Big Sur Camping Trip

We went on our annual multi-family camping trip over July 4th weekend. This time, we tried somewhere different and went to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. It was cold! But we liked it because we were surrounded by redwoods, there was a nearby creek to play in, and I got to ride my bike all over the campground.

Night 1: Celebrating Canada Day!

The park had a Junior Rangers program where the parents could drop us off for an hour, and a ranger would give us a nature talk and lead some games and activities. They taught us that it is important to take care of our environment, and were each given paper bags to fill with litter from around the campgrounds. Each time we returned a full bag to the ranger station we would be given a sticker, and after five stickers we would receive a badge. We were all excited for the challenge and spent the next few days riding our bikes around and picking up trash. If only we were this motivated to collect trash at home! 

We all loved the creek that ran behind our campground and spent an afternoon wading downstream. Even though the water was cold, it's not something we get to do at home. 

Brady was too chicken to go all the way in the water, so he just observed from the side.

Colin missed some of the fun because he was napping, but made sure to go in by himself later.

We also went on a short (three mile) hike. About five minutes in, Colin decided he was tired and didn't want to walk anymore. So Mommy spent most of the hike carrying a 20lb weight on her hips and by piggyback. At least she got a great workout! 

There's Colin in the red shirt getting a ride on Mommy.

After the hike, it was back to the creek to cool off.

Even though it's a lot of work and we all come home exhausted and filthy, the fun that we have with friends and the memories we create make it all worth it!

All Fired Up At My 7th Birthday Party

I invited a few friends to celebrate my birthday at All Fired Up, a pottery painting studio in downtown Burlingame. It was the perfect low-key, intimate gathering. The only thing I requested was a Moana theme, and that's what I got. During the party, the girl working at the studio was nice enough to let us blast the Moana soundtrack, and we sang along to the songs at the top of our lungs while painting our chosen pottery pieces.

After painting we played a few rounds of Moana BINGO. 

Mommy found these soaps on eBay. Kinda looks like the heart of Te Fiti right?

For my birthday cake, Mommy ordered an ice cream cake from Baskin-Robbins and had them frost it. Then she added her own embellishments. She also made a mental note to herself that next time she requests blue frosting, she should specify "light aqua blue" instead of "Cookie Monster blue."

It was fun to celebrate with some of my closest friends and a great way to kick of our summer vacation!

Garage Sale!

After years of talking about it, Mommy finally fulfilled her dream of holding a garage sale! The stuff had been piling up in our garage and she was excited to finally let it go. It helped that Aunties Vicki and Lillian were also on board and willing to haul all their stuff over for a combined family yard sale.

I was excited too! I made some signs and fulfilled my own dream of having a lemonade stand. 

On the morning of the sale, Mommy taped up some signs on the busy street near our house and within fifteen minutes, cars were driving by to check us out. We had barely opened the garage door and one guy was already trying to buy stuff! We had a steady stream of shoppers and ended up extending the sale for another few hours. Mommy was amazed by all the stuff that people bought! The most popular items were Daddy's old shirts and jeans, Mommy's knock-off designer purses from China, and anything electric or battery-operated. The hagglers were kind of annoying, but we sold lots of stuff!

We had an impromptu pizza party in the garage, after deciding to extend the sale past lunch.

In the end, the sale was a huge success and we made a few hundred dollars. Even more importantly, we cleared a ton of space in the garage. Mommy loves doing this kind of stuff and she is convinced that we will do it again!

Easter Egg Time

The Saturday before Easter was a busy one. First we headed to Millbrae Central Park for their Spring party and egg hunt. We like their egg hunt because their eggs are actually stuffed with candy and there is always enough for everyone. This year was exactly what we expected. Some fun carnival games with prizes, and lots of kids and families ready to grab eggs.

Parents got a huge lecture before the hunt started on how they should stay behind the rope, don't trample other kids just to take photos, it's not worth it, etc.. Colin was in the 3 and under age group, and he knew exactly what he had to do. We actually lost him for a minute because Mommy and Daddy followed directions and stayed behind the rope, while other parents surrounded the kids and blocked their view. Anyway, he came back with a nice haul! 

Do you see that mom that completely disregarded the rules, carried her kid and ran straight to the special "golden" egg stuffed with See's candy? Seriously??

 

I was in the older age group but was able to get eggs just as easily. It was so much less competitive than previous egg hunts we've been to! 

We then moved on to the Yamada's house for another Easter celebration. There was an egg hunt in the backyard, we dyed Easter eggs, and had fun hanging out as usual. I think we collected enough plastic eggs to stash away for next year!