What I did this summer

Our summer is turning out different than we thought it would. Up until the end of April, we thought we would be moving to the Bay Area, but Chris took a job back down in Calabasas (same bank, different group) and moved back to Southern California on Memorial Day weekend. Since we had talked about moving to Thousand Oaks (much closer to his job, less urban, less expensive) during the time he worked at Countrywide, we decided now was the time before Davis started high school. So, for me, the whole summer has been about moving - packing, finding a place to live (more on that some other time), cleaning, and keeping the boys semi-occupied. Here's basically what we did.
Nathaniel really wanted to go to Webelos camp with his pack before we moved. He went to Camp Trask this last week and had a great time swimming, doing archery, bbguns, art, boating, marbles and general exploring.

This is a walk I took one morning when I was out in Thousand Oaks before I was meeting the real estate agent to look for a place to live. It's going to be a lovely place to live. It has lots of trails for hiking and biking.

Hanging out with friends has been really important to Davis this summer. He goes bike riding (on my awesome bike) in the afternoons with kids around town. Here are a couple pics of him at EFY with his pal Grant at UCSB.

They wouldn't pose for any more pictures - they're 14.

Nathaniel and the Webelos had the honor of putting out the fire after the year end pack meeting marshmallow toast.

This is what I haven't been doing this summer. This is my garden. Click on the "garden" label to see what the garden looked like last year. It's sad. I don't think I'll ever have a garden this big again.

I have been cleaning like crazy so when we do actually move I'm all ready. Thanks for the pink gloves Steph! I'm still using them.

And we have been trying to spend time with our friends too. Last Saturday we went to a concert with fireworks at the Hollywood Bowl.

Kellers visit

This week we have had a fun visit from our friends the Kellers. Carlin brought Grant down to attend EFY with Davis at UC Santa Barbara (Mon - Sat) then she and Morgan stayed to play with Nathaniel and me. We took them to our favorite sites - Lacy Park, Santa Barbara Zoo, Huntington Gardens, Getty Center, beach camping, the farmers market... What a fun week!
Morgan and Nathaniel at Huntington Gardens.

Dragonfly that is glad the koi can't reach him.

Nathaniel is standing in for a missing river rock.

Morgan and Nathaniel in the Japanese Garden at Huntington Gardens.

The kids are sliding down an astroturf hill on cardboard at Santa Barbara Zoo.

Nathaniel and dragonfly sculptures at the Santa Barbara Zoo.

Nathaniel and a bird he thought was cool over his right shoulder.

Nathaniel and Morgan with parrots in Santa Barbara.

Entrance to the snake and spider house at the zoo.

Nathaniel and Morgan sampling the fruit at the farmer's market Thursday.

McGrath State Beach has a wetland area where snake grass grows. The kids used segments of snake grass to make pan flutes.

Nathaniel lay down in the sand to warm up after splashing in the water at McGrath State Beach in Ventura.

This water race is one of our favorite fountain features at the Getty.

Nathaniel and Morgan in front of the Getty Center

We ended the visit by going to dinner in Old Pasadena (just the grownups).

Davis and Grant dug in the sand and found sand crabs at Carpinteria State Beach.

Look! We are standing on a ridge of asphalt on the beach. It's all natural. This is why you get tar on your foot at the beach - it doesn't come from the oil drilling platforms or any oil tanker you might see. It seeps naturally from the ocean floor.

EFY ended at 7am on Saturday morning. We picked the boys up and took them to breakfast at D'Angelo's in Santa Barbara. Even with the awesome hot cocoa, Davis is still having a hard time waking up.

Davis Videos

Here are a few videos of Davis I've meant to post. I know you love my videography skills! One is from the Jazz Band performance last Christmas. Watch the girl up behind Davis during the song. She isn't playing an instrument but she is jamming out to the music. She did this the whole set. Then there is one from last week's concert by the advanced band. You can't see Davis but I bet you'll recognize the piece. Then there's a video of kids singing happy birthday to make it a musical video trilogy! You wouldn't guess from this video that most of these kids were cast in the school musical.

Nathaniel's Open House

Nathaniel's class had an end of the year open house so we could see all the art and projects they worked on. 4th grade is California state history year. This year we learned about indians, Spanish Missions, and Stage Coach robbers in the San Francisco area - selected because we thought we'd be moving there. (What? Well, that's a subject for another post.) Behind Nathaniel on the desk you can see the California Poppy art project they did.

Here is Nathaniel and his awesome teacher. 4th Grade was a great year.

The kids all made models of buildings of a California gold rush town. Nathaniel made the boot and hat store.

Nathaniel and his Black Bart wanted poster. Black Bart was a stage coach robber who held a grudge against Wells Fargo. I learn a lot about California when my boys are in 4th grade.