Our Summer 2014 Road Trip - Part 1

This year for our summer vacation, we opted to take a road trip. A very long one. We started by heading West to L.A. and then by going North up the Pacific Coast Highway. We had great intentions to stop along coastal towns and look for other beautiful vistas. However, we underestimated the time driving the PCH would take. We were trying to get to the Bay area before night fall... so we had to limit our stops along the way.

Thankfully, we were able to stop at Moon Stone Beach. The beach was enchanting. The weather was perfect.

Here is a picture I posted to Instagram:

Just breathtaking, really.

Nico made sure to collect some sand/stones to bring home; it's tradition. Of course, nearly a month later, that "tradition" is still sitting in Ziploc bags in our garage. I need to figure out a project for them.

The kids both had a good time driving up the PCH... and they were pretty patient. Which made the drive easier for Marcos and I.

Even though days 2-5 were full of fun, we would definitely love to do the first leg of PCH over again and make those stops sometime. Maybe just the two of us?

Weekend Update (6.13 - 6.14)

To be honest, the weekend warrior work started way before Friday. Marcos took Wednesday off and subsequently spent the next few days laying concrete. In true #teamayala behavior, we all pitched in. Due to the heat, we could only really work in the evenings and in the mornings. It took us three days, but we got it done!  Next up, laying the pavers that will border the slabs and go in between each of them. So excited.

This weekend, we ate good food, watched a lot of Mad Men, went on date night (ate fancy Mexican food and watched 22 Jump Street). We also celebrated Father's Day with burgers on the grill and Marcos' very favorite cake.

Here is our weekend in pictures!

Weekend Update (6.6 - 6.8)

It's Monday and, yet again, the weekend flew by. I wish I could say that we were relentless in something. Cleaning. Organizing. Searching out fun. Finishing our Mad Men marathon. But the fact is, we did a lot of chilling and some visiting with family.

Starting on Friday, Nico and Isabel joined my parents for my momma's company picnic. From all accounts, they had a fantastic time. The weather was warm, but the food, drinks, ice-cream, and water games were the perfect solution. Nico was super excited about the face painting.... I was sent this picture pretty early on in the day.

And then a little bit later, I was sent this picture:

I know it's a little hard to see... the shadow of the branches make it difficult. But that, my friends, is Godzilla. They had bucket fulls of chalk on hand for the kids to go to town. And boy, did Nico.

Speaking of Godzilla. I woke up Saturday morning to a new feature in Nico's room...

#holypinholes

Going back to Friday, Alex accompanied his girl friend, Bri, and her family camping in Show Low. I didn't get pictures from them until they returned, but from the pictures and stories, I would say their quick trip was a success.

We got to spend some time with my nephew, Austin, who celebrated his 11th birthday this weekend... at Skateland. I opted NOT to put on skates this time around, but Isa and Nico both did. It was a noisy, hot, and tiring 2 hours, but it was so nice to see my family and spend time with my nieces and nephews!

And finally... one last photograph to share. My littlest dude.... He was sitting on the arm of a livingroom chair, watching one of the Muppets movies... he was so still and quiet... I had to capture the moment.

How Summer is treating us so far...

We are in our second week of Summer around here and so far, so great. I LOVE Summer. Bottom line.

Isabel, Nico and I were alone on Memorial Day (womp womp), so we decided to head out for a drive and a picnic lunch. We ended up near the Salt River and got some fresh air. We weren't out long and we didn't do much, but it was nice to be out and about and not stuck in the house.

This past weekend, we were at Wal-Mart and I decided to grab a few family games. Which is totally against my better judgement, seeing how any and all board games we've ever owned were ruined by some kids I know. Money lost, pieces in the trash, boards colored on, etc. But since they ARE 18, 15 and 7... I thought I would try them out one more time. And it's been worth it!!

Besides Monopoly Empire (which is different than the original), we also purchased Yahtzee and Uno.  I think all the games have been great for Nic... counting, reading, learning to be a super winner and not a sore loser.

Last night, Alex had his friend Jose over, so we played a few rounds of Uno. I am pretty much a champ. :)

Finally.... as far as updates go... Alex has a new job!

Not really  his name badge, Photoshopped it for the sake of this post.

This is a blessing for us/him. It's regular hours (if you count 4pm-1am regular)... guaranteed 32 hours a week unloading trucks at Wal-Mart. He's nearly done with school, just one more Math test to go. He passed his SS, Science and English GED tests (in lieu of graduating), so we are just waiting on that last one. I know graduation season was hard for him as he should have been up there with his friends. We all have take different paths in life. This one for him isn't bad, just different than I would have hoped.

All in all, it's been a fantastic start to Summer for us. We've been busy, but have also found time to relax. We've had great food.... and plenty of sweet iced tea.

She's One

When we moved into our house several years ago, we were blessed to meet new neighbors who were building the house next door. We were excited that they had 5 kids. Well... they still have them, but one has since gotten married and had her own baby girl.

Lilly celebrated her first birthday, Elmo style, on May 17. I was lucky enough to capture some precious photos.

Another Prom

I was recently asked by a friend of mine from high school if I would take her daughter's pre-prom pictures. I jumped at the chance. Her daughter, M, is quite stunning. They are a beautiful couple!

Seattle: Flora & Fauna

The husband and I had the chance to run away for a few days, we choose to visit Seattle. It was our first time, and it did not disappoint! I took hundreds of pictures, so I will be sharing them in batches. This first one is of all the pretties I found along the way. The colors were AMAZING.