July, so far

So far, July has been a pretty hectic month. We started it off by welcoming home an old friend who had been on deployment for the last six months. We got to watch him fly in on his helicopters, and then Jack got to actually sit in one.

Here is the sign that Jack helped me make:



That evening, we drove up to the Bay Area to celebrate the life of a dear friend who left us last year, way too soon. We stayed with Jack's Ammah and Appah, and he was loving all the attention. Coincidentally, his Auntie Renee and Uncle Adam were also up for a visit. It was a nice opportunity for our entire family to be together.

Even though the occasion was sad, we had a lovely time seeing old friends. For the Fourth of July, we went to backyard barbecue where we ate way too much good food, including homemade ice cream and homemade cheesecake - yum! Every kid but mine lit sparklers.



Jack was scared of the noise. When the big fireworks show started, we had to put earplugs in his ears.

The following day, we caught up with some dearly missed friends who had moved away from San Diego last year. It was so wonderful to see Kelly, Kingsley, and Charlie again. We've missed them so, so much. I can't believe how big the boys are, especially little Charlie, who looks more and more like his beautiful mama. We met at the amazing Howarth Park in Santa Rosa, along with some other San Diego friends who happened to be in town.

The boys loved riding the train (twice!) and the merry-go-round, playing in the sand and on the play structures, and running through the sprinklers. And that wasn't even half of everything there was to do there. I guess we'll just have to make another trip back someday soon!

Our last day in Northern California was pretty mellow. Daddy and Ammah took Jack to the park while Mommy had some personal time to herself. We drove back down that night. A special thank you to Ammah and Appah for putting us up and putting up with us!

On Daddy's last day of vacation, he took Jack to Sea World and rode the Elmo Flying Fish ride with him SEVEN times. What a trouper!

That was our first week of July. We'll see if the rest of the month is just as eventful.