Happy 4th of July, America!

The weekend of July 4th was definitely a hot one! We started the weekend playing with the sprinkler to cool off.
The next morning we took off for a day with Rebecca, Brian & Nina Buhowsky. It started with the Danville parade.
Shelby and Brian
Nina looking way too cool.
Shelby saw his friend, Tyler, from karate class.
And the parade began.
Then
Now How crazy is it that Danville police drive Mustangs!Fire engines are always a big hit with the kids.
This crew was hysterical. They were called the lawn mower brigade and they danced around and did tricks with their lawn mowers.Tough Captain America

Nina and Shelby had to show off their flag tattoos
Two of Shelby's favorite things: soldiers & trombones. Every time we see a live marching band, he's enthralled with the trombone.
The kids were up down and every which way to remain entertained. It was so hot, I know the guys could not have been thrilled with this position.
Ahhh....much better.
Shelby also loves American Flags. He goes nutts when we see them on our drive places.
I loved how the celebration of America included other cultures that have proudly decided to call America home.
This was the best float. It was for a BBQ store.

The antique cars were sooo cool.

And the end of the parade was hysterical! This crew of men are very Clampit-like. They fire off their shotguns to indicate the finale.
After the parade, it was off to the pool for some summertime fun.
After nap and dinner, it was time for the fireworks!
We hope everyone enjoyed their celebration as much as we did!

Finishing the Fair

I'm so grateful for Rebecca for taking & processing the photos from the fair. I brought our little cheesy camera and the batteries were dead. Yeah for Rebecca!

The kids loved the rollercoasters.

And the cute boats. Nina let Shelby talk her into the scary shark.

These two are a hoot together.

Yeah for tractors!
Chivalry is not dead ladies. Just ask Shelby for a glass of milk.
This coloring wall was really cool!
Nina supported Shelby through his Tractor Pull Competition.
My son, the winner of the boys' division!
They talked us back into more rollercoasters after 6 hours of fun in the sun.
But it just made them both sooooo happy, we couldn't resist.

Mommy & Shelby Day

Shelby and I are funny because he continues to amaze me with how much his personality matches mine. All daddy when you look at him, but me when you really 'see' who he is. This works great for a day (evidence above) but by Sunday we've just had enough and we're clashing with every other breath. We were both so grateful when Daddy got home Sunday night and brought our household back in balance.

But the joys of our great time together are what's getting me through the week. The memory of the moment he randomly grabbed my attention and said, "Mom, I really do love you a lot."

"I love you too, Shelby, more than I ever thought my heart had the capacity to love another being unconditionally."

Alameda County Fair

Stacy & Brian were out at Brian's property for the weekend, so I took Shelby to the Alameda County Fair with Rebecca and Nina. We had the best time and made it through 6 hours at the fair! I didn't have my camera with me, and only on my way there figured out the little pocket camera wasn't working, so I'm awaiting pics shared from Rebecca, but she did get to me the video we took of Shelby in the Tractor Pull competition. We watched the competition once and he begged us to come back and sign him up a few hours later so he could show them who's boss!

He was the last boy standing, but didn't accomplish the 3rd round. He did GREAT though! He was so proud and wished his Daddy was there to see him.

RODEO!

The Livermore Rodeo was in full force this year. They pride themselves on being the world's fastest rodeo...and it is! Extremely organized and quick, don't blink or you'll miss the day's events. http://www.livermorerodeo.org/Shelby was determined to ride the bull...enjoy the video. We've got a bull riding cowboy on our hands, folks. His face was so serious and at the end he says to me "I was just a little bit scared."

We went with Cody & Chely Wallace again this year (our annual ritual now) and had a blast. After the rodeo, Shelby and Morgan (one of our babysitting favs) hung out for the night while we went with C&C to the Tim McGraw concert. We ended up loving the opening guy Luke Bryan. We'd never heard of him, but are loving him now!

All sad that another rodeo event has come and gone.

Happy Father's Day!

There are a lot of wonderful things I can say about the man Stacy Jones is that I know everyone he comes in contact with will "ditto". However, today I want to hilight what I find most phenomenal: Stacy, 'Shelby's father'. I could not ask for a more amazing Dad to father the child that has my heart. He is unconditionally loving, unlimitedly supportive and endlessly patient. I love that he's working hard to teach our son how to be a gentleman and respectable, genuine being who's word is his bond.

I can only hope that Shelby grows to truly appreciate the man he calls "Daddy" because I believe he's the luckiest kid on Earth!

And speaking of lucky kids....Stacy and I also believe ourselves to have been the product of amazing, loving fathers who have instilled in us the importance of family and what it means to sacrifice for the ones you love most! Thank you to our own fathers and grandfathers for all they've done to make us who we are.

LOVE TO ALL!

Happy Father's Day