Our perfect day

Saturday we headed out to Monterey with our bikes, a picnic, and high hopes for a great day of biking, eating, and playing at the park. We weren't disappointed! We couldn't have asked for better weather. It was bright and sunny and in the low 70's. We rode our bikes on the bike path that goes along the beach and cliffs. Davey was a champ!

Trevor and Arden told us they had a Ghiradelli's down on Cannery Row and getting one of their hot fudge sundaes was really my whole mission for orchestrating the bike ride and park. I would've been happy just driving 45 minutes for the sundae alone. It also proved to be good motivation to get the kids to ride their bikes all the way there. Chocolate has always been a good motivator for me as well.

Much like his father, Jonah doesn't take a "normal" picture too much anymore.

I love this deep ice cream moment Jonah had. I wonder what he was daydreaming about?

Davey is always pretty generous with the kisses and hugs. I love how cuddly he is. Every once in awhile he'll tell me not to carry him b/c he's "a big boy" and then the next moment he'll tell me he's just a baby and to "please hold you". I was sitting next to him while we were eating and he thought he saw ice cream on my shirt and he said, "Oh mommy, let me help you," and got his napkin and wiped my shirt for me. It was such a sweet moment with my son, I loved his gesture of thoughtfulness.

We needed like 5 cups of water to wash down all the sweetness after we were done, so worth it though!

A rare moment when Payton was ok "being seen" with me. Perhaps it was b/c we were out of town? Today, (Wednesday) as luck would have it, I couldn't go volunteer in her classroom b/c they were doing a practice lock down (the age we live in!) and I wouldn't be able to get on campus. She overheard me telling Trav this and got a slow, evil grin on her face and turned around to face me and said, "really? you can't come?" I asked her why she doesn't want me there and she always mumbles, "b/c I'm just so embarrassed and I get bored if you're there". What is that? I've had to promise not to talk to her when I do go. I might bust out in song and a crazy dance right in front of her table just to show her.

We ended with Dennis the Menace Park which is one of our favorites. The kids were completely wiped out and testy by the time we left. The ride home included dumped pretzels, a sippy thrown in the back of the car in a desperate attempt to NOT share it, yelling, crying, and then three happy kids all pretending to be cats. Go figure.

The day truly was perfect b/c we left the kids with my parents later that night and met my sister Vicki at the Poet and Patriot downtown to see the Wild Rovers, an Irish band, play. Is there any better way to end a day than with rowdy loud Irish music? I submit that there is not!