Summer-ish

So I know that technically there are 4 seasons, but in San Diego, with the weather being as mild as it is year round we pretty much have summer and not summer. So while summer doesn't start until June 21st, our summer plans and trips are already well underway. We started with a bang for our annual Memorial Day camping trip up at the King's River, which was incredibly warm weather for the first time in a long time. The kids had a blast playing along the shoreline, and we had a great time watching them, eating, drinking and trying to stay cool with good friends. Last weekend we journeyed up to Bullhead City, outside of Laughlin and off the Colorado River to stay with two other couples, and spend our days on the shore of Lake Mohave. Again with warm weather, the kids played in the water, while us adults relaxed, enjoyed each other's company eating and drinking to our hearts content (I'm seeing a trend?). Next weekend I head off to Vegas with Venissa to celebrate her and her sister's birthdays. I dyed my hair red one last time for this trip, then after that I'm going to have Rain put in highlights and take the color back to a more natural color that doesn't fade as quickly and will grow out less drastically. But while in sin city, I'll be a fiery redhead! If I'm lucky we will spend some time poolside, drinking with good friends.... (deja vu)

Abby's birthday party is just around the corner and it's a good thing we are getting used to the heat, since we are having it at a park in Santee. But its got an enormous shaded gazebo and its a water party theme, which means kids in swimsuits running around with squirt guns and water balloons. The kids are going to have an absolute blast. And there will be plenty of food and drinks to keep us adults entertained while we keep eyes on the kids... (apparently our entire summer is about hot weather, kids playing in the water, and us talking, drinking and eating). Abby is so excited for her party and keeps complimenting people on various accessories and clothing pieces, telling them that they can wear it/them to her party. It's completely adorable. While she is excited about her party though, she is devastated to be losing her pacifier. She bit off the head of her regular one before falling asleep last night and freaked out and would not be consoled until we dragged out the spare one. She knows the tooth fairy is going to come and take it away when she turns 3, because pacifiers are bad for her teeth, but I don't think she is making the connection emotionally.

Rory is still in the pull-ups. We bought the alarm and tried 3 nights of it. Before Rory went to bed on the first night, she chewed through the plastic layer protecting the wire. I swear, that little rabbit would chew through a broom handle if it was in her hands long enough. A wrapping of electrical tape and moving the alarm to her pants instead of shirt and we were ready to go. The alarm went off twice that night, and the next morning she was excited that she had slept through the night without wetting herself (she had no recollection whatsoever of either incident). We tried two more nights, and even after "lifting" to her her go before we went to bed, she was still peeing twice a night. After that sleep deprivation of both her and me, I gave up and stopped. We will just have to put her in the next size up for pull-ups, and wait it out until neurologically she is ready to stop wetting at night.

We are going to have an amazing crop of tomatoes and basil this year. The basil I grew from seeds took off like wildfire, so I transplanted some in both the garden and in the jasmine planter box, so we should have lots of plants providing as much basil as I can cook with. And the three tomatoes I have been desperately trying to keep up with trimming and tying up are consuming nearly the entire garden. A few early girls are ready, and the beefsteaks are on their way, and the cherry tomatoes are coming along too. The watermelons in the store are a great crop this year, and I'm sure it helps that I finally looked up how to pick out the best watermelon (1. Look for a dull waxy rind, 2. Look for a bright yellow spot that indicates it was left to ripen on the vine longer for a sweeter melon, and 3. It should be heavy for its size, indicating higher water content and a crispier flesh.)

Ryan and I have also signed up for a 10k run in August. This is huge since Ryan has never run more than a mile or two in his life. He can't currently run a half mile without stopping. We have put up a training schedule for him and I'm incredibly excited to run with him, since running is one of my loved extra-curriculars, and I haven't been able to share that part of me with him. I don't know if I already mentioned that I signed up for the Carlsbad full marathon in January too so my training for that will start in September.