Cousins......Kate, Emily and Emma

 

Summerland

Our vacations usually take us far away from home.  Most often we drag ourselves through the chaos of LAX at 6 am with our kids half asleep.  Not this time.  For a change we drove less than an hour from home, up the coast to Summerland.  We rented a beautiful home up on the hillside with an incredible view of the ocean. 

We shared the home with our friends Mark and Kilani.  It was so fun to spend time with them away from the cares of home.  Mornings were spent lounging around the deck, drinking coffee, and if we were lucky we would make it to bed before midnight after a few bottles of wine .  Not my usual routine, but I slipped deep into vacation mode.  Throw in afternoons at the beach, shopping in Santa Barbara and naps with the kids.  Now that is what I call a great vacation.  

Kate playing peek a boo in the bathroom window.

And then Emma had to join in.

Rick and his morning coffee.

Kate and Emma playing in the spa with Mark and Kilani.

Playing at the beach.

Girls cuddling in bed.

Emma loved playing in the outdoor shower.

Lake Tahoe

In June, we spent some time up at Lake Tahoe.  Rick had a business trip so the girls and I tagged along to make a vacation out of it.  Kate and Emma would spend every afternoon playing in the pool and the spa.  Rick and I spent our afternoons chasing them as they ran back and forth from the kiddie pool to the "hot pool" (as Kate called it).  The beach by the lake turned out to be much easier for all of us.  The girls just played in the sand and were not very interested in going in the water.  Maybe because it was a bit chilly.  It was beautiful up there and we dream of one day having a place of our own there.  Oh and by the way we need a cool $6-$60 million for one of the prime spots on the lake............just dreaming.  

The photos from our trip are on the slideshow. 

Blogging.......

Thanks to my dear neighbor, Danielle, I finally set up our blog.  I am always the last one to figure these kinds of things out, but here it is.  I am totally excited to share it with our friends and family. 

I will warn you, I am not the writer that Rick is.  You will not find nearly as many adjectives here as you do in our Christmas letter.  You have to wait until the end of the year for the good stuff.  

Enjoy!