7-year anniversary and the end of kindergarten

 At the bus stop on the way home from school. Our car was in the shop.

 Sponge curlers + smoothie = cutie.

 I LOVE this picture!

 Rahr!

 Pyramid?

 The quintessential photo op at the sign. Happy graduation!

 The view of Santa Cruz.

 For our anniversary, a friend watched our kids, and we did what we've always wanted to do since we got here: walk along the beach without our kids. We actually got to go at our own pace and hold hands and have free reign of the binoculars - all things we can't do with the kids. Then I looked out and saw what I thought was a shark fin.

 Soon, a lady biked by, saying there were dolphins out there! I couldn't get very good pictures, but we ended up seeing 4 of them!

 It was so amazing! We saw them jump out of the water and everything!

 Sorry I couldn't capture it in the pictures, but we were so excited, and watched them for a long time. It was REALLY cool!

 Aside from the dolphins, Paul loved watching the waves, and I loved all the huge pelicans.

 Then we went to dinner at a Middle Eastern place with a courtyard filled with plants and vines and lights and outdoor heaters. It was so fun!

 Paul got the beef kebab with saffron/basmati rice.

 I got chicken in pomegranate sauce with roasted potatoes and broccolini. Yum!

 Fun anniversary date!

 Thursday was Grace's last day of kindergarten.

 She and Alice both got cute with sponge curlers.

 Can you tell it's cold and sunny?

 We all took Grace to school for her last day.

 Ellie and Grace.

 Alice.

 Grace.

 Charlie.

 Final circle time.

 Alice.

 Grace.

 Then the whole class went on a field trip to the park. Alice and I protected ourselves from the sun.

 Grace LOVED Ms. Allabach. If you're worried she didn't challenge the kids enough, just ask Grace all the parts of a plant, or about rectangular prisms.

 Alice is a cute kid.

 Catalina and Grace.

 Laeti, Grace, and Amos. She said her goodbyes, and kindergarten was over.

 Charlie's first banana. He wasn't that into it.

 We went to a princess/pirate birthday party on Saturday for four kids in the ward turning 3 within 6 weeks of each other.

 Grace dressed herself.

 Alice wore this dress all through the party, but insisted on riding home naked!

Pirate Charlie.

Sick baby, Paul's hike, and pretend Father's Day

 Poor wheezy Charlie getting his breathing treatment at the doctor's office.

 But he was still so happy!

 At the pharmacy to get an inhaler.

 In the car cart at Safeway.

 A healthy lunch is a happy lunch.

 Backyard squirrel.

 To celebrate Paul's graduation, we went to Chili's with the money Mom and Dad sent. Thanks! (We tried two other restaurants first, but they weren't family friendly.)

 Charlie loved it there!

 Paul got a giant burger!

 I shared my combo meal with the whole family.

 Grace loved her corndog, but Alice ate nothing. She got chicken strips and fries but wouldn't touch them. Weird. But we LOVED their kids menu. It's a piece of paper with 3 sections: pictures of all the main dishes, pictures of all the side dishes, and pictures of all the drinks. They circle one of each - all for the same price! Genius. The girls loved it - though they ran out of the broccoli Grace requested.

 Paul and his class went on a long hike in the pristine wilderness.

 They had to cross a creek.

 Pretty.

 The class.

 The view of the ocean.

 Out of the fog.

 Pretty black and white.

 The creek and waterfall.

 Grace took this picture of Alice.

 And then this one of herself.

 We celebrated Father's Day today since next week will be pretty wild, and I may not have much of a kitchen. So we did a photo shoot of each of the kids with their dad. Cute laughing picture.

 Happy boys.

 Sorry about the garden tool showing.

 Grace is so big!

 She took this picture of us.

Happy Father's Day! He loved his gifts, including that great tie, and I got all his suits dry cleaned! He really is such a wonderful father to our kids - they love him and so do I!