Time for Boating!

Summer means one thing is for sure in the Davis household--we go out on boats.  Waylon seems to be just as into it as daddy (and grandpa), and Avalon and I are always up for a ride in the sun!  These photos are from the first trip of the season for our Boston Whaler.  Grandpa Davis decided to join in the fun with his boat.  Of course after all of the work getting the boats in the water, we only were out for about an hour.  But the Davis men do not seem to mind.

 Waylon helps hitch up the boat.

 Avalon "supervises" from the bow of the boat.

 Finally out on the water!   The kids were excited to see grandpa.

 Waylon jumps ship and heads over to Grandpa's Whaler.

 Avalon stays aboard to help daddy drive.

 Waylon and Grandpa are off!

Grandpa had a very funny visitor!

Phillies' End of Season Festivities

All good things must come to an end, and so it was with T-Ball in early June.  It really was our whole social world for several weeks.  Having all of our friends on the team made practices and games so much fun!  Aaron really enjoyed it, and continued practicing on Saturdays with some other dads throughout the summer.  However, it was still sad to say goodbye to our first team, the Phillies.  Following the final game everyone converged with food and drinks at our house for a very fun end of year party.  The next day was Closing Day where the kiddos received their fancy trophies (what do you do with all of these cheap trophies?).

 The best team cake EVER courtesy of Dana Trevino (aka Matt's mom).

 The dads and moms were having fun watching MLB while the kids played like banshees all over the house and backyard.  Aaron's outdoor TV was a big hit!  However, we quickly learned that we needed another outdoor heater!

 Head Coach Jonathan hands out certificates and each players name from the team banner.

 Waylon shows off his fancy certificate and name! (sorry about the dirty camera lens) 

 Waylon and Ryan could not miss the chance for a "silly photo!!!"

 Kerri and Shelley are happy mommies while the kids play.

 Closing day.  We arrived just as the Phillies were announced.

 Trophy smile.

 Team photo:  (L to R) Alexander, Gabe, Tanner, Jamison, Waylon, Chase, Jonathan, Ryan, Matt, and Noah)

 Silly team photo!

Yet another Ryan & Waylon photo.  These boys are crazy together!

Fun Times

 Waylon and BFF,  Ryan at Noah's 4th Bday Party.  W & R dominated the bounce house (an awesome pirate ship) all day.

 Waylon went crazy on the pinata.

 Avalon attempted to get the pirate ship pinata.

 Avalon and her buddy Brooklyn from Pre-school.

 Back at home Waylon was playing in the play structure, pretending to be...what else?  A Jedi Knight.

Avalon, our other Jedi Knight.

Headed to School

Getting out the door is always a huge challenge.  First getting myself up, ready, my lunch packed, and kids "to go" breakfasts prepared takes a lot of energy.  Then comes the hard part...getting the kids up.  Brushing teeth and Avalon's hair is a nightmare, but occasionally they surprise me.  One day in May they were super cute, playing as they headed downstairs to get out the door.  I snapped a few shots of this rare occurrence--a peaceful morning.

T-Ball Party at the Big A

As a fundraiser for our little league, they sell (really bad) seats to an Angels game.  The teams get to parade around the field before the game, and then all of the families get to trek up to the nose bleed seats where you spend one week of your salary on food, toys, and adult beverages in order to survive.  Another "joy" of the day was the 45 minutes we had to wait to get into the stadium.  Coach Aaron pulled every trick in the book to keep his team entertained.

 Aaron leading the kiddos in Simon says.

 Little Sis joins in the fun.

 Team Photo with the iconic "A" in the background.

 SILLY PHOTO!

 The dudes:  Noah, Waylon, Ryan, and Jonathan.

 Silly siblings.

 Parading through the stadium.  the kids were great, and held hands the whole way.  Thanks to Coach Jonathan, Aaron, Mike, and Team Mom Jen for keeping them under control.

 Mommy and Grandpa ran around the stadium like banshees trying to get the best angle.  I may or may not have elbowed another parent out of the way for this shot.  Not my proudest moment.

 "Grandpa!!!"  Whenever Ed is around its like everyone else is chopped liver.

Food, family, and fun.  I think we made it through the 3rd (possibly the 4th) inning before our departure. Next year we are getting together with some other families to get better seats, and perhaps hiring a nanny for the day.  Kidding...sort of.

ROCK OUT!

I spend a lot of time these days marveling at how well the kids play together.  I take no credit for this.  I think it all has to do with Waylon being a really good older brother.  Avalon?  Well, lets just say that Waylon is a really tolerant older brother.  She is sassy and demanding, but he seems to take it all in stride (knocking on lots of wood here).  Here is a great example of their playtime fun--PJ rock out session.  Of course, it takes twice as long to get them to bed after a session like this, but its all worth it.

Side note:  Waylon is our sensitive child that gets really upset at change.  He especially hates throwing anything away.  Today he saw the ukelele pictured here in the trash, and freaked out.  We had to promise not to throw it away (it only has 1 string left) and try to fix it with ribbons.  FYI, Avalon is jamming on a foam sword held together with duct tape.

Carlsbad Flower Fields

I have always heard about the Carlsbad Flower Fields as an outing, but had never been.  The Donoghues invited us to tag along on their trip this Spring, and I am so happy that we went.  It is absolutely beautiful--although EXTREMELY busy.  There was just enough kid activities to keep them entertained for awhile, although the flowers themselves were not much of a draw.  

 Waylon in the playhouse.  The Flower Fields purchased all of these amazing playhouses and structures from the old Santa's Village when it closed.  So cool!

 Our little monkey Avalon LOVES to hang.  She thinks she can do it by herself (until she fell and banged her head).  Miss "I do it myself" is going to drive me insane very, very soon.  

 Madeline was nice enough to get a photo of the kids and I in one play structure.  I was in there because Avalon got stuck in the rafters and I had to rescue her.  True story.

 Aaron models amid the floral splendor.  It was hilarious to see all of the people there for photo shoots.

 The kids in the flower maze.  It was sort of like the movie "the Shining," but prettier.

 John's turn to model.

 John was great with the kids.  They loved chasing him through the maze.

 Madeline and John--the Christmas card shot.

 Our whole gang on board the tractor tour of the fields.