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This was one of those moments where you either laugh and grab you camera of beat the crap out of your kid and send her to her room. Lucky for Avery I did the first. That was sun screen she got all over her and that is my new couch. But again luckily for me and Avery I had put that blanket over the couch while she watched her movie.
The Family at Whitney's Wedding.

Avery and Papa Great.

Monterey

Another cool Jelly fish.
Ahhh a shark! While we were in Monterey my dad, Jared, Jon and I went scuba diving. My dad is addicted to scuba diving and he and my brother Jon set up a trip for us to go out diving. I was a little nervous about it and asked my dad if their are sharks in the area. I guess you could say I am a little scared of sharks and being ripped apart....maybe it was from watching the movie Jaws as a kid or maybe my fear comes from watching the National Geographic special on sharks, and watching them rip apart a seal....I am not sure but either way they are a little scary. So my dad said that their were sharks in the area but probably not where we will be diving at. At that moment I was releived until he said "well if I do see a shark I will just get out my knife." At this point I felt a little safer knowing my dad would be the hero and try to fight a shark until he said,"I'll just cut the guy next to me and swim away." Knowing that I would probably be the one next to him didn't help calm my nerves, even though I knew he was kidding...at least I think he was.
Besides the scuba diving the next best thing was eating!!!!! We had the best food there!
This was such a great trip. It was so awesome to have almost all of our family there, except for Jenni who had just started filming so she could not come...and Kurt of course. The highlight was the scuba diving. The water was so scold and we had to wear thick wet suits. As I would descend I would get this big headache it felt like a brain freeze....I am pretty sure it was from the freezing cold water. But once we were down at the bottom it was awesome. It is a whole another world. My brother Jon is an experienced diver and well educated in aquatic life and he was a great guide. It was such a great experience and I can't wait till our next trip. Now we have to get the rest of the family certified so we can do these trips every year. Jon also had a awesome camera that he took pictures on so once he sends me those I will post them...they should be pretty cool.

Monterey California

Some cool Jelly fish.....




This picture makes me laugh....I think I will use it when the time comes and Avery asks me the question most parents dread...."where do babies come from?" I will just pull out the picture and tell her...."Clams...babies come from gaint clams in the sea."

After our family reunion we drove down to Monterey and it was like going on a vaction to a different state. It was about 68 degrees which seemed a little cold coming from Redding which was over 100 degrees.
We took the kids to the Aquarium and they loved it. It was the biggest aquarium I have been in and there was so much to see. This is actualley a fish..in a bottle....I thought it was cool. Avery called all the fish Nemo....she would say "look momma Nemo!"

More Reunion Pics

Jared, Lizza and Zina sporting their 70's look. Lizza was such a trooper during this vacation. Not only was she 7 months pregnant but it was over a 100's outside and because of the fires it was extremley smokey. But I was so glad to have her there......she has been such a wonderful addition to our family....
Groovy Chic's!!


Even my dad got in on the fun....yes he sang karoake with the girls. He was Lara's back up singer.

Summer Vacation...Finally Posted

This July we were able to go to California to the Nelson Family Reunion. It was such a blast. Avery loved playing with all the different cousins. Our theme was the 70's so naturally we tie dyed shirts and did some groovy face painting. To top it all off there was a karaoke machine which played some terrific tunes from the 70's. This is when I realized Avery's love for singing, dancing and the spotlight. My Uncle Steve helped her with the microphone and when her turn was up and it was time to retire the microphone she threw a fit like a true Diva. She did not want to give the mic away.


The cutest little hippies I have ever seen.
Aunt Sharon was definitely the most spirited. She really got into the theme and made the whole experience a blast.

More face painting and tie dye.....aren't these girl the cutest!

Some of My Favorite Pictures From the Reunion

I also had a great photo of a certain little boy taking a leak by a big tree....pants around his ankles and everything. I decided not to post it....because I didn't want to offend anyone...and you never know what kind of crazies are out there looking at our blog......

Family

Food and Fun!

The marathon runners. Tara had just ran a half marathon only but a few hours ago.

The Erickson Reunion turned out great...even with the lacking of people. Thanks to Tara and Jake and Meagan for putting it on.

Best Aunt and Uncle Award Goes To...

I am not sure who is having more fun Eric or the boys?

It was so nice to have family there to help entertain our kids. They did a great job!

Signs of Good Parenting

At the reunion I walk into the parking lot to get some stuff from the car and I saw this scene. From a distance it had me a little worried...but as I got closer I was relieved to find that the baby....was not dead...or abandoned but that it was just a toy. I guess I was worried because the parking lot is not the best place for a baby in my opinion...the ground is hot and dirty and there is always the possibility of getting run over.:)

The Little Girls

I had to post these cuties because they are pretty close to the same age as well....and you can only imgaine the fun they will have together when they get older.

The Girls

The girls had so much fun playing together. The all are pretty close in age...and the older girls were so good about including the younger ones.