August 2020

 When I first moved to Southern California I heard all kinds of things about the Junior Guards program and, to be honest, I never thought my kids would participate because I don't like the beach or the ocean and I figured they wouldn't either! How wrong I was.  What I didn't know was what an amazing program it really is:

Students gain a wide variety of skills and knowledge including:

• how to enjoy the beach safely;
• ocean and wave education;
• area familiarity;
• first aid and CPR;
• water rescue techniques;
• the importance of keeping physically fit; and other topics related to lifeguarding

This valuable experience builds self-confidence and skills for life.

Here in Huntington Beach the program doesn't start until age 9 but this year they did a pilot program called Junior Groms that models Junior Guards but is for 5-8 year olds.  They started out with one week and quickly added two more; next year they plan to offer a full six week camp with both morning and afternoon sessions; we can't wait.  Among other things, Mila learned how to surf while at camp and Nellie actually got in the ocean for the first time in her life to swim and boogie board; they came home with all kinds of fun facts about sharks and tide pools and Nellie even swears she got stung by a stingray!

Because of their new love for the water, the beach days continue!

We had two camping trips this month, the first one to Paso Robles, which was so nice but SO hot but, unfortunately due to COVID, you could only reserve a one hour per day time slot at the pool.  We went to a couple of wineries and, while the kids were troopers, we decided next time we go it will be an adults only trip!

Our next trip was a neighboorhood camping trip to San Clemente; we had never been before and it was a really cute spot. We actually have another trip planned there in October with our Cypress camping group.

We surprised Mila with an early birthday present....her own surfboard! She was SO excited but has yet to ride it because the waves weren't good the weekend we were there.

Mila has had four wiggly top teeth for a couple of weeks now and really wanted them out. After banging them on a chair at school one day she asked if Jenn, our dental hygenist neighbor, could come pull them out! I didn't actually think she would want to go through with it but she did!

Things we're looking forward to next month: our 10th aniversary!, Mila's birthday and party, Robert's birthday, a quick adults only getaway to Vegas, oh, and the start of school (but I'm not sure we're actually looking forward to that!).

July 2020

I started July off with a haircut, which was thrilling! Somehow I managed to time it just right to the week that salons were open here in California, before the govenor shut them down again due to coronavirus. 

We spent the 4th of July weekend having fun in the neighborhood and even ventured out from our little circle to hav a bike ride with Mila's friends; however, I was much more anxious there, around all those people, much more than I expected to be.  We ended up leaving right after the ride and retreated back to the safety of our block.  The girls had fun, though, and I am glad we went to make 4th of July look somewhat normal.

Pre-Covid our neighborhood goes OFF for 4th of July and we knew this year would be no different. One of our neighbors had a blow up water slide, another neighbor's band perform and a group of neighbors had their usual giant (illegal) fireworks display.

Mila went to real big girl summer camp, a beach volleyball camp, with her friends, Kira and Taytum. She loves volleyball and hopes to continue playing in the fall.  

We have been spending many of our quarantine days at the beach; the girls are turning into little fish and getting braver as they get older!  One of the days we were at the beach the fire boat showed up and gave us a show, everyone loved it and gave a standing ovation when they were done!

We went and watched Alyssa at her dance competition in South County, where we had to watch from outside due to COVID, but she did amazing and was so happy that we were all there to support her!

Robert got together with his two best friends from high school, Russ and Dusty, and we even planned an adults trip to Vegas at the end of September. Fingers crossed we actually get to go!

Nana and Papa arrived mid-month and we were so excited to see them!!  They drove out to California from Kansas and even brought out desks from Ikea for me that were sold out in California and lugged them all the way out here. Nana and Papa always save the day <3

They weren't here for much more than a day or two when we dropped the kids off and headed to our first date night since February!  We met up with Aimee and Matt in Laguna Beach and had a great time.  Wearing masks and having to order food every where we went couldn't stop us from having a good time!

We ended the month celebrating Roscoe's 10th birthday!!! He's such an old many now and we love him so much. I can't imagine life without him and all of this extra time at home has really spoiled us all.

What we're looking forward to next month: Jr. Guards program for the girls and camping trips to Paso Robles and San Mateo.

June 2020

We've made it halfway through 2020...and we've now spent (slightly) more time under the Coronavirus regime than we have not.  This month saw some changes, with the re-opening of nearly everything that remained closed, including indoor seating at restaurants, beaches, gyms and hair and nail salons. However by the end of the month a large part of California (and the country) are seeing a surge of new cases and we are starting to scale back.

Distance learning ended in mid-June which was nice, but we didn't realize how well we had adjusted to the schedule of school in the morning and playing in the afternoon.  Near the end of June the girls had a week and a half off and now we're back to worksheets and computer programs, as well as reading just to keep the girls busy and their brains active.

We now have a 2nd grader and a Kindergartener on our hands!!!

The girls started summer camp at Grace Lutheran on June 30th and, while they say it's different (temperature checks, small groups, no sharing materials, etc), they still love going and want to continue. It's nice to see them out, interacting with friends and not having to wear a mask; it brings a sense of much needed normalcy.  We are thankful that Grace is offering an option for summer camp since we are familiar with the school and trust them to have a safe, healthy environment.

We spent most of the month of March social distancing with our neighbors, who we have grown close to during this pandemic.  We're lucky to live on a street with so many other people our age that we all get along with.

Last month we held a neighborhood pulled pork competition and the winner chose a taco competition for the next challenge.  We rolled this challenge into a birthday party for our neighbor, Jenn, complete with an amazing backyard concert by Kevin Miso.

We closed out the month by sneaking away from work for the day for a trip to the beach with the Charlands.  I don't know who had more fun seeing their besties, the girls or the adults!

What we're looking forward to next month: Nana & Papa arrive!, neighborhood 4th of July celebration, Mila's volleyball camp, a camping trip to Rancho Jurupa and Roscoe's 10th birthday!