't quit...I really felt like we just needed to make it happen.  So Darin (my hero) found tickets that worked great with my schedule and we flew down to surprise Papa!  Karen made up a really great story to get him into the airport!!!

Irvine Spectrum

Another surprise...my Dad had rented a house on Balboa Island (as a surprise for my sister, Chris and the boys), right on the beach.  You could say it was the sprinkles on the chocolate covered banana :) Kinda an accidental vacation on my part.

Sunny, Georgia and Beau came over to play for the afternoon.  They swam and played, rode the ferry and ferris wheel and....got crazy!!!  Such fun with our wonderful family that we miss soooooo much.

Megan, Caelan and Riley came to visit too.  We just strolled down to Marine Avenue and talked and talked.  Miss these guys so much too! 

Sawyer stargazing with Papa Jerry

"The Cousins" have arrived....oh, did they have fun!  Such great bonding time.  Evan is such a great big cousin and Drew is just hilarious.   

Huntington Beach Pier

Someone caught a shark...Sawyer was very intrigued.

Fun Fall Festivities

We decided to go explore down the Cd'A River and we camped on a private island on one of the chain lakes.  Unfortunately, my camera didn't have much battery left so I got some pics of Sawyer on the boat before we left and this other pic in the morning from the island.  So many pics I wanted to take...we put the boat in the water and did not see even one boat in the vicinity (never happens) and the water was like glass on the river...a feeling you can't get anywhere else (especially holding this one tightly in your arms).  Will definitely spend time next summer on this little island!

Canyon's 12th Birthday party!!!  Fun times with all the boys, they are changing so much!!!

They look soooo "related" in this pic

Tractors and flowers go together