Wednesday, August 26, 2009

the beach...

So...
yesterday my friend got in touch with me (after much trial and error on her part :O)...sorry ash!
She told me that she was headed down to Santa Cruz before her and her sister and their husbands headed back home to Utah.
She invited me and the kids....so we decided to go!
It was really fun (mainly because the kids just really LOVE sand, water, waves, buckets, shovels...and so on:O)
It was also fun catching up with my dear friend!
(however, I'm not sure we'll ever meet up at "the boardwalk" in Santa Cruz ever again:O)
haha...
ANYWAY,
so here are the pics from our little Excursion.
And a big thanks to Mikkel for finding 75 cent hot dogs!
(parking cost an arm and a leg...so at least the kids got a CHEAP meal (and I'm just grateful that they haven't shown any signs of food poisoning:O)....haha, we're not sure about the food standards of the place we picked them up at.
Enjoy the pics.
These kids are so cute.










he's looking so "macho" to me....
or something :O)
me and miss ashley!!!!!








more macho-ness :O)







Saturday, August 22, 2009

vist...graduation....birthday.... = PARTAYYYY!!!!

hello blogging friends and family :O)
I know I've been a slacker this summer...but do you see that I am trying to catch up by all of my marathon entries?
SO,
here goes another "LOTS of pictures" entry!!!
they are out of sequence for the first several pictures as I took some pictures from my moms camera and also was playing around with editing/coloring.....
so I won't give too much info. on the first several pictures.
BUT....
if you are patient, after a while, I will give more info. on the pics!!!
enjoy
SLY!!!!!!!!!!!
now that is a precious smooootch if I do say so myself:O)
And that is a PRECIOUS cheeser as well!
an "it's my birthday and I'll do what I want to", type of cheeser:O)

precious kiss in black and white....
SO ROMANTIC
haha, I know I'm funny, don't worry!!!! :O)



just two little cuties!

Oliver graduated with his PhD!
...bet you thought it was aaron all along:O)
maybe he'll want to be a professional photographer someday....?
hmmm? that would be cool!
our neighbors cute little turtle!!!!
(we really need to get the kids a turtle....they love them so much)


who could resist...

Grandpa J and eliza.....
we miss you dad.

a little oreo's and milk in his "oliver" cup...
YUMMMMMM

geeez...aren't they a cute pair.
grandma j and sister....

ps...this was a VERRRY long flight of stairs up
to the stadium seating for Aaron's graduation.






an afternoon at a Reservoir....
gosh it was BEAUTIFUL!!!!


something so sweet about
daddy and daughter....

I LOVE HIM!



Eliza giving Oliver a haircut with a kitchen Utensil...
went rather well.
haha


We love cupcakes at our house...
LOVE THEM!
(cupcakes WITHOUT the wrapper though...very important.
I don't like cupcakes unless they are "wrapper-less")

TOOO COOOOL!

Oh the joys of DRESSING UP!!!!
one of my very most favorite things to do as a little girl!
(ps...that beautiful apron is from russia...)
SO CUTE!


grandma j and grandpa jon brought oliver THE COOLEST TOY EVER!!!!
A very sturdy, very yellow...very COOOL TONKA TRUCK!
(my dad said he always wanted one of these as a boy and never had one...so he had to get one for oliver....thank you grandpa jon...HE LOVES IT and plays with it EVERYDAY!!!)

so sweet....
we've got ourselves a "dunker"
....actually both of our kids dunk everything.
(thanks to their mother:O)

precious?
I do think so....

The funnnnest mess EVER!!!!!
(packing-popcorn that oliver and grandpa jon cleaned up by putting loads and loads of it into the Tonka truck and then dumping it into a bag....very clever!!!! :O)

oliver and the lady bug...

now this brings tears to my eyes....honestly.
I didn't realize until I was editing this picture that there are 3 different hands together in this picture:
grandma j (nickname = lady bug, or just really in love with them :O), oliver and eliza.
It just seems so symbolic and meaningful to me.
For those who don't know, my mom loves lady bugs. She has them EVERYWHERE decorating her house, and even on her clothes she manages to have at least one on a day.
She even has a beautiful ladybug pillow that oliver fell in love with while she was here visiting.
My mom let him borrow it while she is away in russia, and he takes such good care of it, and sleeps with it EVERY NIGHT!!!!
I love you mom and we miss you so much.
oliver and grandpa jon making the trek up the never-ending stairs!
up-up-up



eliza and "boo-poo"...
they're rarely apart!

love it...
just seems so "BOY!!!!"

love this look on oliver's face...
what are you contemplating boppy???


The Stanford Graduation "WACKY WALK!!!"
(a guy in his underwear and "where's Waldo"... so clever :O)



the best way to kill time......
on granpa jon's shoulders.
thanks dad :O)

Anthony M. Kennedy, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
was the commencement speaker at the ceremony held at the Stanford Stadium.
(It was amazing, and it made me cry...)
(ps...aaron just informed me that this picture is not of Anthony M. Kennedy...it's the President of Stanford....my bad:O)...however, this doesn't change my remarks that I wrote above. It really was a great commencement speech!)
The graduates :O)
(I never saw Aaron THE WHOLE TIME :O(...
Dr. Katz....
and sister
(don't ever call him doctor though..haha)
her face cracks me up in this picture:O)


the simple things...

being cheered up after scuffing her knee,
thanks dad...


wow...she was tired

...and so was he!!!
(thanks for the strong arms mom :O)
(this was at Aaron's School of Engineering graduation on the same day as the "main commencement..."
More personal, and really was very cool!


Aaron and his very cool and Eccentric Advisor,
Professor Jameson.
love him...both of them!

My parents made great timing....
Aaron's graduation, and eliza's 2nd birthday (both on the same day :O)
....it was SUCH A BUSY DAY!

After being gone all day at Aaron's graduation,
I didn't feel like celebrating eliza's birthday...I WAS SOOO POOPED, and so were the kids.
HOWEVER!
Thanks to some encouragement from my mom, aaron and the neighbors (who knew it was eliza's birthday and really wanted to help us celebrate....)
We threw a party together in just minutes
and had a great time.
There are a lot of girls around here that range from 10-12. They were all playing outside, so we invited them in to celebrate eliza's birthday by decorating cupcakes, eating ice cream...and of COURSE singing happy birthday!
It turned out great...really great.
Low key, and just so fun.....
(oliver's "first" cupcake masterpiece)


"the girls", eliza, oliver and grandma j

he was in heaven...

and so was she...

one of the girls' masterpiece....
so creative!

(they thought/think eliza's name is spelled with an "s".....)
that's ok...:O)

a very SLEEEPY sister....
Thanks grandma j and grandpa jon for coming to visit.
We love you so much and miss you so much too.
We had a great time while you were here,
and can't wait to see you "soon" :O)
SLY