I feel like we were away from home for most of June. As soon as we were unpacked and the laundry was done from one trip, it was time to repack our suitcases and hit the road again! Before we went on our annual San Diego trip, Nonna came to visit for a few days. We read books, told stories, and sang all the songs from The Wizard of Oz.
We also spent a bit of time helping family decorate a new home. Lillian didn't do much decorating but she did get some reading in with Great Grandma Garbini
and she had fun chasing baby chicks and making Mesquite bean stew on the trampoline with her cousins.
The morning we were to leave for San Diego, I was out packing the Suburban and Lillian was riding her bike. As I was loading the suitcases into the back Lillian came running over to me shrieking about a squirrel she found in the bushes. "It is holding very still Mom! Come see!" Thinking to myself, "Great, only dead squirrels hold still," I followed her over to the bushes and peeked inside. To my amazement it was not a dead squirrel I saw but a guinea pig! We chased that little guinea pig all around the yard before finally catching it and bringing it upstairs to cool off and get a drink. Lillian was so excited. She read him stories while I finished getting everything packed. Fortunately, we were able to find him a home before we left.
As usual, San Diego was a blast. We had a great time hanging out in the sand and the sun with family. Lillian enjoyed splashing in the waves and Freya was memorized by the sand.
Freya was not a fan of the cold water so we hung out on the beach and watched Lillian and Josh play in the waves.
This year, Lillian wanted to play Smash Ball ALL DAY LONG. By the end of the week she was actually getting pretty good at the game. Well, for a three year old anyway.
We also took walks on the boardwalk,
rode bikes,
had snail races
(of which Freya was not a fan),
and rescued Tuna Crabs on the beach.
Lillian is now old enough to enjoy Belmont Park and was ecstatic about riding some of the rides.
It warms my heart to see my girls having fun and making memories on the same beach I visited each summer growing up.
It was a great trip. All the fun wore us out! It was so fun I am willing to overlook the part where I sat in the Suburban on the side of the road with the girls for about two hours when the radiator hose busted and Josh went back to the nearest (not very near) town to get a new one. Then we drove across the desert WITH NO AIR CONDITIONING. I was dumping water on Freya and watching the temperature creep higher and higher as we cruised down the freeway. It was a long sweaty trip home but everyone made it back still smiling and in one piece.
In the short amount of time we were home between trips, Freya learned to walk and we threw her a big birthday bash fit for the little queen she is. She was so excited to be able to walk on her own, there was nothing that could wipe the smile off her face, except maybe Mom putting her in her bed and telling her it was time to go to sleep. Her smile was replaced with a pouty lip and then she threw her softie out of her bed and proceeded to try to climb out.
Freya's birthday party was a peach themed BBQ at the park. We had record heat that day so I was worried no one would show up. Most people did still attend and braved the heat with us. We ate BBQ pork sandwiches with peach sauce, peach salsa, peach and feta salad, and peach soda.
Of course Grandma Jean made a lovely cake for her. It was chocolate, white, and orange flavored.
Freya can be a bit sensitive so I was worried she might cry when we sang to her but she did just fine! She loves cake so she did not hesitate to dig right in.
I know my opinion may not count for much since I would love her no matter what but I think she is the cutest little baby in the entire world! She has the sweetest expressions. You can read her emotions on her face. I just love her.
Once again, getting Lillian and Freya to cooperate is like pulling teeth. If only they could be still and look at the camera at the same time! No matter what they are doing they are pretty cute.
A few days after Freya's party we packed up again and went to the White Mountains to join Josh's family for their annual camping trip. We haven't been since the girls were born so this was our first camping experience with them. Of course Lillian was excited to sleep in a tent and have her own sleeping bag. She became a bit less excited when she saw the Port-a-Potty.
She tried fishing for exactly thirty seconds before telling me it was boring. Josh kept telling her fishing is relaxing, not boring. I laughed. What three year old wants to relax?
Slide rock was a big hit for Lillian
but Freya was not a fan of the cold mountain water so we stayed on this rock where she could walk around and just get the bottoms of her feet wet.
There are so many things we did that I did not get photos of because I didn't carry my phone with me much while we were there. We caught crawdads, played in the rain, and roasted marshmallows. Uncle Justin helped her shoot a BB gun, took her on a bike ride, and went hunting for marshmallow roasting sticks.
Freya pretty much stayed glued to me the entire time because I didn't want her stumbling in to the mud or the poison oak. She was a trooper.
This month, a year from now, we will hopefully be doing all the same things only it will be different. We will all be a year older and, regardless of the differences in our ages, we will be seeing the world through a new lens. I am already looking forward to it and I know it will be here before I know it!
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