4th of july

our 4th was spent with grandparents, a BBQ, lots of running around and getting grubby. and as much prep talk as i gave her… it’s gonna be loud, gonna be big, gonna be bright, gonna be loud… i dont’ think she ever expected what she finally saw.

LOL LOL
we have the best seats for the 4th of july.. right in front of us with the high school across the street. they fired over 300 fireworks this year. the best show yet 🙂 and for the first time in years.. i didnt have to take a crying baby inside. go els! 🙂

July 5, 2008 15

so inviting!

(click for bigger image)

for our 10th anniversary, we skipped the schmancy dinner and went white water rafting on the merced river instead. it's something i've always wanted to do (after i saw a kevin bacon movie that had white water rafting in it.. sooo strange but that's when the fascination started) and now we are pumped to do it again 🙂 so the next day, on our way home, chris takes one last swim in the river, and his daredevil sidekick, kira, follows along with him as they jump off this huge rock. so refreshing. 🙂 i for the record, also jumped off that rock the day before 🙂 so now, as i sit in the Los Angeles heat, i look at my new screensaver (this picture) and just daydream 🙂

July 3, 2008 9

london

i didn’t realize how little photos we took in london till i was looking thru them now. i think we were SO tired by this time.. we opted to do the red tour bus thing for our one day in london. we left the hotel bright and early and came home late.

we were so glad the sun came out for us that day.. the night before we came in to rain.. went to notting hill in the rain so didn’t get to really see it much or take pics. i want to go back!

this was taken outside of the national gallery where we checked out some van gogh and monet’s.. lovely. i fell in love with vincent’s yellow chair.

outside buckingham palace:

chris with a bit of guards behind him. teeny.

ben and a cathedral

and we ended our day with this.. there were so many good shows playing, it was hard to pick but this was spectacular! i’d love to take kira- she’d love it!

and the view from our hotel room. i am a hotel freak. i spent hours researching hotels.. and was sooo pleased that ours was clean and lovely and when we go back, im totally staying here again. earl’s court, we love you!

thanks for all the sweet annivesary comments… i need chris to get our yosemite pics off his laptop so i can blog those. we had a blast 🙂

July 1, 2008 11

Ten!

10 Years.
Four amazing kids.
One beautiful wife.
One lucky man.

To the family that has supported us every step of the way…Thank you.
To the children that bring such joy to our hearts…We adore you.
To the friends who surround us with encouragement…We feel you!
To the girl I’m blessed to call my wife….I love you!

I am humbled by the infinite depth of your love, the boundless energy you give to your family, and the patience that makes you an angel among us mortals.

You've given me the best kind of life, the kind that constantly requires me to pinch myself to make sure it's really true! Here's to the next 10!

June 27, 2008 49

away again…

in yosemite for the week with the fam… will be back next week to answer emails… will hopefully post some pics this week…this is our last trip we've got planned for the year. the kids are with us.. loving the introduction to summer..

June 23, 2008 8

her party

first of all thanks for all the super kind comments on the hair 🙂 i felt much better today 🙂
sharing some pics from k's bday bash… of course i start with details.. i scored these cute boxes at a bath & body clearance sale

is it bad that i made my daughter make her own cupcakes? (ha, not since she loves to do it so much, it's not)

the gang.. i love this shot so much. i am goign to have to enlarge it for her!

her and her 2 bff's

this one was right in the middle of the party- especially with all the dancing.. she stayed up so late too.. party animal!

and super duper thanks to chris.. he hosted a scavenger hunt for the girls on their home turf aka the middle school, RHYMING scavenger hunt nonetheless! AND did a photoshoot with them the next day… such a stud. love him.

June 18, 2008 18

torn

today i cut off over 10 inches of my hair.

im going to send it to locks of love. that's a good thing. i know. but now it's short. shorter than i requested. i think the whole reason i let my hair go so long is because i have yet to find someone who cuts my hair right. i have thick hair and to cut it you need to know what you're doing. this is today's cut.

not really how i wanted it, especially since i said i wanted it to go past my shoulders. im glad it's short because it's so hot already.. but im already missing it long. im wondering why i just didnt go in and ask for 5 inches off instead of the whole chunk?

i know. it'll grow back.

good news today: the new coldplay is out. 🙂

June 17, 2008 54

last week of school

did this one for the garden

and one for KI

im so excited for summer- im a big fan of sleeping in 🙂 and i am happy that els will have her playmates again. although the boys are going to summer school for the first time.. taking fun classes though like bookmaking, cooking and robotics 🙂 and i get to see my sweet SIL 2 times this summer. yay!

June 16, 2008 8

it’s party night

thanks for all the great suggestions for kira’s party.. we are in the midst of it and i am sure i will be up all night 🙂

June 13, 2008 8

italy part II

it was so worth it to me to buy a new charger.. even though we don't need one here at home. we have 4 now. lol. i will cherish my trip pictures. how's this for an opening post? hello heavenly gelato!

em and her fam in anacapri:

riding up a solo chair lift in capri. yes i am scared of heights so i was a tad nervous.

leaving capri

entering the lovely sorrento..see that hill on the right? yeah we climbed stairs up that. ouuuuuuuuuch.

pompeii… this is the day our camera died.

then the next day we happened upon a excavated roman resort.. no one in sight.. no tourists or souveniers.. just the guide and us. what a treasure.

chris will have to clarify what carmena is doing here

how amazing is it to walk down streets like this. so gorgeous.

the walls and doors everywhere. so lovely.

chris became quite the expert on self portraits

i probably will post one more italy batch before i take on london. which is basically a lot of pics of me and chris holding out the camera in front of us. 🙂

(i posted tonight for you, mihan. xoxo)

June 11, 2008 20