from fresno to san diego

 the drakes (my kids refer to them as the cousins)came to visit the first week of july.  we were all giddy and ready for the fun!  9 kids and 4 adults in our condo!  to be honest, it felt good.  i love when our home is full with kids running up and down the stairs and in and out the front door.  no joke, i was in heaven!

 we started the 4th off at the beach.  thanks to the wonderful dads, we had a spot all ready for us as we arrived.  the weather was awful, but the kids still had a blast.  do kids even feel temperature?  i was freezing!

 ok, these three were a bit cold.

 ryder and stew found a bunch of crabs.  ryder later informed us that was his high of the day.

 this guy loved the water so much, he kept signing more.  stew would take him out into the waves until i had to end it due to his purple lips.

 the jacksons were in town and joined us for some of the celebrating.  ryder threw his arm around kayla as if they had been friends for life.

 asher continues to prove that he loves to be the center of attention.  NEVER a dull moment with this child.  side note:  he is starting to add more words to his limited vocabulary and what he can't say, he grunts in frustration.  this little guy might have a bit of a temper, but he usually follows it with a hug or a smile. ha!

 the evening of the 4th we headed to my parents'(my mom was with my aunt in paris) and celebrated with my dad.  he busted out the rockets which are always a favorite!

 emma decorated our dessert

 and did a fine job at that!

 after we sang happy birthday to america, every kid blew out their candle.

 seriously love these kids! my heart was happy.  

 i totally forgot to do the annual parade down my parents' street so we did it back at our place.  no one seemed to mind.  later that evening we watched amazing fireworks from our front porch(we usually watch them from our bedroom, but found that we had a better view from the front.).  all the kids were asleep, except emma.  the girl knew to wait for the good stuff.

 sadly, thursday morning our friends had to leave.  i hate goodbyes!  we grabbed asher out of bed and decided to get a group shot.  here's my new favorite shot: the setup.

and then this followed.  i love you dear friends!  come back ANY time.  there's always room!