The beach....day 2!

Day 2 at the beach! It was overcast all day but still fun. The girls had fun playing in the sand with Harry and all the toys we packed. Sydney's favorite toy was this little floating pirate guy. She'd throw him as far out in the ocean as she could and then wait for him to wash back in to shore. Harry loved emptying the toy basket and then he'd turn right around and fill it back up again. It kept him busy for quite awhile.
Sand and Harry were best friends! Can you tell?

Sand, sun, and fun......What more could we ask for?

Uncle Colin built an awesome sand volcano complete with lava. It was fun to watch him have fun in the sand. It's nice to know I'm not the only adult that is a kid at heart! We had a long busy day at the beach, a yummy dinner mad by Amy back in our room, and then we finished off the day in the pool (which was heated slightly) and the hot tub! What a great day! I can't get enough of the beach, good thing we have one more day!!

California Dreamin!!

The girls were so excited about their new sunglasses that they had to wear them the entire way to Mesa. We stayed the night at Colin and Amy's house last night and headed for California this morning! On the way to Mesa we ran into tons of rain and a huge dust storm. It was very scary but we made it in one piece! Alex said it was ok if I cried because I think she could tell I was a little scared. I told her I couldn't cry or I wouldn't be able to see and we would wreck. So we cranked up the music and took it slow and steady.
The view from our hotel room is amazing. Amy did an awesome job making the reservations! This place has it all. More pictures will be coming soon.

The girls are having a blast looking for sea shells, jumping waves as they come rolling in, chasing the sea gulls, and building sand castles. Tomorrow we'll been spending the entire day at the beach (with sunscreen and snacks).

For dinner we ate at the restaurant Ruby's which is at the very end of the pier. This was the perfect ending to an awesome beach filled day!

VACATION ROCKS!

Oceanside California!!

This year we actually made it to California. Last year we had to cancel our annual Dozier vacation. Not this year, we saved all year so we could make it back to the beach. We went with Uncle Colin, Aunt Amy, and Harrison! We had so much fun. Here are a few pictures from our first day in Oceanside California. We got in at 3:00 in the afternoon, checked in to our room, changed into our swimsuits, and headed to the beach! The girls were so excited. The 6 hour car ride was worth it!

They had a great time looking for shells. The water was cool, the sun was shining, and the company was great. We stayed out on the beach until sundown.

The girls had a blast burying Uncle Colin. Colin has to be buried at the beach, it's tradition. This year even Harry got in on the action.

Harrison was so much fun to watch. A face, body, diaper, eyes, hair.... full of sand didn't stop him from having fun. He didn't seem to mind. I think he had a great time. What a fun little boy to hang out with!

The girls (and me too), liked watching the surfers. Maybe one of these years we'll try it.

As the sun was going down and the temperature was getting cooler, we walked down the pier so we could eat at the restaurant Ruby's. It's at the very end of the pier. Alex was so cold when she got out of the water she put her sun dress on backwards. The sunset was amazing!

The restaurant was packed and we were on a waiting list 45 mins long. It was worth the wait. The food was great! We would have been nice and warm inside but the big table they sat us at was by the back door. We were pretty chilly until our yummy warm food came. We looked like a bunch of beach bums compared to some people at the restaurant but we didn't care. We're on vacation!!

After nice, long, warm showers the girls were exhausted. They hit the bed and were out. They had a comfy couch bed (for a couch bed this one really was comfy), I had my own room with a queen bed, and Colin and Amy had their own room with a king bed. The hotel was awesome! Good job Amy on making amazing reservations!! I can't wait to get to the beach in the morning!!

Summer Tennis

I've blogged a little about Tennis in the past but I think we're due for some more pictures of the girls. Alex's instructor is a volunteer from the high school tennis team. She's great with the girls in their group. Alex enjoys going to tennis and learning new things 3 days a week.
Sydney's instructors are all older males from the community who play in a tennis league here in town. They're a great bunch of guys. Serious when they're instructing at the same time they're making it fun for the kids.

Tennis starts at 8:30. We're up and ready by 7:45 and at the courts by 8:00, that's how much my kids enjoy going to tennis. They also ask to stay late every single day. The coaches must be doing something right. More and more kids have been coming earlier and staying later. They're going to continue the classes through the school year. The kids are so excited!

I have love watching the girls play tennis. They've learned alot. It's been a fun summer activity to keep us from getting bored. I'm also glad it's spmething they can both do together.

Monsoons are here!!

We got our first good storm of the season today! The chickens were loving it. I can't wait for our grass to come up. I love this time of the year because of the rain. I also hate this time of year because the swamp cooler doesn't work to well. We're looking forward to more storms, more rain, and a lot more grass!!
Bring on the monsoons!

Adam, Kelly, and Shelby!

We had nothing else to do over the 4Th of July weekend since all the fireworks were cancelled due to fire danger, so when our good friends called and asked if they could come visit, we said sure! Even if we did have plans, we would have canceled them. Whenever Adam comes down we put him to work. First order of business, replacing the roof on the porch. It was blown half off in the crazy March winds we had. We needed a roof before the monsoons came. Enter Adam to save the day! Along for the visit came Adam's wife Kelly and their little girl Shelby. While the boys worked, the girls played. The girls enjoyed playing with Shelby. Shelby didn't like Clay at all so it was a good thing he had a long honey do list to keep him busy. While Adam was here we got the electrical in the bathroom and through out the house rewired and they got the bathroom sheet rocked. Moving right along on the bathroom!
Shelby was a mommas girl but she warmed up to the girls nicely and I think they all had a lot of fun.

Shelby was a hoot. She's so cute and some of the faces she makes just crack you up. I had a good time visiting with Kelly. I'm glad they came or I would have been working all weekend!

Shelby......Shelby.....Shelby!

We had a great time hanging out with our friends. I can't wait to see them again. We didn't get any Mexican train played but we still had a fun time. Thanks for coming to visit Chandler family!!

Super Fun Time!

We had a blast with Tammy and the kids! We were so sad to see them go. We look forward to seeing them again soon! Araya loves horses. It was so hot outside, we didn't spend as much time outside with Papa's horse as Araya would have liked. I'm sure she loved every minute outside!
Aunt Tammy bought some play-dough. That is one thing I have never been fond of my kids playing with. I just worry about it getting in the carpet. Good thing we were at Nana's and the Grand kids can do what they want!

Mason was such a hoot! I'd take a picture of us, then show him the picture. He wanted more and more! I have over 10 pictures of me and Mason just messing around.

Nana and Araya got some snuggle time! My mom got Araya that blanket when she was first born or really little. She loves her blanket, and her Nana!

We took walks down to Uncle Will's house! It's really coming along and starting to look like a house. He showed us the cabinets, tile, carpet, and granite he picked out. While we were down the doors and windows were installed. I'm so jealous, my little brother has a better house than me!! He has excellent taste too. He walked us through and gave us the tour. Who ever marries him is going to be so spoiled in this house! The master bedroom has his/her closets! I want that. There are some really super cool features like a two shower head shower, no cabinets on the bottom in the kitchen only pull out drawers in different sizes, just to name a few. Awesome!!

Uncle Will rocks! I was holding Mason and he wanted his Uncle Will. I got the shaft and Will got snuggles from Mason. When ever Will left Araya would get a sad face and say her Will went home. So cute!

It was hot. That calls for more pool time! The kids had a blast, my camera got wet but it's fine, and Papa's garage got flooded. The kids slept great every night because they played hard all day every day!

Mason warmed up to me pretty quick. I was so happy holding and playing with that little guy! I had so much fun. I cannot wait to see him again. I think by the end of the week he was pretty sick of me scooping him up and covering him with kisses and carrying him around. I got my baby fix!

Nana loved, loved, loved seeing the grand kids!

Papa was in heaven. We all missed the Montana Stanley's, I'm so happy they came for a visit!

The girls had such a good time! They keep asking when were going to see their cousins again. We'll get to see Uncle James in July. I'm keeping my eye on plane ticket prices, we need to go visit. Soon!!

The Montana Stanley's have arrived!!

Tammy and the kids came to visit! First they went over to El Paso for a week to visit with James, then they headed to Benson to visit with the rest of us! We're so excited they're here. We left for Benson on Wednesday to go and see them. Alex was up at 5 AM because she was so excited to go and play with Araya . Mason is so cute. He's warming up to me, I love holding him. Tammy always sends him my way. I'm glad she knows how to share what matters most. I love all the snuggle time I get with these kiddos! Papa is in heaven having all his grand kids under one roof with him. Last night Papa was even on the floor on his hands and knees playing with them.

In Montana it's cold and rainy right now and 60 degrees. Here, it's been the hottest week of the year so far. They picked a great time to visit. We've had fun, we just stay inside where it's cool and visit. Then when the sun sets we play outside in the pool in papas garage or we go for walks!

The girls are having a blast with their cousins. I'm having fun visiting with Tammy. She's a great cook and Mom. We came home today to get our laundry done and do some things around the house (yes, blogging is a must). We're headed back to Papas this afternoon to visit until Sunday. We've had so much fun so far. It's going to be hard to say goodbye. I guess that means we'll just have to hop on a plane to Montana and go visit!

Fun in the Summer!

The girls decided that today would be a great day to finger paint. Thanks to Aunt Judy (Aunt Debbie's sister) they have a huge bag of craft things to keep them busy. They were busy for hours! While they painted I worked on the front yard, our storage room, and changed the living room furniture around! It's amazing what I can accomplish when they're busy. Thanks Aunt Judy!
My newest addiction (pillowcases) can also make super cute skirts! Here are a few that I whipped out. The girls wore these to church on Father's Day.

Next to make using this same method.....curtains! Stay tuned for more fun in the summer projects!