Myyyyyy Barona!

What a week it's been! We started off last weekend with a bang when we headed out to Barona Dragstrip for the BG Oil Manufacturer's Cup Challenge. So much work went into this thing, and most of it was done by our family members and friends. Thanks to everyone who made it so fun and exhilarating. We had such a blast!

It truly was a family affair last weekend. Everyone had a great time and racers got lots of runs in. The track was ahead of schedule the whole time, which makes for happy drivers! One of the coolest parts of the day was the National Anthem show. Kimmy sang the National Anthem as her boyfriend, Bart and his demo team skydived down onto the dragstrip. It was insanely awesome! Click here to see the video of this amazing moment. Note: You will see the skydivers come down after about 1 minute of video.

Dane absolutely LOVED being at the dragstrip (surprise, surprise) and his favorite attraction was the jet car. Man, that thing was crazy! He also got a kick out of being able to see his auntie "Ahcah" (Erica) race exhibition. At one point he said to me, "Mama! Ahcah went WEEEEELLY FATHT in her WWAAAAATHE CARRRRRR!" LOL! Thanks to everyone who made it such a fun time. Even Ryan was okay with all the noise. I think we have another car guy in our family. If you want to watch highlights from the weekend, click here to watch the video.

On Sunday following our trip to Barona, we headed up to San Clemente (San Mateo) to go camping with our friends the Canatseys, Jeanie and Robin Fowler, and Alan and Jeanette Kraklow. Seeing as everyone had campers except for us, we were definitely in for a wild ride with a 3 year old and a 3 month old. However, we were up for the challenge. Dane was having so much fun with Ruby and Nova and was getting dirtier by the minute. The kids found lots of things to do, one being the little "roller coaster" that Nana Jeanie brought. They played on that for hours! Ruby even had Dane thinking it was fun to be the one to carry the train car back every time:) It was so fun to watch!

We had a great time Sunday night sitting around the camp fire and chatting. Unfortunately, when we woke up the next day, it was drizzling heavily and it wasn't looking good for the rest of the week. With a little baby in tow and drizzly weather, we weren't headed for much fun. Mike and I decided to pack it up and get back home. But hey, at least Mike got some good surf in with the guys and we had one good night of camping fun! Luckily, the campground gave refunds, so we didn't even lose our money! Good stuff.

Since Mike still had Tuesday off for work, he decided to take Dane down to the San Diego Zoo for the morning. Boy did they have a great time, evidenced by the pictures Mike took. Dane's "WAAAADDDLTHNAKE" obsession was definitely heightened when he got to see the gigantic Burmese Python at the zoo. Also, Mike took some fantastic photos of the polar bears playing with a ball. He said he's never seen them playing so much as they were bouncing off the walls! What a great thing for a kid, or ANYONE to see! Wish I could've been there...

Well, enjoy the photos when you get a chance. We sure do have lots of fun and love sharing it all with you. Have a safe and fun 4th of July, everyone! Love you all!

Getting some beauty rest before Barona.

Not enjoying the bouncy thing that much, but workin' those cankles...lol!

Ruby and Dane, excited for the day. Marianne working hard in the background.

Lindsay's already turned Ryan into a "dude brah." Yikes!

Kass and Linds.

"I got the walla, mama!"

Aunt Janis holding Dillon.

Robert and Moggy having a chat.

Mern and Mikey taking a break.

The lovebirds Bart and Kim, getting ready for their National Anthem skydiving show.

Dane wants to wear Kassady's headphones. Ain't gonna happen, bud.

There's Mern with all the trophies!

There's Kevin Canatsey in the yellow car. Great job, Kev! Two wins!

There's Kevin looking cool with his time slip.

Lynn, Kevin and Mom with a photo op.

Dad and Kevin with another photo op. I think Kev saw my dad more than I did that day!

Here are Mike, Kevin and Bliz trying to figure out how to set up this enormous tent. They did a great job!

Here's Ryan looking unsure about this trip...

Nova and Dane get right to it and start getting messy. Time to pick berries off the bushes!

Nova was so adorable with Bliz. She really loved him.

Kisses...

Robin, Jeanie and Claire made an AMAZING meal that evening. YUM!

Shaka brah!

There's Ruby doing her hair while riding the roller coaster. What a pro.

From left: Kevin, Robin, Jeanie, Nova, Jeanette, Alan, Ruby, Kristy, Ryan, Dane, Claire. Mike was taking the pic:)

The axe man!

Um, mom? Where am I?

It's kind of dark, but here is the "nursery" I set up in the tent. LOL!

"Hey dad! I found this incredibly safe sliver of wood to play with!"

Adorable.

I have to say, this picture absolutely cracks me up every time! Nova is SUCH a tom boy. So cute!

Blizzard wasn't so happy being tied up.

Takin' a break by the fire.

Ryan says, "Well ma, you guys gave it a good effort."

A yummy breakfast before we leave...

Look at those smiles!

Time to go to the zoo!

But first I'll build a town out of lincoln logs.

Don't get any ideas, Dane.

Riding the car over the zoo. Awesome.

Look at that hair.

Did you know that impalas do this to reach their food? I didn't either!

Play time!