Beach time baby!

Woo hoo!!!! San Diego here we come! I'm SO ready to get out of the heat! I think we got spoiled with the California weather while in Santa Barbara! Oh, I would LOVE to stay in California during the HOT Arizona Summers!!!

The Black Sox were invited to play in the United States Travel Ball Association (USTBA) World Series. Opening day starts the tournament with skills contests and a BBQ, then four days of baseball! What a great way to spend a week away!

During our down time, we kept plenty busy with all the typical tourist activities. We stayed on Mission Bay so we were close to everything. We were able to spend 1/2 a day at Sea world and we were moved by the dolphin and Shamu shows! I forgot how much fun Sea World was!! Dennis even bought me a cute stuffed penguin that is too cute! We also made our way to Luigi's pizza on Mission Beach and rode the rides at Belmont Park.

We also got to spend some time with the Hickerson, Dean, and Carassco Families! It was great to see our Californian friends!

Although the Black Sox were unable to bring home the gold it was a great trip! And for an extra bonus we got to meet and take a photo with Gonzo (Luis Gonzalez.) I think I liked him more than the boys and YES I have a signed ball by him too!

Check out the slide show above for a glimpse into the week and here are a few from our time together as family.

Billy's 4th Birthday Party

This year Billy wanted to celebrate his birthday with his friends at Pump It Up. There were two rooms of inflatable slides, obstacle courses and play and then the kids moved into the party room for pizza, cake, and presents! Billy had school friends, neighbors, family and kids from t-ball. It was a great turnout and he said it was his best birthday ever!

First Solo Flight

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Today Dennis completed his first solo flight! He has worked very hard to get to this point and we are very proud of him! He did three touch and goes and his instructor said he has never met anyone as determined as Dennis!

Next up is cross country flying!

Santa Barbara 2009

Santa Barbara here we come!

This year we spent the week after the July 4th holiday in Santa Barbara visiting my sister and her family. The week went by way too fast! We went shopping, ate excellent food and relaxed in the cool California weather. Dennis had to attend a conference in St. Louis in the middle of our vacation but he did get to go to the All Star game! The beach was a hit with the boys, as were the long walks to the park and down State Street. Dennis and his cousin Siena participated in a skate camp on the beach and we did our annual tie dye adventure! Billy celebrated his 4th birthday in style by going on a pirate cruise and we wrapped up our trip with birthday presents and cake! Thank you Buffy, Daryl, Siena and Sage! We had a great time!

Happy 4th of July!

This year we are spending the day at the Thompson's for a pool party & BBQ! Hope you all have a safe and happy July 4th!

Diamondback Little League All Stars

Dennis was invited to play on the 10-11 All Star team this year. He was very excited to get a chance to pitch and play with his former Cougar teammate, Brandon. Although the team went 1-3 the boys had a great time despite the triple digit heat. Nice job Diamondback!