July in Our House

I cannot believe how quickly this last month flew by. It seems like Lucy just turned one the other day, and now it's August already!

I've been trying to make the most of our summer days. We plan to adopt again within the next year, so this is likely our last summer of being (relatively) free and mobile for the next few years. Things will change once we have a toddler (Lucy) and another little one. 

Hiking at Uvas Canyon. We plan to come here at least once a season. It is so beautiful here. There is a creek that runs along the path and waterfalls all over the place. The boys loved scurrying over the rocks along the creek. They did the full loop hike, which was much further than they'd ever gone before. I was very proud of them.

Making blackberry jam. We made lots of jams and preserves with the abundant berries we had this year. I used to be afraid of canning/preserving, but I found that it's easy once I got the hang of it. 

At the beach with friends on a cold day. I've decided that my children are crazy, because they kept going in the water even though it was only about 60 degrees and the water was freezing. They had a great time though. Lucy even went crawling through the shallow water.

Family outing to Point Lobos, one of my favorite places. We saw lots of crabs, anemones, fish, sea stars, and other tide pool creatures. And these boys look like they are posing for a senior photo, don't they? I didn't ask them to pose, I just said, "Hey boys, get together so I can take a picture" and this is what they did.

Backyard summer fun.

Mom-and-boy fun at Gilroy Gardens. I was able to leave Lucy at home with Grandma while the boys and I spent the day at Gilroy Gardens. Going places alone with them is a rare treat these days. It was a most pleasant day: perfect weather and the place was so empty that we walked on most of the rides without any waiting.

Lucy found our tomato plant and it was her favorite outdoor destination for a while. She picked and ate tomatoes to her heart's content.

Mark and I were given two of his dad's old mountain bikes this month. We spent a day getting them in working order and have been doing family bike rides a few times a week ever since. It has been so much fun to bike around with the boys and with Lucy in the trailer. 

One of our favorite places to go is our local bike trail. It has a lot of fun places to stop along the way, like a creek, a pond, and even a model airplane skypark. We usually pack up a meal to eat along the way and go exploring (it means less time in the kitchen for me!). One day we even went early in the morning and ate our breakfast while watching people fly their airplanes. 

This isn't a major event, but she's so cute she had to make an appearance here. :)

School starts in just a few days. I'm excited to begin school, but a little bit sad that summer is over already. Did I mention that it went by too quickly? I plan to ease in to school over the next month; we'll do school most days, but will take a day off here and there to go to the beach or go hiking. After spending almost my whole life on the east coast, I feel so blessed to live in such a beautiful climate where we can enjoy the outdoors year round!