Where Did July Go???

This last month seriously FLEW BY! Really this whole summer has. We've had a lot of fun and tried to stay busy. So, here is a quick rundown of our last few weeks.

We've spent a lot of time at the park. I LOVE living so close to so many parks. There are 4 that are less than a mile from us that we walk to often.

A couple weeks ago we went to Crissy Field in San Francisco with some friends...and yes, it was as cold as it looks. It was supposed to be sunny and warm, but this was obviously not the case. The kids ran and played and had a great time anyway.

Emma has always loved building. I am so impressed with how exact and symmetrical everything always is.

Last week we watched Jon's little sister, Fij, while the rest of the family was at girls camp or working. We have watched her for the last 3 years during girls camp and love having her. The kids LOVE playing with her and she is so good at keeping them entertained and happy.
We tried to stay busy while she was here. However, I forgot my camera most of the week so I don't have many pictures.

One night we rode our bikes to the elementary school to play.

On wednesday I met up with a friend. We went to the temple and then went to nearby Tilden Park.

We went on a train ride...this is seriously one of the best train rides I have ever been on. It is really long and takes you through some beautiful areas in the Oakland Hills.
The kids totally loved it!

After the train, we went and rode the carousel (also in Tilden). So much fun!

We took advantage of the Kids Bowl Free program a couple of times. Matthew thought he was hot stuff and they all had fun.

Friday morning we went to Ardenwood Farm with a friend. I brought a camera but the battery was dead...ugh. Unfortunately I realized AFTER we left, that our other camera was in the diaper bag with us the whole time. Big bummer! We'll just have to go back. Ardenwood is a small working farm, so the kids got to see all the animals and help feed a couple. There were also little demonstrations and activities that portrayed life back in the day. One of the highlights was the train ride around the farm...can't get enough of those trains. :)

After the farm we took Fij home. When Michelle got home from work we got some yummy Chinese food and hung out. It was a fun night.

Other things we did that I didn't get pictures of...Monday we went swimming at our new favorite pool, Rinconada Pool in Palo Alto. It is a great kids pool. The deepest part is 3 ft and there are tons of fun things to do.

We also went to the park a few times, ate lunch at McDonalds, and ate lunch with Jon at work. We stayed so busy and were all EXHAUSTED at the end of every day! Thanks for coming Fij!
In other news, we found a bike trailer on clearance at Target. We have talked about getting one for 3 years so we figured since this was a great deal and something we would use a lot we would get it. We took it on a ride that night. Emma loved it, Matthew was terrified. :) I think it's growing on him though.

Jon also bought a new (used) mountain bike. This is something else that he has wanted (and needed) for a long time. He found a great bike and got a sweet deal and is really excited to try it out on the trails now.

Jon has been super busy at work and has been doing a ton of overtime. Not much fun, but the paychecks are nice. They should hopefully be done with the movie by the end of this month and then we will be able to see him a little more.

Since meeting my weight loss goal last month, I have been trying to maintain that weight...and I have! I have actually lost another 5 lbs, making my total loss 31 pounds. So, I feel really good about where I'm at. I feel comfortable with my eating and exercising. I have found the perfect balance that works for me. I eat enough that I'm not hungry, I still splurge on my favorite treats, and I'm still losing weight (slowly). So, I'm happy.

And that just about sums up the last month!