Birthday Apple Picking!

We knew we wanted to head up to Oak Glen for our annual apple picking, and we also wanted to celebrate Mimi's birthday, so we combined them together!

The boys went surfing early in the morning, and then we all met up at Riley's Farm.

 We learned from last year that we needed to eat early to beat the crowds! We had a delicious BBQ lunch in the shade. Then it was time for birthday gifts!

We gave Mimi a few things and then Gramps surprised her with a getaway to the Mission Inn for the Festival of Lights in December.

They decided to bring my birthday gifts early, since we aren't quite sure what the plans are for next weekend. Our free days seem to be getting fewer and fewer.

 I loved my new purse, bracelet and jacket! Before heading to the orchard, we stopped to spend some time with the goats and sheep.

They sure do have some personality!

Then we were off to do our picking. We always try to get up the mountain early enough in the season for raspberries. Unfortunately, most of them were gone this year. We weren't able to fill any baskets, but we spent quite a while picking off what we could find...and eat!

 

 After the raspberries we headed to the apple orchard to pick some delicious Granny Smiths.

 Zoe was on a mission to find the perfect apple at her height!

 The boys were more interested in drinking their sodas...

Afterwards, we headed back across the street to walk the path back to the shop. We found some beautiful trees which made for a perfect picture opportunity.

 We picked up some candy, caramel apples, apple cider, and some boysenberry syrup. Zoe even found a souvenir penny to add to her collection.

 

It turned out to be a beautiful day, and felt a little bit more like fall! I sure do love this time of year!

Dreams Do Come True!

The anxiously awaited cast list finally came out!! We had been checking email every ten minutes since Monday afternoon, but nothing was coming. At about 8:30pm on Tuesday, Nicole called Zoe to ask if she'd seen it. I checked my email (after checking it only 5 minutes before) and there it was...

She was completely shocked, burst into tears, and was overwhelmed with joy! I was so happy for her, and a little overwhelmed myself. Zoe has worked so hard for this, and nothing makes me happier than seeing her achieve her dreams.
She was up very late that night! Her phone was buzzing with texts, snapchats, and phone calls from all her friends at the studio. They were all excited, and congratulating each other on their parts. It wasn't easy for either of us to sleep!

We couldn't help but celebrate with some cards and a gift the next day...

Her rehearsal schedule is going to be VERY busy the next few months. After 5 hours of group rehearsals on Friday, she was back at the studio at 9am Saturday morning for her first Clara rehearsal with Brittany.

She didn't want me taking pictures, but I snapped a quick one! She moved on to a rehearsal with Drosselmeyer, which was a lot of fun.

After a full day of rehearsals, she was exhausted. It will be a crazy few months trying to balance the extra hours and rehearsals with school, but she is determined to make it work, and continue to give her best.
Congratulations Zoe!! We can't wait for the show!

Jax's 12th Birthday

We celebrated Jax's birthday with a party at the bay today!

 The boys started off swimming in the pool...

followed by lunch...

then time at the bay for swimming, kayaking, and games...

Cooper won $5 for winning the boogie board swim race!

 The boys enjoyed their cake on the beach.

 It was a fun day celebrating with their cousin! Happy Birthday Jax!

more surfing!

Cooper loves heading to Mimi and Gramp's house on the weekends so he can get some surf time in with Jax. They go at 6am to hit the waves.
Sunday morning was pretty foggy, but they were excited to get out there. Jax got a beautiful new longboard for his birthday, so Cooper is riding his old one (which he loves!)

 He's still learning, but getting more comfortable every time. He just wishes we lived closer to the beach!

Nutcracker Auditions

I can't believe it's this time of year already...Nutcracker auditions were today at Dunamix!

These girls have worked so hard all summer. They were excited and anxious at the same time! Zoe did ballet and jazz auditions. They try not to get their hopes up, but they each have parts they want and dances they are "dying" to be in. We will just have to see what happens! Zoe has been a bit overwhelmed the last couple of weeks trying to give it her all at school and dance. I am blessed to have a daughter who gives 100% to everything she does, but it definitely leads to some stressful evenings. They should find out the results in a couple of days, so she intends to keep her mind occupied until the cast list comes out! 

Back to Friday Night Lights

Cooper started practicing with his new FNL team (San Diego State Aztecs) about a month ago. Many of the kids on his team have never played before, so they have been putting in a lot of hours of practice. Tonight was their pre-season league opener.

 The game didn't start until 8:45p.m., so it was a late night. The kids were excited to get out on the field and get the game going.

 Cooper did an incredible job on defense tonight.

 He is back to playing QB on offense, and continued to do well. He's becoming a good leader to the other kids on the team.

 Unfortunately, the Aztecs took a big loss to Boise State. They just don't have quite enough experience yet. We are hoping they will continue to improve and learn how to work well together.

Coop is so happy to be playing with his good friend Nicholas though. Win or lose, these two have a lot of fun together!

Family BBQ

We've been enjoying our long holiday weekend.  Cooper went to Mimi and Gramp's house on Saturday for some beach and surfing time. Zoe and I spent some time shopping and swimming. Sonya and Camillo invited us to a BBQ on Sunday. We couldn't wait to spend some time with Morgan...he is sure is getting big!

 Zoe was great at entertaining him while checked out their new house and Sonya got food prepped. Cooper wanted to hang out with Yoda on the couch!

 Zoe started out with Morgan in the kiddie pool...

 and then moved on to the big pool.

 He loved sitting on the raft with her! We spent a couple of hours swimming and hanging out. Camillo decided to literally photo bomb us! The after picture of this would've been funny! Luckily he landed behind the raft!

 We wore this little guys out and he was ready for a nap.

We had a nice afternoon, delicious food, and fun times!