Camping at Lake Alpine

 We thought we'd give camping another try this summer and it was (mostly) a success! We drove up to Lake Alpine with our cousins and Bryan and Alison and camped out for two nights. We slept in a tent, played in the dirt, attempted to fish, took lots of walks, and ate great food. It was so fun!

The second we got out of the car the kids were off and running and playing together. They especially loved finding sticks and rocks and playing the in meadow behind our tents.

We gave Levi this special treat when we got the tent all set up: his very own "Cars" sleeping bag!

We all played in the dirt-- even Caleb!

Ashley, Jack and Levi ate at their very own "kids table" and their Bass Pro Shop chairs came in very handy.

The Lockridges were a little wussy in the cold morning air so we snuck in the car for a quick warm up.  Maybe it was because we were up at 5:30am the first morning?!

We hiked down to the lake to try our hand at fishing. Caleb and I got to use the backpack for the first time!

Jack fishing

Ashley fishing

Dave & Levi fishing

Bryan was the first and only one to catch something!
Can you see the stick? :)

Back at the campsite: Uncle Joey and Levi having some snacks.

The newlyweds and their new tent.

Levi loved being on Daddy's shoulders.

The whole gang!
Back row: Ashley, Joe, Bryan, Levi, Dave
Front row: Jack, Julie, Alison, Megan, Caleb

Neither of my boys slept great the first night- up late, up early- but they managed to take naps and push through the fussiness to have a good day. The second night was great and they made it until 7am. Yay! It was so fun to watch the kids play and enjoy the outdoors and we can't wait to make it an annual trip.

God Bless America!

This 4th of July we spent in true Modesto fashion: at the parade and the annual Harden BBQ! Both boys were in great spirits and loved the cars, motorcycles, horses and music at the parade. Caleb had just learned how to clap and it was perfect timing for watching floats and fireworks. It was a great day filled with hot weather, good food, swimming and awesome friends and family. And, of course, we got to remember this awesome country we live in and celebrate the freedoms and blessings of calling America home. 

Lockridgeland at the parade.

Dave and Levi (and Mickey) waiting for the show to begin.

Caleb taking a quick snooze in the BOB.

Cousin Charlie (1 year) and Caleb (8 months) making silly faces.

The "big" kids: Jack (3), Levi (almost 2), Ashley (5).

Sisters :)

We teach patriotism young!

Mom & Dad

Ashley & littlest brother Charlie

Mommy and Caleb

We had lots of fun at the BBQ too. Levi decided that he could swim by himself in the floaty ring, he loves jumping off the diving board and he would sleep in the pool if we let him. He is a water baby! Caleb enjoyed the pool too, but much preferred to get cuddles and smiles and playtime from all the extra friends at the party. We ate too much (see Levi's double fisted dessert face) and set off fireworks when it was still a little dusk out. It is, hands down, one of my favorite days of the year!

Our little swimmer!

Cupcakes and ice cream cones- God bless America!

Friday Favorites

June has been a busy month and it's gone by so quickly. Here are some of my of favorite things right now:

My cool guy in his sunglasses. 

When Auntie Sarah comes to visit. We got to see her twice this week! 

Caleb smiles and giggles and coos.

Levi's helpful heart.
(Even if the very next second he turned the hose on Grammy!)

My awesome hubby and any chance I get to spend with "just us."
Especially at a Dodger's game!

Levi's budding imagination.
Walking on the "train tracks" during our walk.

Caleb's new skills: pulling himself up to a stand.

Finding new ways to play with old toys.

Brothers who love and play with each other.

My big boy who has slept for one whole week in his big bed without leaving it once. Seriously. 

I'm a lucky girl and feeling incredibly loved and blessed today. Here's looking forward to my favorite month of the year: JULY!

Caleb is 8 months!

Caleb David is 8 months old!

Weighing in (on our home scale) at 25.5 lbs

Caleb is growing out of the baby phase and into a fun, sweet spirited little boy. He loves to laugh and smile and "talks" in his high pitched voice all the time. He is saying Dada and lots of other consonants and (I think) seems to say Mama too. He loves his big brother and gets so excited when Levi does anything in his general area. Caleb has started to crawl and can sit himself up from a laying flat position. He is trying to pull himself up to a stand but so far has managed to get to his knees by himself. He is enjoying his newfound freedom and has also found a big interest in toys and books. He's still a great sleeper with two full naps a day and 12 hours at night. Mommy thinks he's awesome! He (obviously) is a terrific eater and he's started to eat some real people food. So far bananas, toast, ground turkey, strawberries and eggs. He really likes sitting at the table with us and feeding himself so we're moving on to bigger and better things daily. He spent the last few weeks sick on and off. Poor guy looked pretty miserable but he acted pretty content and happy and just slept a little more. What a champ! We love this boy and we're so excited to see the bigger boy he is becoming every day.

He enjoys the pool, especially when the water is warm.

Practicing crawling for Levi's toys is great incentive! 

Standing up like a big boy and so proud of himself.

June Gloom

Just kidding... there's no gloom around here! We live in the valley now and it was in the upper 90's last week and sunny. I know I'm crazy, but that's my kind of weather! :) We're enjoying the start of summer around here and trying to get out and do some fun things. We're planning on lots of little day trips and a couple of overnight excursions and lots and lots of fun. The boys are doing really well and growing and talking and becoming little boys. It's amazing to see what a huge difference these little transition make. 

First stop: Micke Grove Park. Our original plan was to go to the Stockton Children's Museum but when we arrived the gate was shut and it's apparently closed Monday/Tuesday. Whoops! At least we learned to check before we go. We did a quick recalculation and headed to Lodi to Micke Grove for a picnic lunch and a trip to the zoo. It was a fun trip with the cousins and Levi is always so happy to spend time with Ash and Jat (Ashley and Jack) and I'm so glad for the company and help of my cousins too.

Jack & Levi found a bench that was "just my size!"

I told Levi to stay with Jack as they were walking. Next thing we know they're holding hands and walking through the zoo. It was precious. I'm so glad for them to get to grow up together as cousins and friends just like I got to do with Jack's Mommy.

Dave's been playing a lot of baseball and softball and we're enjoying the perks of exploring new stadiums and parks along the way. (And, of course, getting watch Dave tear up the field with his impressive skills!) One more perk: the after game Lockridge family celebration for McDonalds ice cream cones.

Turns out both our boys like ice cream-- not that we're surprised!

We're sneaking in a little downtime along the way too. The boys are interacting more and more and we can't wait until Levi gets a little more playtime with his brother. In the meantime, Caleb loves watching Levi and Levi is turning in to a good sharer of his toys and his affection.

Head butts = love

His brother is so funny!

And lots of backyard time playing baseball.

We managed to head back to Stockton for a quick trip to the Children's museum. $5 for adults to get in and hours of entertainment for the kids makes for a pretty fun day. Levi especially loves that he can climb in (and press every button on) a full sized police car, fire truck, helicopter, motorcycle, ambulance and bus. It is so fun to watch him run from one thing to the next with huge, excited eyes.

Hanging out with Daddy in the firetruck.

On Saturday we celebrated Father's Day with the Lockridges. We went down early for breakfast and stayed all day. Levi even took a nap in the big spare bed (we were shocked) and woke up happy and rested so we took a quick tour of the Merced County Fair. Super hot but super fun!

Levi loved the animals but preferred to look at them from the arms of somebody tall.

He doesn't get how these things work quite yet but he did want to sit on all of them.

Making silly faces with Mommy while waiting for the pig races to begin.

Grandma & Grandpa always have better snacks!

Both boys liked the petting zoo from the arms of Daddy. Goats are kind of aggressive and scary!

Levi loves anything to do with transportation-- trucks, trains, planes, helicopters, cars, boats and tractors. The fair is a great place to see tractors!

And lastly we got to spend Sunday with the Hardens. We spent the entire day in the pool so there aren't any pictures but we ate well and played hard. Levi is getting better and better in the pool and loves jumping in to us a thousand times in a row. We were also excited to see the newlyweds who were back from their honeymoon! They were so sweet to think of us on their trip and brought back some sweet shirts and even sweeter treats from Hawaii and- the winner of all- a Mickey Mouse from Disneyland. Levi's in love!

Bubba (Uncle Bryan) is back and my boys couldn't be happier!

 


Happy Father's Day to both our Dads! We so blessed to have amazing examples in our lives of what a Godly man should be and what being a father means. We've always appreciated you in our lives, but getting to watch you in the lives of your grandchildren is even more special. We love you!

And it wouldn't be a complete Father's Day without a shout out to the amazing Dad that lives in my house: Dave is such a hands on, helpful, and fun dad. I couldn't have asked for a better role model for my boys and partner in parenting for me. I'm so thankful for him and his selfless devotion to our family. Love you babe! :)

Bryan & Alison's Wedding

 Last Sunday, at 4pm, Bryan and Alison got married! It was at the Pageo Lavender Farm in Turlock and it was perfect. Everything went off without a problem, everyone was in great spirits, the weather was perfect and we all had a fantastic time. We were so honored to be a part of their special day and we couldn't be happier that these two found each other after all this time. What a sweet love story!

A small side note: I knew the couple that Alison chose to take their wedding pictures so I purposefully did not carry my camera around the entire day. I literally took one picture at the wedding on Dave's phone. That was it. So I'm giving you a brief glimpse into the big day, but then I'm giving you a link to the photographer's blog. You need to go there to check out some of these pictures. I'm serious, they're amazing! So if you really want to see how all the hard work turned out, please head to http://www.groverstyleblog.com/bryan-and-alison-a-lovely-wedding-at-the-lavender-farms/

Some of the bridesmaids and the bride getting ready.

We had two rounds of help with the boys. Uncle Mike, Aunt Lori and Lindsey came in the morning to watch Levi and Caleb. We came home to a patio decorated with Dodger themes and American flags. Couldn't be prouder! Levi is also sporting some new attitude with his batting practice with "Hey batter batter!"--so cute! Then Dave's parents came over to get the boys up and to the venue for the wedding. The boys weren't feeling great, hadn't eaten very well and were not in a very good place, but we got some great family pictures and they were officially there for the big day. We were so, so, so grateful that Dave's parents volunteered to take the boys home and put them to bed so we could stay and enjoy the rest of the reception. That was a HUGE help and such a treat to be able to stay and dance and enjoy all that weddings have to offer. And at the wedding, there were plenty of helpful hands to pass Caleb around, feed him and chase Levi around the trucks at the venue. Thank you to all of you for helping Dave and I be able to be present for Bryan and Alison. We really appreciate it! 

My one picture from the wedding.
Our first moment together to sit and enjoy. It was special for us to be both stand up for them and to make silly faces at each other during the ceremony and then to get to walk down the aisle together. Brings back memories! :)

A beautiful wedding, a great time and lots and lots of love and support-- what more could you ask for? Love you Bryan and Alison! Hope you're having fun in Hawaii!!

One more time, go here: http://www.groverstyleblog.com/bryan-and-alison-a-lovely-wedding-at-the-lavender-farms/