3.

Grady has been so excited for his "happy birthday". This morning he woke up cheerful and ready for us to sing to him (he sings along with you and also he says "Happy Birthday" back to you instead of "Thank You" and you know what? It feels nice to be wished a happy birthday when it isn't your birthday... he is a sweet boy.

Opening cards and gifts, this one from Auntie Carolyn and Uncle Scot. He was in awe of how far it had traveled when I told him Wyoming is so far away.

All Goo wanted to do for his happy birthday was to take a ride on Grandpa Ddnnn Ddnnn's tractor-backhoe. And he got it. He was so happy to sit on Grandpa Dan's lap and steer, sharing the trip with his sisters.

And then he got his own! Now he can play tractor-backhoe with his Lego guys anytime he wants.

2 was fantastic but 3 looks pretty good on this Goo.

Last Day Of 2.

Having a Goo who is 2 has been such fun. I am intent on enjoying every second out of this last day of '2'.

Morning Garden Check.

I haven't spent much time in my garden this week (and was out of town the previous week) but this morning's cool breeze and soft light pulled me west down The Hut's acre.

Standing in the middle, the view to the West: peppers, okra, tomatillos, golden zucchini, Lebanese squash, patti pans, carrots, radishes, lemon cucumbers, corn, tomatoes and peas.

The view to the East: Beets, lots of tomatoes, cabbages, strawberries, spinach, malabar and lettuce green.

San Diego Zoo.

While in San Diego we went to the zoo.  While looking through the Native California exhibit, Savannah connected with this horny toad.

Littles taking a look at the 2 headed king snake.

This tortoise was 80 years old and bigger than all 3 Littles put together!

Highlight of the trip was the skytram.

Also watching these hippos and encountering this peacock just walking down the path.
It was hot and we were all a bit tired towards the end of the vacation but we were very happy to spend a special day enjoying the animals with Grandpa and Grumbie.

The 4th.

We spent the fourth of July in San Diego with Tim's parents on the beach. Our friend Andy (lives in SD) saved us a great spot on a beach with calm waters and brought 2 paddleboards. Andy, Tim and I all took turns taking Littles on rides. 

And then Andy performed Ivy's favorite "Andy-ism"... stuffing his face with grapes. Here she and Goo count along.

(thanks Margaret for the photos)

By The Sea.

We are enjoying some quality Grumbie time this week! We have joined Tim's parents for some relaxing days on the beach and by the pool. The Littles are getting good and spoiled with all this attention.

Ivy and Savannah love chasing these Pacific waves, searching for shells and bringing in seaweed treasures.

Goo isn't too keen on the waves and instead prefers to make castles and lakes for his sand toys.

The Natural History Museum.

Yesterday we woke up very early and drove to Los Angeles to visit The Natural History Museum. The Littles are very interested in dinosaurs, in particular Savannah, and so it made for the perfect family outing. We've recently watched the movies Night At The Museum and Night At The Museum 2, Littles kept asking to see their favorite characters.

Savannah and Ivy interacting with the mammal exhibit.

I enjoyed the gallery dedicated to early California settlement, these paintings of southern California missions caught my attention.

We were all amazed by the great halls of animal dioramas. One hall exhibited African wildlife and the other (our favorite) North American Mammals. The taxidermy on these preserved creatures was perfection. I kept looking at their eyes to see if they would blink!