some HALLOWEEN favorites!

Ian was very busy eating his banana!! Britten was Darth Vador (i don't think he has even seen star wars), Sarah wanted to be a witch this year and Ian was a little monkey!! Ian below 17 months old!
Britten is 6 1/2!
Sarah is 4 1/2!!
We had such a fun Halloween this year!! I love watching my kids get so excited to get dressed up with the hopes of getting lots of candy!

Soccer Season has come and gone...

Jacob and Britten in the field!
Britten running and in action!
Britten was never afraid to go after the ball.
He is such a fast little runner!
Britten with Andrew and Coach Sabey! He started the season having never played soccer before and he did so well! His coach really taught them positioning and gave them each a chance to play different positions during the game. It was so fun to watch him play this year! I think they tied one game and won the rest!! Way to go EAGLES!

Melting Chocolate Chips = YUMMY

DOES LIFE GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS??

Ian at the pArK!

Santa Monica Pier

I grew up riding bumper cars on the Santa Monica Pier. Sad to say they are no longer on the pier but replaced with a whole bunch of rides. My kids had a blast on the pier! Sarah spotted some "hotten candy" and had to have some! Here we are eating at Bubba Gumps right on the pier.
Ian got his grub on!!
Here is the gang at the bar. They arrived two hours before our reservation. The bartender LOVED them!! He also totally laughed when I showed up at the end of two hours and ordered a "virgin" pina colada!
Here we are on the very end of the pier! I was seriously in Heaven! I had such a great time!
LOVE this shot of Ian.
Uhm here is the guy that does not move until you give him a dollar! The kids were a little scared of him and he tried to get fresh with my dad and myself! Jeff was hiding in the crowd.
Dad with kids and Bubba shrimp guy! It was so fun to see my Dad so relaxed and happy! I think he really enjoyed spending time with his side of the family!
Sarah is hugging the shrimp's tail!
Jeff and kids at beginning of the pier. It was Jeff's first time there and he had a good one!

Fair Well Aunt Sabel

One of the main reasons for our summer Cali visit was to be there for my aunt Sabel's ash spreading ceremony. She passed away a few months back from cancer and it was her wish to have her ashes spread over the cliffs of Palos Verdes. Above are my cousin's Allie and Christian. They lost their mom way to young if you ask me. The fly over after our moment of silence. The timing was impeccable.
Here is a picture of my Dad and his sisters, Ronni and Corel! They are so awesome!
Spreading the ashes over the cliff!
My aunt Ronni read a very sweet poem on the cliff!
My Dad and I.


My auntie Corel and her boyfriend Glen!
Here is the house my grandparents lived in, in Palos Verdes. I remember coming here as a small kid. I used to love winding up the hill to get to their house. It is such a beautiful place.
I was not sure what to expect for my aunt's ceremony, I have never been to one before. It was very sweet and nice to be a part of. My aunt Sabel was a great lady with a great sense of humor. She will be missed much by all of her family.

A Favorite Childhood Memory!

This is where my Grandma and Papa lived when I was a child.  This was the highlight of my summers!  My mom would put my brother and myself on a plane and we would stay with Grandma in Santa Monica for a month or so.  Papa always picked us up in his Cadillac with their dog Buffy.  He would drive us home and Grandma would be there waiting!  Of course she immediately made us her famous yummy pancakes!  Well they weren't famous they were just Bisquick but they never tasted better! 
Every time I am in LA I take a trip by Marguerita and 18th Street.  It is a walk down memory lane.  It always feels a bit odd that someone else lives in my Grandma's house, but I could sit for hours taking in the memories!  I love the picture above because it is on the front side of the house.  It is the color of pink that the whole house once was.  It is fun to show Britten and Sarah where I used to come as a kid.  Below they are sitting on the front step.
Here it is!  My mom has the building plans and I think it would be cool to build someday!  Good thing I know a builder...
We had such a great time in California!  More pictures and stories to come!  I decided next summer we are going to rent a condo on the beach and live there for about 6 weeks!  Love the California sun!