The Fabulous 4th!

The Fabulous 4th of JULY!

The 4th of July fell the same weekend as Ashley and Cody's wedding so the annual family beach trip got shelved. While the rest of the Deatsch Family made it to Fruita, CO for the festivities there we opted out and went to the beach with the Grote Family. Ashley's wedding was beautiful (Erin was her photographer) and we were bummed to miss it, but we had a great time as always!

Miss Nora Lee Grote, looking sweet & sassy!

Lily, Emi, Nora and Morgan making red velvet cake balls for the festivities (with Mr. Potato Head too).

The food. There was an executive decision after last year that there would be NO mexican food served on the 4th anymore. We went with the all-american styled hamburger/hotdog route instead. Let's not forget the red, white and blue popsicles. Abi really enjoyed hers.

Some of the crew out for some 4th of July sparklers...'til next year!

Oceanside Pier

Our first trip to the pier in Oceanside. Believe it or not. We have looked at it from Surfer Beach, Patsy's Beach and even Tamarack (or is it Carlsbad State Beach?) for 2 years and never made it over there... Well, we can cross it off the list now. It was really cold and overcast when we went and we were so excited to see the Ruby's Diner at the end of the pier for some warm treats. It was a fun little adventure. We will definitely being going back! The kids especially loved looking at all the starfish on the pylons. Something I remember doing when I was little too. ...

A Turkey Update

Poor Lello-Chic-E as everyone now knows turned out not to be a chicken of any sort. A turkey actually and not a fabulous heritage specimen that you might thoughtfully consider keeping as a pet, but the far less attractive broad breasted domestic kind. In other words, an eatin' turkey. After doing some research and watching this giant bird lumber around the yard and EAT EVERYTHING it became painfully clear we were not going to be able to keep her. I found a really nice girl out in Gilbert who agreed to take her off our hands after explaining that this particular breed of turkey is very much meant for a short, well fed life. At our house she was not getting enough protein (28%, I've learned) and was most likely not going to survive the heat of the summer. Sad, but true. So off to "freezer camp" she went. The kids and I loaded her up in the passenger seat of the car and proceeded to drive to her to Gilbert....

The drive in itself was quite the adventure. We had to make a couple stops, one at Auntie Erin's house and another at the In-n-Out, or as the kids call it Insides-Out, drive-thru window. That was funny. BUT WAIT! The best stop of all was the one off Tatum and Pinnacle Peak where we had to corral said turkey after she decided she had been in that box long enough! Cruising down Tatum Boulevard with my three precious babies in the backseat and an adolescent turkey in the passenger seat. Lello, who for the record was tall enough in that box to look straight out the windshield decided to jump out for a better view. She didn't go far, just to the top edge of the box, but perhaps that was because the kids and I were all screaming like crazy people. She has quite the wing span when she's sitting 10 inches away.

Farewell Lello. I'll never look at a Thanksgiving turkey the same way again.

Leminad Stand

The kids had a lemonade stand. They made all the signs themselves. I remember doing the same thing as a kid and my parents, as I recall, were way better sports about the whole thing. Emily and Billy had been asking for days after seeing an Olivia episode. I politely declined for days, but then Daddy caved. He is such a good dad. Who wants to be outside in June?

The had fun though and they even made some money! People are suckers for disheveled looking kids.

Billy's 1st Two Wheels

This is what Billy decided to do the very next day...

Poor Emily had to patiently wait nearly 7 years before heading out on two wheels to conquer the world. Billy, seeing Emi could do it, waited 24 hours. The kid cracks me up!
I completely see how this went down in his head: Emi rides bike, mom and dad make a big deal about it, Billy observes goes to bed and resolves to one up his big sister. The next evening rolls around, dad comes home from working (hard) grabs a beer and strolls out front to watch Emi practice. Billy says, "Hey, I want to try." Dad says "okay," puts Billy on the bike, fully expecting to have to hold on to it and run with him. Billy takes off like he's been riding on two wheels his whole life. He's a funny kid.

Mother's Day 2010

Emily James learned how to ride a two-wheeled bike on Mother's Day! She had this tiny little bike a friend had given us with training wheels and she just decided it was time and off she went. Just like that. No drama, no frills. Just take 'em off and she was gone. Travis and I, while slightly stunned because we had never even practiced with her really, are nonetheless very excited for her! Stay tuned to see what her little brother does the very next day....

Last Day of Kindergarten!

Emily's last day of kindergarten... I can't believe how FAST this year has gone! It just flew by. Remember what a mess I was when it started? I have barely had time to adapt and now it's gone and I must adapt allover to another year. Yikes. Look at what a beautiful girl she is...

Last Day ~ May 27, 2010


First Day ~ August 17, 2009