starting the treehouse

miles has officially started the treehouse. yes. he has now put up two boards. yay. this is significant progress from all the planning with no action. we started talking about this project way back at the end of may. i knew it was going to be a long project but i didn't think it would take us this long just to get started.

the tree we have is actually two trees right next to each other. it is in a great location next to our garage/office in the backyard. for research i bought this book called treehouses and playhouses you can build by david and jeanie stiles. it was helpful to tell us how to begin and the supplies we might need. it gives step by step instructions but of course every tree is different so there is a lot to figure out. this is really miles' project. he has never made anything like this before so it is a large project to tackle as a first. i am really no help. i don't know anything about building. so we will see how it goes.

today miles actually started cutting wood and put up the first boards. the kids were so excited they ran inside to get their own tool kit. they all put on their hard hats and worked on their own piece of wood measuring and hammering. it was so cute. they can't wait for the treehouse to be finished so they can play in it. i just hope miles can get it done before winter.

the gardens

even though we were super tired today we got up early to go the huntington gardens. we had free tickets that we ordered a month ago. jen had to work in the afternoon so we got the morning tickets. it was a good thing that we went in the morning. by time we were leaving at 1:30 it was already getting super hot out. the morning was nice and cool.

we didn't have a long time there. we went straight to the children's section and let the kids run around. that is their favorite part. on our way there we came across some snails. they were all fascinated with the snails and moved them out of the walkway so no one would step on them. after the children's section we had a short while to explore the chinese gardens. it was very beautiful. i was surprised that in the two months since we had been there the flowers had already changed so much. there were not as many flowers as spring time. still it was beautiful. the poor kids were so tired that they all started melting down when it was time to go. all three of them fell asleep on the drive home. i have to say i need a nap too.

4th of july

what a fun july 4th we had. we went to jen and rays house in santa monica again. we showed up on the 3rd and had a sleepover. we walked to the bluffs to see the bel-air bay club firework show. the kids loved it. christina and zena came too.

in the morning we all got ready and went to the beach. we walked this time since we had the boys with us to help carry the strollers up and down the stairs. we also didn't want to deal with traffic on a holiday.

it was a little cold and cloudy so that was kind of a drag. it didn't stop the kids from heading straight to the water though. ray and i spent most of our time in the water with the kids this time. miles conveniently didn't wear his swim trunks so i was the one who had to get soaked. ray took the kids out super far and was jumping in the waves. they loved it. dahlia insisted i go out as deep as ray. i didn't get out quite as far but pretty deep for me. it was fun. while dahlia and bodhi played in the waves mason, connor, and zena were digging for sand crabs. they would catch some and watch them dig and swim in their bucket. they were completely fascinated with them. i remember doing the same thing when i was a kid.

when we were tired of the beach we went back to jen and rays house for barbecue chicken and corn on the cob. we decided to not stay and go see fireworks like we usually do since we had seen some the night before. it worked out perfect because we were all exhausted after a full day at the beach.

swim playdate

we went to mason's friend andrew's house to swim. he still has the same best friend from school that he met two years ago. i really like that they are still so attached. i was thinking they might get bored and move on to new friends but no. i am so glad. he is a really sweet boy and i love his mom. andrew is going to italy for a month so this was our last chance to get together before they leave next week. why does summer go by so fast?

we met at their community pool for a swim. the pool was empty so we had a great time swimming. i even let dahlia and mason swim without their swim vest on. dahlia is getting so good at swimming. she does great. mason still seems to forget to hold his breath while swimming and ends up sucking up water sometimes. he is getting better though.

when we were tired of swimming we went to their house for a pizza and salad lunch.the boys played legos upstairs while dahlia and connor played outside with me. we had such a nice visit. i am really going to miss them.

swimming lessons

we started swimming lessons last week. we are taking them at the same place. the rose bowl aquatic center in pasadena. this year mason and dahlia are in separate classes. dahlia is in the preschool class and mason is in the school age class. i was worried they would be sad but they didn't mind at all. i think it is actually good for them. maybe they will focus more and not be distracted by each other.

they loved the classes. they got right in the water without any complaining. mason's class seemed to move a little quicker than dahlia's even though they are the same level. maybe they just take it slower with the younger kids. they both are doing really well. they are so confident now that they want to swim without any floaties at all when we are in our friends pool. it is great. now i need to get connor in a class. maybe i will sign him up for a saturday class. he is still too young for the classes without a parent in the pool so it would have to be a weekend class. it will be so nice to have them all swimming.

aquarium of the pacific

another outing to the aquarium. this time it was super busy. i forgot about the summer crowds. we still had a good time though because we got to touch a moon jelly and see the penguin exhibit. the moon jellies were so cool. so soft. we didn't stay long. jen met us there with her kids and had to work later so we only had a couple of hours to look around. we spent most of the time outside by the shark touch tanks.

after we left the aquarium we went to orange county to swim at christina's house. i was pretty exhausted but the kids really wanted to go to the pool so of course we did. they swam for a few hours and then we stayed for dinner. whew. i forgot how much work summer is. man i need a vacation from all this time off of school.

beach day

jen and i were very brave and decided to take the kids to the beach all by ourselves. it turned out great. instead of walking we drove and parked at the beach. it is only a short walk from jen's house but there are lots of stairs involved and it is just too difficult without the men along to help us. i figured the seven dollars to park the car is well worth it to not have to carry a heavy stroller up and down stairs while making sure three little kids don't get run over by cars on pch.

the kids had a blast. mason, dahlia, and bodhi wanted to spend all their time in the ocean running and jumping in the waves. connor and kira were happier playing in the sand by our towels. jen and i split up and i was on wave duty while she watched the little ones playing in the sand. we stayed for over two hours and then it was time to head home. we gave the kids bathes and ordered pizza for dinner. what a fun day. everything turned out so good i can't wait to go again.