Happy Father's Day!

My dad, Nick, my kids' dad, and Goggle-boy

My dad's dad
aka. Grandpa

Daddy Kev

Ainsley and Jase

A someday-dad

aka. Cousin Mason =)

On the way home from Napa, Kev and I stopped in Arcadia at a park near my grandparents' house for a little family barbeque and Father's Day celebration. We played a little baseball, ate a couple brats, and had a nice relaxing time. Thanks to his mom, Vance took a digger on the run from second base to third. That kid never fails to get hurt! Thankfully the tears were relatively short lived - Cousin Emma's M&Ms quelled them fast! Later Grammy broke out the Hersey's chocolate for s'more makin'. Funny how he's never hungry until there's candy around. Hmmm... And since things were a bit hectic with us just getting back, Kev was promised a Father's Day celebration later with just his kids and me. I haven't forgotten!

Napa!

The Lone Cypress

(17 Mile Drive, Monterey)

Frogsleap Winery

Bouchon Bakery

(they have the most awesome macaroons!)

In part to celebrate our anniversary, and in part because we just plain wanted to, Kev and I took a long-overdue, adult-only weekend trip to Napa. We left the kids with my folks, and drove up to Carmel on Thursday. We had dinner at Hogsbreath, and stayed at the Quail Lodge, which was very nice. Friday morning we got moving (entirely too early!), and headed out to 17 mile drive. From there we headed north for another 3 hours or so, until we got to Napa. I had never been, so it was an especially nice treat for me. We visited Cakebread Winery on Friday, and then 5 more wineries on Saturday! My Aunt Terry set us up at Nickel & Nickel, which was very nice - they have a great tour, and if you like Cabernets, that is the place. I also really enjoyed Frogsleap Winery, which serves a small snack with their tasting and has beautiful grounds. (They also have an awesome Sauvignon Blanc.)

In any case, the whole trip was over much too soon. Though I must admit it was nice to get home and have the kids so excited to see me. All the more reason to do trips like this more often! (wink, wink)

Vacation Part II: Virginia

Vance and Nicholas

Bathtime!

Brian & Liz

Strawberry picking

Nicholas!

Playing in the pool - it sure felt great!

Pam & Mackenzie

Canoeing on the pond behind Pam & Tony's

Tony and Ainsley

Catching fireflies

Twinsies!

My beautiful Goddaughter, Mackenzie

Virginia Living Museum

Headed home

(enjoying yogurt covered pretzels)

Thank goodness for portable DVD players!

Tuesday afternoon we made it down to Chesapeake, Virginia. One of my best girlfriends, Liz, whom I've known since 4th grade lives there with her husband, Brian, and their two kids, Nicholas (2 1/2) and Mackenzie (2 mo.). Liz's parents, Pam and Tony, (who happen to be some of my parents' best friends) live a mile down the road. We had a wonderful visit with all of them. They were so hospitable! Wednesday they took us strawberry picking and then we enjoyed a dip in their pool. That night Pam and Tony invited us to dinner. The big boys took the little boys out on the canoe, and after dinner, Vance had a great time trying to catch fireflies, which were so cool (I had never seen any before)! Then on Thursday we went to the Virginia Living Museum which had a lot of aquarium animals as well as some play areas. The kids had a really good time. As always, the visit was way too short! We left Friday afternoon to begin the long trek home. Vance was a champ like always, and Ainsley only had a few melt-downs coming home. Despite the hecticness of traveling with kids, we had a terrific time!