A little taste

I think last night I had a small taste of what teenage sleepovers will be like. The boys were so different from the girls. They very happily went to bed and were frustrated they could hear the girls still. By the time lights were out they were asleep. The girls were another story. At 11:30 when I was about to watch Jimmy I could still hear giggling. I went in to the room and was the uncool mom. I thought I did good and they all fell asleep and then at 12:45 I heard tip toes! Seriously I couldn't believe it! I then became "that mom" and threatened to separate them. I was exhausted and just wanted to go to sleep. I know feel so sorry for my mom and my many late night giggle fest sleepovers. Thankfully by 1 they were asleep and everyone was wide awake at 6.30 ready for pancakes. Whose kids are these?!?! 

Eight is Great

Tonight we have 8 kids in the backyard watching a movie celebrating these two turning 8! 

I still can not wrap my mind around the fact that they are 8. How can that be?!?! I remember everything from that day 8 years ago. From the sights, to the smell of the hospital, the floruscent lights above me, to waiting and waiting to hear them cry when they were finally out. I'll never forget the machines or the beeps. It is all so engraved in my memory. Not s day goes by that I am so thankful that I have two healthy babies who had big odds against them. I love them so much. They have such a special bond. As much as they can push each other's buttons they have each other's back. They are night and day and completely different in so many ways, but together they are complete and have a bond that many of us don't. Today I took their picture at the time  they were born and I thought to myself in a few years they will probably be too busy to be with me to do that. They are growing up too fast! Happy birthday sweet bug and buddy! I love you so much! 

DeSanto Family Vacation

Another Santopadre DeTar Sunriver trip is in the books. We coined this trip DeSanto  vacation. It was jammed packed with lots of new things we haven't done before. On the last day we headed for a walk to the river since our bikes were packed. I think we discovered our new favorite spot for our family photos. It was a beautiful day and almost doesn't look real. 

Sunriver with friends

The DeSanto family vacation was a success! This year we introduced Sunriver to some of our friends. Because you have to book Sunriver way in advance we had already booked a house before we bought Juniper. So our friends stayed in Juniper and we were at Tan Oak. Staying at Tan Oak made me really appreciate our homes location and ease of getting places. 

We had place showing our friends all the fun treasures of Sunriver and we loved our joint dinners together. 11 children and 8 adults made for some fun meals. 

Camp Funnigan

Today we dropped the kids off at Camp Funnigan and then headed to Bend for an adult day. The guys were in search for the best brews in Bend. Our plan started with a small hiccup when we realized that breweries weren't open at 9 am when dropped off the kids. We managed to find one that served breakfast. So while I enjoyed oatmeal the guys had a tray full of brews to try. 

Next stop was the search for the best Bloody Mary in Bend. They found it complete with bacon, shrimp, meatball, and celery. Next, we meet up for lunch at Bend's top restaurant Zydeco. It was amazing and lived up to every Yelp review. The clouds parted and the rain stopped in time for us to walk to our cats and head to the last brewery. Crux was amazing! I wish we had something like it in Vacaville. It was kid friendly, had food trucks, shaved ice, outdoor seating, and corn hole games set up. Without even mentioning great beer what else do I need to add? 

After our fun in the sun we headed back to pick up our campers. It was a fun day for all. 

SUP and Big Eddy

Today was a big day in Sunriver. We all did a little something we have never dine before. This morning the twins, daddy, Uncle Gabe, along with Curtis Allie headed to go rafting. I should clarify not just float down the river but Big Eddy white water rafting. The kids did great considering how wet they got  and how could it was. It's probably a good thing this mama bear didn't go because I probably would have flipped when I found out they ride along upfront. We are very eager to get home and see the GoPro video and pics. 

After the crew returned the ladies headed out for stand up paddle boarding. It was so relaxing. It was some of the best 4 hours ever. I walked away sore, but also refreshed. I can't wait to go float down a river again with these ladies. 

Fashion Show

Yesterday Emmeline spend the day prepping for a stuffed animal fashion show. How she knows about fashion shows is beyond me, but she knew all the key points. She designed a stage, set up a runway, put chairs on both sides of the runway, and even prepped little cards for each of the outfits. It was pretty precious! Love that girl's imagination! 

Date Night with the DeTars

Tonight's date night consists of many belly laughs. We decided to go drive mini race cars. I learned I do not like using shared helmets. Besides the lice issue the fast that it was warm and sweaty when I put it on sent me into a minor panic attack. We also learned I am a very cautious driver and drive at a safe speed. My slow speed might have worked to our advantage and we trapped the DeTars behind us for a few laps. Chris collected the checkered flag. After the race we headed to our new favorite place and grabbed dessert and wine. It was a fun night! Next week we decided that it needs to be massages as we all are going to be sore and tired from our trip. I'm already looking forward to week 3! 

Lemonade Stand

This sweet girl has been itching to do her lemonade stand. And I dont think she could have picked any hotter of a day. It's peaked at 104. I felt every bit of it. She managed to keep her lemonade cool, her ice frozen, and her cookies from melting. I'm so proud of her and I can't wait to see the little free library she builds with her money. It's going to be such a fun addition to our street. 

Sweet Hailey is 1

We were so excited and a little tired after our long drive that we got to celebrate sweet Hailey's first birthday! She was so cute! The kids had a blast and everything was so cute. The kids loved the new ride that Hailey got. I think they are jealous of her pink mustang. Happy birthday sweet girl! 

Date nights

This week we celebrated our 11th anniversary and kicked off date night challenge.  We had a great time celebrating with two of our favorite couples. We discovered one of our new favorite restaurants and I found a new favorite wine. We learned we still have it and managed to close down the restaurant. 

After 11 years we were challenged to date your spouse. We thought to keep it fun and to keep us accountable we would include other couples. The DeTars were game for weekly date challenge and week one went to them. We went bowling and made it fun with a little wager. Since we have to pay for date night next week I think you can figure out how our game went. It was a blast and we can't wait for next week, 

He is off to great things

This kid is off to kindergarten! It's hard to believe that we are all done with preschool. This mama is sad and daddy is super excited for no more preschool payments. Jack has a magical year in preschool. There happened to be 3 other Jackson's in his class so he went by Jackson S or Jackson Rocco Santopadre. Apparently he didn't like Jackson S and made everyone call him by his full name. I would crack up at drop off and pick up listening to the kids call him and say his full name. The other parents even commented on how their kids would always refer to him by his full name. I kind of feel like we have a male diva with him. Jackson has blossomed this year with academics. He is a rhyming but and can read about 30 HFW. He is reading short pattern stories  and his favorite is math and adding. 

We are so excited to see where he ends up in life. 

Bubbles and Birthdays

This is what happens when you let Dad start the bath routine. The kids had s blast and it ended with also getting a shower to wash off all the bubbles! 

A very happy 1st birthday to our niece Hailey. It's hard to believe it's been a year! A year ago our summer was getting turned upside down. Jack was just getting home from Roseville, our Pop passed away, Hailey was born, and turn Caden went in for surgery. What a week that was last year! Our sweet Em still sleeps with her Great Pop blanket every night and has his picture by her bed. The boys are learning to play 21 from Chris. Pop would be proud. We may have some card sharks on the primary playground in no time. Looking forward to taking the kids to see Great Pop's name on the wall and celebrating Miss Hailey this weekend.