4th of July Camping Trip!

We had so much fun this 4th of July!  We knew we wanted to go camping but we planned it sort of last minute, so the only nearby place we could find with availability was in Petaluma.  Tory has been up there many times because there is a big salvage yard where he buys a lot of reclaimed wood for his projects.  The KOA campground there is actually pretty fancy; in fact, they call it "glamping."  We stayed in a tent, which almost no one else did.  Most people opt for cabins, many of which have gas BBQ's and air conditioning, or gigantic trailers, one of which cost something like $800,000!  For Tory, the best part of camping is "the struggle," so he and I didn't mind sleeping in a tent or cooking over our little camp stove for a few days.

Our friends the Herricks came with us and we had a great time together.  It was great watching Skyla play with their girls, and it was fun for us to have company at night once the kiddos went to bed.  Our first day was jam-packed with fun.  We started by heading down together to the petting zoo, which the girls loved!  Skyla and Zoe traveled in style in the wagon -- fun!

Right after that we hit the pool.  It was extremely hot so we all enjoyed splashing around.  I don't know if anyone had more fun than Skyla.  We bought her a floaty so we could swim with her and she loved it!  One of the most vivid, beautiful memories I will always have of this trip is of us swimming together: I held her at arm's length and twirled her around in a circle, and she leaned her head back grinning from ear to ear.  She was the possibly the happiest I have ever seen her, which of course made me float on air.  I wish we had a pool!

 After the pool our little glamour girl needed a nap, but not before she struck a few adorable poses:

It was extremely hot, as I said, so Skyla slept in just a diaper.  It took her a little longer than usual to wake up after her nap, which we didn't mind because we got some good snuggle time: 

The next day we checked out some of the other things the camp had to offer, like the giant playground.  After that it was back to the pool!

After we slummed it camping for a few days, we decided to spend our last evening of the trip in downtown Petaluma. We fell in love!  It has all these old factories that have been refurbished into cute little stores and restaurants, and a lot of it is right on a river so it has a unique feel.  We walked around quite a bit, got a drink at a cute Mexican place in a courtyard where there was a live band, then got dinner at a restaurant right on the water.  It was awesome!

That night after our girl was all settled inside the tent, we made S'mores with the Herricks.  A great way to end our camping adventure!

Fun times with Daddy

One of the best things about Tory's schedule is that he is free a lot when most other people aren't (in the middle of the afternoon, for instance).  That means we get to do lots of fun activities together as a family.

Recently we had a fun little adventure in Dolores Park and met up with some friends.  On the way back to the car we had to walk up a very steep hill but Tory made it fun by letting Skyla ride on his shoulders:

A couple of days later we took a little trip to a park down on the Embarcadero and had lots of fun spinning, running, and playing.  As usual, seeing the two of them together melted my heart :)

Last day of school!

The last day at LPSI was pretty bittersweet.  I am so proud of Skyla and how far she has come this year, but I know I will miss it so much.  I'm really happy that we are doing Spazio Gioco again next year so I can keep coming to school with her.  It's easily the best part of my week and I think it's the best part of hers as well.  We get to read and play together and sing Italian songs.  One of the best parts for me is seeing her interact with her teachers and other students, especially now that she's comfortable with them.

On the last day, she was very busy painting and playing.  We took a few pics of her teachers (who probably won't be returning next year, or at least not for her age group) and said good-bye to all of her friends who will be moving up to the next age group next year.  It was a wonderful year and I can't wait to see what the next year will bring!

My bday and big news

I didn't want to do a huge birthday party/celebration for myself this year (in fact, I don't know that I ever want to again!) so this year we decided to just have a few friends over for dinner.  We were very happy that Melissa and Joel were visiting so they could come, along with Casey and Matt, and Natalie. We did make-your-own BBQ pizza and had a little champagne bar so everyone got to make fancy girly drinks.  We also broke the news that we were expecting in a creative way.  It was Tory's idea to tell them with a message on the cake, which was fun, but it was hard to not spill the beans!

A few days later we were finally ready to break the news to everyone else.  We decided to have Skyla help us deliver the message by doing a little photo shoot of her wearing a Big Sister t-shirt.  We kept asking her if she wanted a sister or brother and her reactions were hilarious!

First, total shock: 

Then, anger.  No!  I don't want to share my parents!

                                           

Then, excitement.  Yay!  A playmate!

                                           

                                           

                                           

Then, an interesting notion.  Hmmmm I wonder what I can get away with...

                                           

And finally, a realization.  I'm gonna have to be tough to take care of my sibling.  I got this.