California – friends, family, sunshine & the wheels starting to fall off

We spent the past 2 weeks in California – first in Lake Tahoe, then in Sunnyvale – visiting friends & family and continuing our vacation buffet of summer.  

Highlights included:

Floating the Truckee river - with Bernauer cousins (pictured) + Welsh & family - SOOOO fun!

(It cost me my iPhone – turns out an empty Dorito’s bag is not water-pfoof - but well worth it!)

Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is simply gorgeous

And Northstar makes the living easy...houses right on the golf course

A Village with restaurants & skating...

Organized crafts at the pool...

Playing with cousins...

International Birthday Day
EJAM held a group birthday celebration for us - with a trip to the movies...

And a 'pick your own gift' at Target

Zoe picked a pillow pet, the boys pooled their budget for Lego's

Topped with dinner of the group faves...

Ethic cuisine
Living in Kiev leaves us craving variety.  Northern California is a great place to load up
Middle Eastern fast food @ Dish N Dash....

Fish Tacos @ Rubio's...

BUT....
While we enjoyed nothing but blue skies and sunshine, 6+ weeks after leaving home, morale among our troops deteriorated....

Xavier alternated between saying he hates me & fighting his siblings to sit next to me

(shown in San Jose refusing to walk down the street with me)

Quincy holds firm that life would be better as an only child....

(shown ripping Zoe's decorations off the robot the 3 built together at the museum)

Thanks Bart & Nancy & EJAM for hosing our California adventures!  As always, the time went too fast.

Here's to fab summer vacations AND looking forward to our own beds.