Great Friends

Taylor has made some great friends through soccer and even though they are not all on the same team this year, they work hard to get together and support each other. Maylie and Taylor are thrilled to be together again and they had a lot of fun today cheering for both sides this afternoon as Lauren's team battled Emily's team. They had even more fun getting together after the game for a pool party and dinner celebration. It didn't matter who won. They were just happy to be together. Great friends!

Lauren, Maylie, Felicia, Taylor and Emily

Charlie's Angels

Taylor had her 1st game of the season this morning in the blazing heat. Luckily, we played at 9:15! We all had butterflies in our bellies before the game, but the girls focused, played hard and didn't let the heat stop them. Taylor played all 4 quarters at left forward (this has really been the position for her). She had some great crosses and scored 2 beautiful goals in the teams 7-3 victory over the Pink Panthers.

I am assistant coaching again for Coach Charlie and having a ball. I love seeing the skills we practice come into play during the game and watching the girls advance their game over the course of the season. We have high hopes for the 10 game season and are glad to have started on such a high note!

Weekend Getaway

My parents flew in to SD Saturday morning for a weekend with us. We met them at the hotel, got checked in and watched a little baseball before heading downtown for dinner and the Padres game. We ate at Joe's Crab Shack, which we never even knew existed downtown. The kids ordered crab legs and had fun learning how to open them on their own. Taylor had an easier time than Allison!

Allison really loved the mozzerella sticks before dinner!

Taylor gets crackin!

Padres vs. Cardinals

The Pads lost 7-0, but it was an action-packed game.

On Sunday, we ventured over to Seaport Village since it was such a pretty day. We found the Village Faire hat shop and everyone had fun trying stuff on.

This girls loved having the birds crawl on their arm and head. Luckily, no poop!

We boarded the SEAL at 1:00 for a 1/2 hour tour on land and an hour on the bay. We had never done this before and we all really enjoyed it, minus the tour guide's annoying laugh!

Entering the bay at Shelter Island.

Sea lions, up close and personal!

After the tour, we said our goodbyes and thank yous and headed back home to get ready for the school and work week. It was a nice getaway.

Happy 40th (I hope she doesn't mind me sharing that)!

What better place to have a breakfast birthday lunch than at Southcoast Winery? I told Lisa I wanted to take her there to celebrate her big 4-0. I didn't tell her that we would have company! When she arrived, she was thrilled to see Laura, Leslie, Karen and Shawn joining us for breakfast.

Southcoast is "famous" for their Vanilla Creme Loaded Banana Pancake and it is fabulous, especially with toasted coconut on top. I have built this thing up pretty good and it didn't disappoint. Our very kind waiter brought us one as a Birthday Breakfast appetizer. It is the sweetest, richest, gooeyist pancake ever and all of the ladies loved it.

We had a great time sharing 1st week of school stories, discussing puberty and how to deal with it and the many other "girly" topics of the morning. Lisa opened a few very nice gifts and thanked us for our friendship. I think we should make this a birthday tradition...

The First Day!

The wasn't a whole lot of enthusiasm this morning in our house. No one was ready for summer to end, but we didn't have a choice. I packed lunches, curled hair, put a few school supplies in their backpacks and got a few quick photos before we headed out the door.

They wouldn't dare let me take a picture in front of the school (so sad). I got a quick kiss from Taylor and she was off to find her friends. Definitely a 5th grader!

Allison did let me walk with her and snap a few photos before saying goodbye. She was happy to see lots of familiar faces in her classroom. I can't wait to hear all of their stories at 3:20!Allison and Abby are happy to be together again!

And They're Off

Matt has his 20 year high school reunion tomorrow night and decided last minute to drive up for it. I've got a busy weekend with soccer practice and a training class, but he offered to take the girls for a getaway at Grandma and Papa's. Taylor doesn't want to miss practice tonight, but Allison jumped on the opportunity. She can't wait to go to California Pizza Kitchen tonight and spend the night at Uncle Chris' tomorrow night. One last Hoorah before school starts! Have fun you two!

It's Official...

The girls couldn't be more excited! Tonight was the Ice Cream Social and Meet the Teacher event at school. There seems to be so much anxiety leading up to this night. Who will the girls' teacher be and what friends will they have in their classes? Well, we finally got our answers tonight.

Taylor is thrilled to have Mrs. Atkinson for a 3rd time. She has been blessed to have her for 2nd and 4th grade and now gets to spend her last elementary year with her for 5th. It will actually be a 4th/5th combo class with a lot of very strong students. She has several friends from both grade levels in her class and she is excited to get 5th grade underway. I, on the other hand, will certainly cherish this year before sending Taylor off to middle school. Boo hoo!

Allison is thrilled (and so am I) to have Mrs. Falciano for 2nd grade. She has had a tough time pronouncing her name tonight, but I'm sure that won't take long! We have heard wonderful things about her from families who have had her in previous years and we feel very lucky to have Allison in her class. It is a big jump from 1st to 2nd grade and I can't wait to see her blossom this year. I think Mrs. Falciano will be the perfect fit!

School supplies are purchased, new shoes are in the closet, the girls have fresh haircuts and I think we are ready for the school year to begin. Monday is the big day!

Catalina Island

We said goodbye to Girl Scouts with a final field trip to Catalina Island. The girls worked hard selling cookies and this was the big reward. It was a bittersweet, event-filled day. We left home at 7 am to catch the Catalina Express in Dana Point. The girls found seats up top and had fun sitting all together, sharing snacks and summer stories.

They braved the chilly ocean air for some cool dolphin sightings and views of the coastlines.

Emily, Taylor, Savannah and Rachel

Here is a shot of the harbor and town from the boat terminal. The houses on the hillsides were just spectacular.

Whenever we see news stories or weather reports from Catalina, this is the building we always see on TV. It is the Avalon theater and museum that sits just at the tip of the island.

Once off the boat, we headed right to Catalina Snorkel and Scuba for our guided snorkel tour. Many of the girls had never snorkeled before so this was a real treat. Watching them get into their wetsuits was hilarious. I think the process of wetsuits, masks and fins took nearly an hour!

Unfortunately, I couldn't take any photos in the water, but the girls had so much fun at Lover's Cove. We saw hundreds of Bass and Garibaldi (our state fish) and loved when the guide threw in fish food to create a feeding frenzy. We literally had fish surrounding us and tapping on our masks! We made sure to keep our hands in closed fists so the bass wouldn't mistake our fingers for food.

Lover's Cove

After snorkeling we walked into town for a late lunch. The girls couldn't resist this cute photo opportunity with the seal lion.

Some of the kids wanted burgers and fries and others wanted tacos. Coyote Joe's satisfied everyone's wishes and allowed us to put our feet up for a while too!

Coyote Joe's

With the remaining hours on the island, we shopped a little for souvenirs and found this great ice cream shop called Big Olaf's of Catalina. Delicious! Then it was off to the beach for an hour

on the sand and in the water. Taylor and Emily will sure miss each other in Girl Scouts.

Catalina '09

A few last shots before the boat took us back to Dana Point. We were all exhausted and a little sunburn, but we had a ball and will miss doing these kinds of events. Girl Scouts has certainly allowed both Taylor and I to experience so many things we would have never done otherwise. I think I will actually miss it more than Taylor will!!

Meeting Sweet Olivia

The girls have been dying to meet sweet little Olivia. Unfortunately we had to wait until Taylor got over her cold. Olivia is already 10 days old, but still looks "oh so little". We all took turns holding her, rubbing her feet and kissing on her. The girls will love having her so close and watching her get a little bigger before they move away in November :( Here are some of our favorite shots from the day...