Santa Cruz

We went to Santa Cruz while our company was here. It was a perfect day with beautiful weather and the kids got to go on some rides at the Boardwalk. I was greatful that Kaylee and Mark took the kids on rides and I got to watch...

Can you feel the excitement?





All in all, we had a really fun week. It was busy, but we had such a great time seeing our family.

Muir Woods

Last week Mom and Mark were visiting, so we decided to make a trip up to San Francisco and across the bridge to Muir Woods for some hiking. With a little help from Kaylee's navigation device we were able to successfully travel though the city with no problem - a huge accomplishment for us Simpson ladies who have no sense of direction.


The kids were excited to see the Golden Gate Bridge. This was the first time that Brad and Kaya remember seeing it. Of course it was cold and windy, but we had to get out and take pictures.


Finally we made it to Muir Woods, which was beautiful and peaceful. We spent the afternoon walking around the nice trails and we even saw some deer. It was a great day.

4th of July 2009

We had a great 4th of July this summer. We got to celebrate 2 days in a row because Brenden had Friday off of work and then the 4th was on Saturday. On Friday we went on a day-trip to Monterey. We had a picnic at the park, went on a great bike ride, and played on the beach. Kyle, Kaylee, and Kyle's brother, Tres came with us and it was a lot of fun to have everyone along.

On Saturday we went for an early swim at the Aquatics Center and then we had a nice BBQ in the evening. Matt and Corynne came down that day and I loved having a house full of people. That evening we all went to see fireworks. Ashlyn still asks when we are going to see fireworks again. It was such a fun time to be all together as a family and relax. Ahhh, I love summer!

Home Improvement

Since finishing the CFA exam, Brenden has been busy with home improvement projects again. I am especially proud of his recent accomplishment...installing ceiling lights in our bedrooms. There were no lights at all in the ceilings and we had been using lamps. He was able to figure out the electrical wiring and here are the results. Now if our house burns down, you will all know why...just kidding honey.



Next it was on to the master bathroom. It was exciting to tear out that ugly green countertop.





There is still a lot of work to do...but this is a step in the right direction...

Happy Birthday Kaya!

Kaya turned 5 yesterday, June 25th. It was such a fun and busy day. When she woke up there was a special birthday balloon on her bed, and it didn't leave her side all day.


Then we started the morning off with a trip to the mall with Aunt Kaylee and Aunt Corynne. Kaya had asked for a Build-A-Bear so that was our first stop. She made a cute ballerina bunny, named Brown Bunny.



Next the 4 of us made a stop at the Disney Store where Kaya spent some of her birthday money on a Prince Eric doll. Now Ariel will not be lonely at our house. Kaya was so cute with her purse and balloon and shopping bags. She was so thrilled to be on a big girl shopping trip.


We had lunch at Cheesecake Factory, although, Kaya requested a Happy Meal and so we smuggled one in for her. At the end of our lunch, the waitress surprised her with a darling birthday sunday and they sang to her. It was very cute.



That afternoon, Kaya had her 3 best friends over for a tea party. The girls decorated flip flops and cakes. It was so cute to listen to their little conversations as they played together...it was SO different from the last party I threw for Brad and his friends :).



Finally, we ended the day with a family barbeque. Matt and Corynne, Kaylee and Kyle, and the 5 of us were all together. It was so fun to be together as a family and make the day special for her.



Kaya opened presents and we had cake and ice cream. It was such a full day but was so much fun for all of us!



We are so happy that Kaya is in our family!

Kaya's Ballet Recital

On Saturday Kaya had her ballet recital. It was a long day for her because she had 2 performances. She did a wonderful job dancing and she looked so cute with her ringlets and fairy wings. She was also thrilled with her flowers that we gave her at the end of the show. We love our sweet Kaya so much.

The ringlets...


Kaya with Zoe and Bailey


Waiting backstage


Precious


Bravo!

Our Triathlete

Also on Saturday, Brad participated in the Morgan Hill Triathlon for kids. He did it last year and was excited to try it again. He swam 50 meters, biked 2.5 miles, and ran 1/2 mile. He fell on his bike the night before and had to race with a nasty scrape on his knee. We're so proud of him for jumping in that pool on such a cold morning and finishing the race! He finished in 25 minutes, 22 seconds. Go Brad!

Registered


Excited to jump in!


Swimming hard


Biking


Crossing the finish line!


Wearing his hard-earned medal