Family time

We've had the privilege of being able to gather with both sides of the family this summer - for each reunion, we had everyone but one family from each side. In July, we headed to Newport Beach and shared a beach house with the Mitchells.

The girls LOVED the beach. Rainey especially loved the waves, and E loved the sand. We hardly saw Rainey because she just wanted to be with cousins.

One day, we took the girls on a bike ride - they were in heaven.

I loved looking behind me and seeing these cute, happy faces:

The girl cousins who were there:

The girls loved the sunglasses that they got from their secret cousins - they wore them every chance they could get:

In August, we gathered in Woodside with the Petersons. The girls were in heaven with all the different activities we got to do. They just loved being with their cousins.

Wagon rides:

Cousin camp - the older cousins organized daily activities for the younger cousins. It was awesome:

The kids loved their time with Grandpa and Gramsey:

We spent lots of time at the playground, pool, and we did some outings to SF and Stanford shopping center. Here, we got some yogurt, and E was especially excited to have her own chocolate yogurt. Right before I took this picture, she said, "This is a wonderful day." It was.

We even got to ride horses, which Rainey enjoyed. E was all set to sit on one, but when it came right down to putting her in the saddle on the pony, she adamantly and repeatedly said, "No thank you." At least she was polite.

In between these memorable and magical gatherings, we did the usual summer activities with swimming and hiking and being outside in the warm weather.
Painting, which is always a hit - totally worth the effort when I see how happy they are here:

We even made it to the farmer's market, which is one of my favorite things to do in the summer - hula hoops and birds that wave. Who needs the good food and fun atmosphere?

We can't believe the summer is basically over - seemed to fly by. I do love the slightly cooler weather, changing leaves on just a few trees, and more of a schedule that comes with the Fall.