The OC Fair

We finally made our annual trip to the OC Fair. Being a bit taller Drew was able to ride a few more rides. Luckily Kelsey was there to take her on anything Mommy couldn't handle (read: anything that spins).

Iron Chef Laguna Niguel

Last month we held an amateur Iron Chef competition at our house. David and Craig Jones came over to compete against Dad and Jeremy (every man for himself). They each had to make an entree and a side, plus either an appetizer or a dessert. The 2 secret ingredients that were used were mangoes and nuts.

Jeremy and Craig, hard at work. 

The two appetizers: bruschetta by Craig and a spicy crab cashew dip by Dad:

The 4 entrees: pork tenderloin and mango salsa macadamia fried rice by Jeremy, chicken in mango salsa marinade by Dad, fish and mango guacamole by Craig, and macadamia-nut crusted chicken with red sauce salad by David. Seriously, it was all delicious and very difficult to pick a favorite.

 

For dessert: thai sticky-rice pudding with fresh mango and coconut milk by Jeremy and glazed macadamia nut ice cream by David. Those bowls didn't stay full for long.

Some happy campers...there were lots of leftovers. And a ton of messy dishes, someone should've taken a picture of that!

Duck Hunt

"The duck hunter creeps up behind her prey, careful not to disturb the other wildlife.You'll notice her clothing blends into the background in order to camouflage her appearance in the wild.

 

She is relentless. Until.... she runs out of breath.

Drew is in summer school!

This post is a little late...she's going into her 4th week of school. Our favorite story so far is: during naptime one day, Zachary was still sleeping after two and a half hours. The teachers were going over to wake him up and Drew followed. She started rubbing his back and whispered: "Rise and Shine, Sleeping Beauty."

The word on the street is that she is very helpful and friendly, she listens to her teachers and is well-liked. Yay!

Ni Hao Kai-Lan birthday party

First, the details:

Carrots and ranch, wonton chips, fruit and edamame.

"Sushi" sandwiches: pb&j and ham and cheese.

Fortune cookie cupcakes and cake pops.

Rice Krispie treat sushi rolls.

And...since I'm much better on the computer than with frosting...the smash cake.

The blondies!

Lining up to play games...thanks to Maya's direction!

Nothing gets 'em excited like a good, old-fashioned Bean Bag Toss.

Pin the glasses on Ye-Ye. 

Cousins Cooper and Teagen being silly on the SuperCoupe.

Drew literally stopped opening her presents when "Ma Belle Evangeline" from The Princess and the Frog came on the iPod. She closes her eyes, sways her body and moves her arms like a conductor. Every time.

Opening her first of many super fun gifts!

It took a few tries to get those candles!

She knew what to do this year!

And so did Meghan!

Mom getting to eat a little dinner after dessert was served. 

Rockin' out with one of her favorite new toys!

Birthday Weekend...Drew is 3!

We had a big, fun weekend to celebrate Drew's 3rd birthday. Normally, we go to the OC Fair on her actual birthday, but since Auntie Kels couldn't get off work, we're postponing. After Mommy and Daddy got home from work, we opened presents.

After presents, we had dinner at Ruby's, rode the Carousel and decorated her own cupcake at the Spectrum.

Party day! Drew wanted to get in a little bed-jumping with Woody (like Andy) before swim lessons and her Ni  Hao Kai-Lan party.

...and some quality time with her new toys.

We had our friend, Beth, take "official" party photos on her camera, so more pictures will follow, but here are just a couple.

Drew and the girls from L to R: Drew, Lauren (9 mos.), Kaileigh (23 mos.), Meghan (3), Teagen (2.5) and Maya (7)....(not pictured: Taylor and Cooper and Logan)

Our best family photo of the day.

4th of July

The Morning Crew. Running a 5K at 8:40AM (or 5:40 Hawaii time, which we were still on).

Enjoying the post-race barbecue with Baby Lauren.

What a ham. 

Sparklers!

The "kids."