An Evening Out, Sports in the Sand and a Surprise

a surprising treat

#8 Dinner Out at the Sunset Raw Bar and Grill

So, having a live-in babysitter has its perks and this year, the night before Tara, Lawrence and family arrived, Dave, Jes, Chris and I enjoyed a wonderful night out. I chose the restaurant entirely for the view. Fortunately, the food was wonderful as well so it was a perfect evening for all.

me and my bollazo

another one

#7 Sports on the Beach

We enjoyed plyo on the beach (some of us, not me), relay races and kickball as well as another first class treasure hunt. We attracted some fans for one of our games who were cheering on Madeleine in particular by name.

Catch him Grace!

Min

Searching for buried treasure. The kids had to solve a few math problems to get the coordinates for the location to dig. They were hot, tired and successful in the end.

#6 Alice's Surprise Party

Am I really 40 years old? This particular party made me feel more like 18. I stacked oreos on my forehead, tore tissues out of a box, tossed shoes in the air and was smeared by way too many cupcakes to count. It was the best party ever and I was caught completely unawares. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone involved. You made me feel loved and really, what more could I ask?

gift from Dave and Jes

We tried it out and it works very well

Dave spent about an hour throwing kid after kid yelling, "Watch out for flying fish!"

They loved it. So, so much fun!

my favorite

There goes Sophie

No pool party is complete without an attempt to submerge Lawrence.

Tara actually succeeded this year but ended up being thrown in herself a few times as well.

I had about seven oreos up on top at one point

Where's the hose?

# 5 Visiting With Cousins

Good for the kids that they made this its own category. The Kreitzer cousins are second to none--oh, so special. I'm glad they appreciate that.

Alex and Ella

One of the nights I walked the kids down to the beach, Rachel carried Mia on her shoulders the whole way. I was so proud of her!

Rachel, Grace, Matthew

Zack and Madeleine

Me and Ella

Sophie and Matthew

Lauren and Sophie

A little Kreitzer karoake

Go B Go

Grace and Matthew

Tickles