Safe Haven

On Saturday I read Nicholas Sparks newest novel Safe Haven.  It was fantastic!!  I would definitely recommend it.  I will say though there were many times throughout my reading that it reminded me quite a bit of a movie I saw starring Julia Roberts many years ago.  Hmm, perhaps that will not be your experience. 

This book is available now in hardback, kindle, nookbook and ibookstore.  The paperback edition will be out on August 2nd.  Hope you can make time to enjoy it!

1st Time Sushi

Jess had Sushi for the first time yesterday at Good Friend in Valley Springs.

Once she got it in her mouth she had to think about it for a second before she decided whether she liked it.

She decided she did!

Yay!  Sushi!!!

Tonight we had fun blowing bubbles in the backyard. I think it's neat how bubbles come out in pictures.
Jess had Mike blow bubbles for her so she could "frolick" in them.


And catch them!

I still love bubbles even as adult.

How Amy Measures Up

Jess keeps getting taller and taller. Sometimes I can't believe how this girl grows! She and Aim compared their heights and it was funny. She's already so much taller!
Madison is getting pretty tall too although I think she has a long way to go to catch up with Jess!



All the kids wanted their turn. Ian is seeing how close he comes to being as tall as Amy. He still has quite a bit of growing to do!






And last but not least little Cano. He giggled after when he looked at his picture. "Look at my belly."

Happy Birthday Mike!!

We celebrated Mike's 34th Birthday on the 11th. His birthday cake was delicious. Chocolate and white cake with a really yummy filling.
He got treated to Outback for his birthday dinner.

It was fun!!

Pier 39

Our last stop of the day was Pier 39. The girls were excited because we missed the carousel at Golden Gate Park and they were able to take a ride on the double decker at the Pier.

We went to the Krazy Hat store and had A LOT of fun. This was Mike's favorite!


My favorite!

Madison's favorite...

Jess's favorite...

and then a couple more that are just kind of crazy.

and crazier

and craziest!

When it was all said and done we had a wonderful day!

and perfect weather!

Auntie Connie told us about the children's playground at Golden Gate Park. It was amazing and both girls LOVED it!

There was a huge rope tree that reaches it's highest point about 25ft in the air. Both girls enjoyed climbing on it. Jess didn't get too far up since she's afraid of heights. But Madi made it all the way!

The children's playground also boasts some awesome concrete slides. We couldn't get over how cool they were. After about 30 slides or so the girls legs were killing them. (Probably didn't help that we'd been walking so much already :)



The slides start up pretty high and the smaller you are the faster you go.

Madison went back and gave the rope tree another shot and made it to the top now that there was nobody standing in her way.

The girls really had fun pushing each other in the spinning tea cups. You can get some good momentum going.

And last but not least. A silly string fight. It was short-lived but fun while it lasted. (And yes we picked up all the silly string and threw it away...)

Now on to Pier 39...

Happy Birthday to my dadio!! He's 61 today!

Japanese Tea Garden

Wow! That's the best word to describe the Japanese Tea Garden. It was my favorite place we went. This is the very first view of the park.

Mike and I in all our photogenic glory!

The girls.


One of the pagodas. The whole garden is so serene. Even with other people walking around it didn't disturb the absolute sense of peace and tranquility.

Mike, Jess and Madison pose for a picture.

I love this picture!!! I'm going to frame it. So many times when you round a bend the view is breathtaking. This was my favorite time!

One of several bridges that goes over one of the many ponds.

Having fun and being silly!

Aw, Mikey made a friend!

Bay at the Beach

We had lunch on the beach. It stayed foggy and windy, but it was still beautiful.


Mike was jealous that the girls were going to walk barefoot so he took off his shoes too so he could feel the sand in his tootsies.



Madison couldn't believe how cold the water was!

The girls are waiting patiently for the next wave to come rolling in. Looks like it's going to be a small one.

Two beautiful girls!