Saturday, June 23, 2012

A Rapunzel Party


 Tahlia had a Rapunzel party for her 4th birthday and Riley had a blast celebrating with her!

Here's the oh so cute Rapunzel cake!
 Riley came in her Rapunzel dress and one of her two Rapunzel wigs!  This girl likes to do things big!
The girls had a tea party outside and it was so cute!
 Here's the Birthday Princess Tahlia!
 And this guy?  He's such a good girl dad!  Jason sported a Rapunzel wig in front of all of Riley's friends and they thought it was soooo funny!  Someday he won't get away with these kinds of things but for now he gets cool points!
By the way in this picture this is Riley arguing with him and making sure he knows that he is NOT Rapunzel!

Tessa got to play too!! Tahlia's little brother, Lochlan, is only a month older than Tessa and they had fun playing on the playmat together!

The girls were playing so well so we were able to stay and have dinner with them as well!  Tahlia's dad is in the Australian Air Force and is part of an exchange program so they have been in the US for almost 3 years!  They are such a great family and we will sure miss them when they go back "down under"

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Tennis Time!

 Riley got to take tennis lessons this summer and it was so fun!

I wasn't sure how five 4 year olds learning tennis would go but they really did great!

Here's the girls ready to hit the courts!

 Coach Tom was GREAT and he made is so fun and understandable for them!  First they went around checking out all the lines and learning what they meant!
 Then a little game of freeze tag to break things up!
 First he taught them some swings using just their hands...sort of like giving him a high five!

Then he handed them rackets and they were so excited!
 This was a game called Jail Break...if the girls didn't hit the ball over the net they had to go to the other side and be in jail.  They could get out of jail by catching a ball.  Riley did great and never wound up in jail!
 Learning the backhand stroke!
 My little tennis girl!  She did great!  This was a casual set up and I knew Riley would only get to go for a few weeks before we left on our trip but it was worth it and hopefully we can pick it up again when we get back!
Tessa stayed in the stroller so the likelihood of her getting hit with a wandering tennis ball stayed at a minimum!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Father's Day in Monterey!

 Jason is an AWESOME Dad and for Father's Day he wanted to go on an adventure!

We decided Monterey would be a great weekend getaway and when we scored a suite at the Navy Postgraduate School the trip was a go!

We left Friday afternoon, hit Inn N Out for dinner, and got into Monterey later that night.  Tessa slept most of the way seeing that we left close to her bedtime.  She woke up for the last 30 minutes of the ride and wasn't too happy but we pushed on so we could get there and get settled!  

The Navy school is nice...I love the buildings and the architecture!

The suites are great because there is a kitchenette (with a Kuerig coffee machine), a living room with a pull out couch, and a closed off bedroom.  It was the perfect setup for two little kiddos!  Riley had her own room in the living room on the pull out couch, we had the bedroom, and Tessa's little pack 'n play fit perfectly in the closet!  We got in and got the girls settled and got some sleep!

Saturday morning we went to breakfast at a place called Great Awakenings that we recommended by some friends!  We sat outside with the great crisp morning weather and had a delicious breakfast!

Me and my girls!
 Jason and his girls!
 Jason was really looking forward to boogie boarding with Riley...it's something he always loved to do at the beach and wanted to share that experience with her!  The water in the Pacific is FREEZING so we knew she'd have to have a wetsuit!  I had found a place that rented wetsuits and boogie boards so we set off to get all of their equipment!

The shop had recommended Carmel Beach so we headed over there and got a spot on the beach...the weather was picture perfect and the water was SO beautiful!
 
Riley quickly got her wetsuit on and was ready to hit the waves!

 These two had a BLAST boogie boarding!  Riley was a champ!  Tessa and I would occasionally walk out to watch her do her thing and one of the first times I watched I saw a wave knock her down and I thought "uh oh...tha'ts the end of this" but she got right up and went right back to catch a wave...she was so tough!
 Tessa had fun relaxing on the beach like a bathing beauty!

 Me and Sweet T!

 This was our set up at the beach and it worked out perfect!  We could warm up some water in the baby pool, Tessa took a nap in the pea pod tent, and we had shade from the umbrella!

 The girls playing in the pool while we packed everything up!

 We took the boards and wetsuits back to the rental shop and then went to a great place for burgers!  Riley had totally passed out in the car but managed to make it through dinner and then we went back to the hotel to all get some rest...it was a great day but we were all exhausted!

Sunday morning we headed to the wharf and had some breakfast crepes on the pier...it was so fun!
 Father's Day with his girls!
 There were some vendors just off the wharf so we strolled through and got a few fun things!  Riley got some new feathers in her hair and now she tells everyone "I got them in Monterey"..haha!
 We headed up to Jack's Peak to do some hiking and Jason found the perfect walking stick and got it all ready for Riley!
 She's all ready with her hiking stick!
 Tessa hiked with me in the Ergo!
 Riley loved this hike and the views were great!  She was our "hiker leader" and told us about every species of animal and type of tree...she knew it all!

Her and Jason even pushed a tree over...they are so strong!

 After hiking I cashed in on some one on one time with Riley which was much needed!  We went paddle boating and I had the best time with her!

 She couldn't quite reach the pedals so that was a bummer but she helped me do the steering and she told me where to go!
 After paddle boating we went to Dennis the Menace park where they had all kinds of great play equipment!
 Wheeeee!

 This weekend was just wonderful!  It was a great chance for us to getaway and just have some quality family time!  Most of all it was a great Father's day for Jason! 


Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Last day of school!

 It's hard to believe that Riley is already done with 3 Year Old Pre-School!

It has been such a good year for her and we are so glad we made the transition from the CDC to Shepherd of the Hills.  It is such a wonderful school and is a huge part of laying the right foundations for her.

We wanted to do something special for her teachers and with the big heart Riley has she wanted to do something for ALL of the teachers that spent time with her...her teacher, her teacher's sub, the class aid, and her Cherub's teachers!

Of course Pinterest was helpful for this kind of thing and we did beach/summer themed buckets with towels, lemonade, sunscreen, candy, and gift cards!

She wrote her name on the notes for each teacher and had a great time helping me get the buckets all put together!

 The finished product!
 Happy girl!
 On her last day of school they had a cute program for us parents and sang a bunch of songs...they were too cute for words!

Here is Zeke, Riley, Carter, and Alexis!
 Her sweet Daddy brought her some flowers and he outdid himself with these beautiful tulips...she was OVER THE MOON with these!
 After the program they had refreshments for everyone..."one more doughnut mommy?"...this girl knows how to work it with this face!
 Family Pic!
 Riley and her wonderful teacher Miss Stacey!
What a great end to a fun year for Miss Riley!

Friday, June 1, 2012

Cutting those locks!

 Riley went in for only her second hair cut ever!  

Her hair has gotten so long but it just needed to be evened out and cut so the curls can bounce a little better!

Danielle did a great job and made it fun for her!


 Getting to see her "Ariel" hair for the first time!

 I can not believe how grown up she looks when her hair is blow dried straight!
 Here she was after her first haircut...just before she turned 3!

 Tessa pretty much snoozed through most of Riley's haircut!

 What a beautiful girl...inside and out!