Cayucos Ocean (WOFOFF 2009)

I am really behind in posting this, on September 19 - 22 we took a family vacation to the Central Coast, specifically Cayucos. It was our annual WOFOFF (Week of Full on Fellowship and Fun) weekend with our fabulous Cal Poly SLO friends. It was such a special time. We also were able to catch up with a few other friends in the area. All in all we couldn't have asked for a better time of relaxation, fun, appreciating God's creation, good friends and delicious food. Also, it was special because it was Evan's first trip to the Coast, specifically the Ocean and we got to take him to Mommy and Daddy's newlywed stopping grounds, and of course Daddy's alma mater - Cal Poly SLO. Oh, we must also mention this was Evan's first long car drive five hours. He did so great we couldn't have been prouder and this was coming off of a yucky cold.

Our first stop before WOFOFF in Cayucos was to visit good friends Don and Elaine at their home in SLO. It was so great to see them, they treated us to a delicious lunch and then we all got to hang out for awhile and watch Evan entertain us. He really liked Don and Elaine and their cool house! :)

Then we checked in at our rental house and meet up with the gang. After settling in we decided since we were in the area we needed to go to Farmer's Market. It was super busy Thursday night because it was also Cal Poly's WOW (Week of Welcome) for the Freshman. Nevertheless, it was still very fun. Here are Ben, Jim, me, Evan, Jessica, Samuel and Andrew downtown at the market.

Then of course we had to do a little shopping at the Cal Poly SLO store. Here is our family checking out the merchandise.

After a full night of Farmer's Market including eating at Firestones we headed back to Cayucos. Natalie, Dave and Tyler were arriving and we wanted to be there to greet them. We now had most of the group except, the Bradleys who would meet up with us on Saturday.

This is most of us on Friday morning in front of our little rental house. Evan was enjoying his freedom to walk around.

Here he is with his buddy Tyler. Don't they just look so cute together.

After enjoying the morning and having lunch we decided to walk to the beach. It was super close to our house.

Here are Evan and Daddy on the beach. Don't you just love their matching hats; we bought these before Evan was born. The day was perfect. The sun was out and the weather was amazing!

Here is a nice family photo. You can even see Baby Girl in this photo.

Here are the girls with the kidos.

Here are the boys.

This is a fun picture of Jim and Evan and Dave and Tyler. Special father son moments. :)

After the beach we headed back to the house for naps for the kidos and some down time. Then as evening approached the kids played and we all got ready for dinner soon after. Here I am with both Evan and his other good buddy Sammy. Or should I say twin, Sammy was born about two weeks after Evan. Isn't it neat how similar they look, both blondies, same height, coloring...gotta love those genes. :)

On Friday night we decided to go out to dinner. It was so much fun, we walked to our location. Tyler thought it would be cool to try to push Evan. As you can see Evan wasn't so sure. :)

We had dinner at the lovely restaurant pictured below, Sea Shanty. It was so nice and the service was great.

After dinner we all visited a local park. The kids had a blast! Notice the cool weather, it was nice being in the fog, after having such a hot summer in Sacramento.

Then we came home and got the kids ready for bed. As you can see Evan and Tyler had some fabulous bedtime fun together. They loved running and jumping or for Evan trying to jump on this bed.

There was also a little wrestling involved. Natalie captured this great picture of Evan trying to take down Tyler. Don't worry, Tyler came back strong. :)

Then on Saturday morning, Jim, Evan and I walked to our other good friend's house, Linda and Jerry. They were the one's who told us about the rentals in Cayucos and got us hooked up with such a sweet location for our summer trip. It was lovely to see them. Evan also enjoyed their home and trying to get into everything. Here is Evan below pictured with Jerry and Linda. I just love this picture of the three of them!

After our visit we headed back to the house for lunch and met up with the gang, then we all headed to the beach. Matt, Amy and Lena arrived too. We had the whole group together and were able to get some really nice pictures. The only bummer was the sun decided to only come out for about 15 minutes this day. We totally didn't appreciate it's longer visit on Friday! Oh, well it was still fun and Evan really had a blast either way. Pictured below from L-R and Top - Bottom: Matt, Amy, Lena, Jessica, Andrew, Sammy, Tyler, Dave, Natalie, Ben, Kim, Evan and Jim.

Here is a little video of Evan loving the water; it was chilly in there but he didn't care. He couldn't get enough of the waves and kept wanting to go out for more.



Here is a picture of me and my little man. :)

Here are Daddy and our little fish.

The other cool thing is that the kids got to see horses riding on the beach. This was another great picture by Natalie. :)

Lastly, that day at the beach we took some more girl and boy photos; now that the Bradleys were with us the group was truly complete.

That evening Jim BBQ some tri-tip for us with the guys and Natalie prepared a fabulous feast of potato fries, salad, and a fantastic apple dessert! She was so good! :)

Here are the men expressing their love for BBQing and the tools needed! :)

On Sunday, our final day, we had a delicious breakfast prepared by the Bradleys. Evan and Tyler were being so funny. They love to crack each other up.

Here is Evan showing off his new trick, saying CHEESE! Gotta love it!

Then the boys were also having a blast playing with this ice chest. The things they find to amuse themselves. :)

Finally before our final departure at 10:00 a.m. that day we had to get the coveted group photo, both serious and funny. We love our friends so much and are very thankful we can share these summer trips together! Thanks everyone and we can't wait until next year! :)



Before we left the Central Coast we made a final stop at our good friend's the Weyel's new house. It was so nice; unfortunately, we missed Gary and Lauren. But, we are able to catch up for a super speedy visit with Carolyn and Jon (Jon was sick so we didn't stay too long, poor guy).

And before our final drive back home we of course had to eat at Firestones again - so yummy! :) Thanks Central Coast for not disappointing us. We can't wait to come back and see you again real soon. Evan thanks you too! :) He loves the ocean!

First time at the Pumpkin Patch

We took Evan to the pumpkin patch for the first time last weekend on Sunday, October 4. This was actually my first time to this particular farm, Jim thinks he went as a child. Bishop's Pumpkin Farm was amazing. It is located in Wheatland, CA and is a lot of fun for the whole family. We did not even get to all the attractions.

Some of the things we did get to do were...
Evan loves trains or should I say choo choos, he was a little nervous riding this one when it actually started moving and made a lot of noise. He held on pretty tight, but I think overall had a nice time. :)

This is us on the train, I love how Evan is looking at the camera in this self portrait. So funny!

Evan also got to play on a wooden toy train. He really enjoyed this!

This picture cracks Jim and I up. Evan looks like he is yelling for the train to stop or something along this line. Or is concerned we are leaving someone behind.

Then we went to the animal petting farm. We just looked at the animals in this area no petting yet, but soon enough. :)

Then we went for a hayride to the pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkins. We were actually honored with having the privilege of Mr. Bishop driving our tractor. Pretty neat stuff! I was going to get a picture, but Jim thought it wasn't necessary. I will describe him for you, he is an older grandpa type fella. :) Here was another guy driving a tractor. Evan thought the tractors were so cool and waved to each of the drivers.

Our family at the pumpkin patch.

Evan and Daddy looking for the perfect pumpkin.

Here are Mommy and Evan also looking for the perfect family pumpkins.

Evan enjoying his freedom in the patch.
We found it...Evan's pumpkin! It was just right for our little guy.
Here is Jim with Mommy and Daddy's pumpkins too, the best part is we got these three pumpkins for only $7.00 what a steal! :) I love a good bargain.

Lastly, we got a fun snack and had some classic pumpkin patch cuisine. Jim enjoyed homemade fudge and Evan and I dined on a caramel covered apple. So delicious!

These pictures were taken after we enjoyed the food. Evan was having a great time laughing and being tickled by Daddy and practicing his CHEESE smile! :)

Then we headed to the final line to pay for our pumpkins and head back to our cars and leave. Like I said before there were still other attractions we didn't even get to i.e., the corn maze, a fun play area, tires and hay to jump on to name a few things. We will have to check these out on a future visit, but for now we were very happy with our Bishop's Farm experience and had a fabulous Sunday afternoon of Fall fun!

Happy Harvest!

Superman to the Rescue

Evan got these fabulous pajamas from his Aunt Debra and Uncle Rhett for his birthday. Now that it is getting colder he can finally wear them. Here he is flaunting his stuff on October 8 and living up to the name on his shirt. Superman to the Rescue...

He's a bird, no a plane...up up and away!

I'll save you...here I come!

Here is a little video of Evan and Daddy having fun all dressed up! He had the best time!

Crayons...

Evan had a fantastic time at a recent family dinner we had on September 26 at Chili's Bar and Grill. He did so well and for the first time was entertained by the coloring crayons. Here he is showing off his skills and artwork. What a big boy we have! :) In the pictures below he is smiling while saying CHEESE...so cute! :) He loves cheese by the way for eating too. Gotta love this little guy!

MAF Kodiak 100 Viewing

On September 27 our family was invited by Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) to visit McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento to view the new Kodiak 100 plane. This is a special plane designed specifically for missionaries who fly into remote parts of the world to allow them to deliver missionary supplies. We support MAF and two college friends who now serve with them as missionaries in Central Asia.

This is Evan and me outside of the hanger waiting for the plane to take off. He was having fun pushing his stroller. He always loves this activity.

This is Evan and Jim watching the plane go out for a quick flight. He is truly Daddy's boy and appears to already loves planes! :)

Registering for Baby Girl

Jim told me that Evan and I could register for Baby Girl Knight while he was at work to give us something to do. So, Evan and I have been busy taking care of business. First we went to Babies 'R' Us and then we headed to Target (this took place on two separate days in case you were wondering). This is a picture of Evan at Target with the scanner helping Mommy pick out some cool girl things for little sis. He did so good while we selected items at both stores. He just munched on snacks the whole time. He got messy, but that's okay he was good! :)

Last we went to Goores (a local Sacramento Baby Store) with my parents. Grandpa entertained Evan letting him run around the store (one of Evan's favorite current past-times), while Grandma and I picked out a few fun items. Here they are posing next to the furniture we choose for our daughter.

It was so much fun to think pink and choose some fabulous girly things. We are so excited to have our little girl and can't wait to shower her with love! :)