before and after

Clean cut and ready to be a ring bearer! BONUS...no more knots to detangle

Beach Time with Grandma and Grandpa

It was a great day at the beach...(is there ever a bad one?)

Here's a short video of Caden dancing with Gma & Gpa

Rocket Pops

Frozen Kool-aid in the shape of a rocketship...does it get any better than that? Not for a 6 year old boy! This was Caden's first introduction to this tasty treat too, so a good time was had by all. It was a perfect way to cool off after a hot July day.

bbrrrr...this is cold

but I like it!

how red is my tongue?

eat it or wear it?

Simple Joys

Caden is at the age where EVERYTHING is exciting. Just now, he was absolutely giddy about walking to the mailbox. The other evening he discovered a pinwheel in the yard...oh the joy!

Pool Time

Logan wanted to show off his new skills from swim lessons, so off to the pool we went...

Two Ton Tomato

The Van Pelt Gardens have seen its share of successes this growing season. We had bushels of plums which found their way into jam jars to stretch out their enjoyment. Our herbs haven't seen as much success, but we did manage to sprinkle some fresh cilantro on some tacos the other night and a pinch of basil with some mozzarella cheese. But its our tomatoes that make this story noteworthy. I may have mentioned this plant before, it adopted us, we didn't plant it. Right before the October fires of '07 was when we had our landscaping redone. We had several spots in the yard that were left unplanted, waiting until spring. Well the winds we experienced in October which brought on the horrible wild fires also brought lots of seeds into our yard. We had uninvited ice plant growing around the mailbox, odd/unknown flowers in the side yard, and this tomato plant next to my bedroom window. Last summer it gave us a few tastey treats but this summer it really started strutting it stuff. First I caged it in Chicken Wire to keep it off the sidewalk, then I donated a patio chair to the cause to keep the branches off the ground, then another chair and finally a trellis to support it as it grew up the wall into the roofline. It keeps growing, and keeps making delicious tomatoes, most of which are cherry tomatoes except for the occasional mutant Two Ton-er which we keep our eye on daily. Our first "gargie", as Logan calls them, is finally ripe. CELEBRATE! Who knew so much joy could come from a big home-grown tomato... bring on the mozzarella!

The sign of a good day at the park

We went to Mission Bay Park for a picnic lunch with Aunt Kelly. In the shade, it felt pretty cool, the sand in the sun was another story, it was blazing hot, but that didn't slow down the boys. They had to play on EVERYTHING!

The end result, all the heat and playing knocked them both out...A GOOD DAY!

Quality Time

Now that Caden has the "freedom" to come and go as he likes, he enjoys his quality time with his garden buddies.

New Trick

Caught Caden in the act...he can do this over and over and over again...

Poor Buddy, he doesn't know what to think...Caden finds a way to invade every aspect of his simple doggy life.

Fun in the Sun

Yesterday we hit the beach...it was a gorgeous day, lots of sun, a steady cool breeze and ocean water that is starting to get a little warmer. Sandcastle Masterpiece

We found a lobster head washed up on shore and later found a tail so Logan put them together to make a whole lobster. Thankfully he didn't bring it home to Dad.

Sand Monster