Last Thursday, both kids went to the orthodontist. Leo had his first adjustment to his braces, and Serafina was getting checked to see if she was ready for braces. I had a feeling she would be getting them some time this summer. Well, the doctor decided she was ready right now since she's done so much growing recently. They decided to squeeze her in the schedule, so today we went to get the braces on.
Here's one last smile before the appointment.
Brackets on. Feeling the weird sensation.
Braces on! She was such a good sport. It's not a pleasant process and she did great.
We snuck away for a little weekend getaway at an Airbnb in the mountains. The house was in the Santa Cruz mountains, and it was way out of the way on a windy road deep in the forest. The view from the house was pretty amazing. That's the ocean in the distance.
The house was...rustic. It was a funky place with lots of quarks, but it was in a great location so we tried to roll with and appreciate the scenery.
The house sat on the top of a large piece of land. Shortly after arriving, the dog, kids and I drove down the road on the property to explore some. We found some interesting stuff, like this little theater space in the woods.
How many faces do you see?
There were lots of campsites down the road. I told the kids this was a cult gathering. After seeing all the tents and RVs, the kids appreciated our rustic lodging more.
Evening walk with Tom and Mousse.
The next day, we did some more exploring on the property.
But it was hot and not everyone was loving it.
We all love the beach (especially Mousse), so we drove down the mountain and arrived at the coast.
Beautiful day at a beautiful beach with beautiful people.
Nothing makes Mousse happier than a frisbee.
Very nice outing with mom and dad.
The house had a bedroom in a loft. Leo didn't want to stay up there, so he stayed downstairs with Tom and I stayed upstairs with Serafina. Mousse didn't like it too much when I went up there and left him down below. Here he is waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs.
After we packed up today, we headed to Santa Cruz. We got there just before the crowds and managed to find parking. Serafina and I took a walk along West Cliff.
Tom and Leo took Mousse down to the beach. It's a beach full of friendly dogs, but all this dog cares about is that frisbee.
See?
Tom's beach selfie.
Windy, but warming up.
Handsome beach bum.
After the beach time, we headed to a brewery with dog-friendly outside seating. This was the first time the kids had been at any time of establishment in 15 months. It was Mousse's first time ever. They had a pop-up pizza place and we had a delicious lunch.
We tried to keep Mousse busy and happy, but he got a little restless towards the end. I think with some more practice, he could be a good restaurant patio dog.
Of course, we hit our favorite ice cream shop on our way out of town. We came home happy and exhausted from our weekend adventure.
Tom had a good Father's Day. I made a coffee cake in the morning that turned out delicious. Then in the afternoon, Tom got to pick the outing so we headed to the dog-friendly beach in South San Francisco. We misjudged the weather a wee bit, but we survived. We had fun seeing all the cute dogs and Mousse got to do so much playing.
Dad and his kids - human and canine.
They always have to climb up the sandy cliffside.
The face of a happy, and very tired, dog.
Last picture as we head to the car.
We picked up pizza for dinner, which was a great way to end the day.
Yesterday was my birthday. Birthdays are a little tough for me because I share a birthday with my dad and I miss him extra on this day. Also, I don't love getting older. But this time, I felt like I should probably celebrate. Since the dance studio didn't hold a recital this year, I actually had the night free. Next year, I'll be spending my birthday backstage and in the audience of the dance recital. And since all my local close friends (and half of their kids) are vaccinated, I felt it might be safe to have everyone over. It's been a long time since I've hosted anything and I was feeling a little nervous, but I decided to push past my hesitation and invite folks over for some drinks and dessert. I definitely wasn't ready to host a meal.
Tom picked up the most beautiful cake for me.
Three families came over to celebrate with me. After temperatures in the high 90s all day, it was absolutely perfect out in the evening. People played darts and ping pong and all the other outdoor games we have in our new backyard. Tom opened up our umbrella and showed off the lights.
Everyone came inside to sing "happy birthday" to me. I was so overwhelmed and touched when I saw everyone gathered to show me love. It's been a long time since I've had this many people around me that I care about. I took pictures of them and then they scolded me that I should be in the pictures since I was the birthday girl.
So Tom took some pictures.
And then they insisted I open my presents. I think Kristi just wanted to see my reaction to this epic gift. I will never admit to being a dance mom, even though my friends say I'm absolutely a dance mom. Well, I guess I have to just accept it. This shirt will help me embrace it.
I think Leo's recital gave him new confidence, because he brought out his guitar and played for all the kids. The adults were pretty impressed too.
It was a wonderful night. Everyone had a good time and it was so great to be together again after such a long time. Mousse was mostly well behaved and got lots of attention and playtime. Our new backyard proved to be a pretty great entertaining space, so hopefully we can host people again soon.
Leo has been taking guitar lessons over Zoom for more than a year now. He started out with group classes, but when he passed the two levels offered, he moved to individual lessons with his instructor. He likes her a lot and she lets him pick songs that speak to him - mostly classic rock. She held an end-of-the-year recital yesterday and invited Leo to participate. He wasn't sure if he wanted to do it, but I wanted him to. I'm proud of the progress he's made and I wanted him to have the chance to show that off. I performed at several piano recitals in my childhood, so I know the last spot is reserved for the most advanced student. I never performed last, but sometimes I would be second or third from last. Leo was the last spot and I was thrilled for him.
We tuned in to the recital from his room. There were several little kids, plucking out their songs with lots of concentration. When Leo heard how these kids were true beginners, he began to feel more confident about his piece.
Mousse found the music quite soothing.
The recital moved along quickly because each performance was brief. Then it was Leo's turn.
He did a great job!
He didn't want me to record the recital but he performed his piece for me before it started. It's the solo from Stairway to Heaven.
