What a weekend!

We took the boys on their first train ride this past weekend. There is a light rail train that runs from Folsom to Sacramento and on Saturday morning we took the train to the local farmers market. The boys loved the live music and balloon swords and Gavin got so inspired with all the fresh local veggies that he made us a fantastic dinner on Sunday and decided to start a cooking blog for dads...We will keep you posted!

Hot August Chill

The Harvett Four returned to Donner Lake near Tahoe for another open water swim event Christina competed in. This one was appropriately named "Hot August Chill"... it was not very summer-like up in the mountains. We had a great camp site that backed up to a creek and shaded by huge redwood and pine trees. While sitting around the camp fire we received frequent visits from squirrels and chipmunks much to the amusement of the boys. Another favorite was the bedtime story by flashlight inside the tent. We took the scenic route back over the Donner Pass from where there is a spectacular view of the 2.7 mile long Donner Lake below.

Camping

We camped at Donner Lake, near Truckee, a couple of weekends ago. It was amazing to see how dirty Zack could get and loving every moment of it! Here he is, eating a lollipop and enjoying the afternoon. Aiden is in full "funny face" mode, every time we point a camera at him.

Beginning of August was a big transition for Zack. We continued the tradition of throwing the pacifier into the American River after the second birthday. Unfortunately, going cold-turkey with the pacifier coincided with Zack getting more teeth and it was rough couple of days. He did not want to nap and would eventually fall asleep in front of the TV....I thought we broke our good sleeper, but after a rough week, we are all good. Zack loves being a big boy, sleeping in his big boy bed and most importantly, napping each afternoon and sleeping through the night. I think we survived! At least he still has his blankets.

Zack turns 2!

This year Zack's birthday coincided with an open water swim event in Santa Cruz that Christina took part in. So we took Zack on the road for his birthday! After a private birthday party at home on Wednesday evening, we headed to the Bay Area and stayed over at the Svendsens and Montoyas. Both families were very generous with the celebrations that they planned for Zack. Christina made a space shuttle and planet themed birthday cake that Zack was extremely pleased with. For many months Aiden has wanted a Star Wars light saber and we promised him that when Zack is 2 years old they can each get one. So now we have Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobe battling it out in the house.

On Saturday morning we headed to the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk with the Montoyas. While Christina was swimming we walked down the pier, saw the sea lions and played on the beach. After a lunch at the boardwalk we drove to Monterey Bay Aquarium. Fortunately both boys napped really well in the car, so by the time we arrived in Monterey they were rested. The aquarium is really amazing for the kids and both boys were in awe at the beautiful marine life displays and educational activities.