Bon Voyage Auntie Melissa!

Daniel bid my cousin Melissa bon voyage as she embarks on a study abroad program in the Netherlands. Good luck, Mel, we'll miss you!

Cousins Side by Side

K-Wed

Last week I traveled to Colorado with my college roommate Cory to attend the wedding of another college roommate, Katie. It was my first time away from Daniel and I had a blast- although I missed him terribly. Since Brian can't take time off from work during the summer (Boo!) he held down the fort at home and my parents took over "Daniel Duty." Apparently, I wasn't the only one who had a blast- Daniel loved all the attention from his grandma and grandpa. They even got him his own swimming pool to play with in their backyard.

This was my first trip to Colorado. I always thought that Colorado seemed like an awesome place to live and it exceeded my expectations. It was so beautiful and I loved the outdoorsy lifestyle. Cory and I spent the first night in Boulder- which I loved. Then we headed up to the mountains to Snow Mountain Ranch, where Katie and Kevin's wedding was held. Snow Mountain Ranch is a huge YMCA camp and the scenery is incredible. I have plans to return someday for a family vacation with Brian and Daniel.

Katie was a gorgeous bride and the wedding was absolutely incredible. I am so happy she and Kevin have found each other. The day following the wedding, Cory and I got to hang out with the Gersbach family and even took the ski lift in Winter Park to ride a giant alpine slide.

It had been such a long time since all of us from college had gotten together and it made me miss the girls so much. Hopefully, it won't be as long until the next time we get together. When I got home I couldn't stop raving about how much I loved Colorado, but I think it's a safe bet that unless the Pacific Ocean suddenly ends up in Colorado's backyard, the Switzer ohana won't be relocating anytime soon!

The Three Amigos

Daniel and his best buddies Caleb and Asher. I love watching these guys grow up together! (Hopefully they will forgive us for making them dress up in matching outfits!)

Summer Swimming

We joined Brian's sister Christine and our niece Ariana at the wonderfully heated pool at Maravilla where Brian's Gramma Joey moved last year. The Switzer fam took over the whole pool (one could argue that the squeals of the two toddlers kept the residents far away!) Ariana is a real pro in the pool, she is great at kicking her legs in the water. I think she gets in some quality practice time every day in her pool to escape the Arizona heat. Thanks Gramma Joey for letting us have some fun pool time.

Mornings with my man

Spending mornings with Daniel is my favorite time of the day. We snuggle in bed together, feed Charley, make breakfast, watch the "Today" show and hang out and play.

Primo y Prima

Brian's sister Christine and her daughter Ariana are visiting for a few weeks so lucky little Daniel has gotten to have some play dates with his cousin!

I love my son!

These days Daniel has just been a bundle of energy and fun. He will do anything to make us laugh. We have just been absolutely loving watching his personality develop. (Haven't really been loving the new temper tantrums, though!)

The Mullet

As many of you may be aware of, Brian is fond of mullets. He has his own mullet wig he purchased a few Halloweens ago that is shockingly realistic. Well, Brian hasn't had a haircut for a LONG time and when my sister was in town she decided to put an end to it. Before she cut his hair, Brian made it into a mullet and even sported it during a surf session in Ventura. He wanted to take a photo of him so he has evidence of his day with a mullet. I can't believe that I am even posting this for all to see. Note Daniel's unamused expression in the background.

Brian's new goal is to grow Daniel's hair into a mullet-which is why we haven't cut his hair for ages. Believe me, I would NOT be allowing this to happen if we had a daughter. For the record, if someone accidentally happened to trim Daniel's hair while babysitting him (cough, cough, Mom) I would not be upset!

Birthday Bike Seat

My parents had us pick out a bike seat and helmet for Daniel's birthday present. Here we are before taking off on our first ride.

Reading and relaxing.

Just like me, Daniel loves to kick back with a good book to read.

We love you, Grandma!

My Grandma passed away at the age of 93 about a month before Daniel was born. She was born on the 4th of July and the holiday always makes me think of her. Last year, the Kemmerer family had planned to get together at my parent's during the July 4th weekend to celebrate Grandma's life. Because of the situation with the Gap fire, we had to reschedule the celebration for this year. Everyone brought food that Grandma liked to make from their childhood. The day was filled with eating (of course), catching up, playing for the kids, and Grandma trivia and stories about the good ol' days in Allentown and Promised Land Pennsylvania. I was having so much fun that I of course, forgot to take photos of most of the family-sorry guys!

Daniel loved hanging out with my cousin's kids. He and Ruby were entertained by standing around the bucket of ice cold drinks. Daniel couldn't reach in, so Ruby would do it for him and give him ice to eat. What great teamwork!

Oh-and I swear I didn't dress Daniel up like that doll! He was already dressed when my cousin Cris showed up with a doll that was the "mini-Daniel". The doll even had bright blue eyes! I'm not sure whether the photo of Daniel and the doll is cute or borderline creepy.

Happy Independence Day!

As we do every year we are in town, we celebrated the 4th of July at the annual Parejo Drive Block Party. For this special day only, Daniel was allowed to ride his car in the street. He even got his car decorated with festive 4th of July trimmings by the girls in the neighborhood. We decided not to take Daniel to the fireworks this year, but on our drive home that evening we could see the Goleta fireworks lighting up the sky. Happy 4th of July!!

Another day at the beach

Just another summer day spent relaxing at Goleta Beach. I realize the hat is a little dorky on Daniel but it's got something like SPF 100 and his delicate baby skin will thank me one day for preserving its youthfulness!
Who needs to play with sand toys when you can jump on top of your Uncle Jeff?