At the end of June, we made our annual trek to the west coast to hang out with family (and a friend or two). Who can complain about a week at the beach, really?
Especially when you got to the San Diego Zoo.
And Benihana (it's like a tradition!).
And a playground or two.
Oh, and Legoland.
Well, actually, you can complain Legoland if you decide to swing on a chain suspended from a barricade and almost knock yourself senseless on a cement curb. Yes, then you'd have something to complain about, I guess. But then, your parents will probably buy you tons of Lego-related plastic-y bits after you start to normally again, and that might just make you feel better.
The week, for us, is mostly about getting the kids together with their cousins and letting them hang out.
They have fun together and we have fun watching them. There are many more vacation shots in our flickr account; and tons more in (Grand)Papa Seal's flickr account too.
I am working my way through pictures from our recent family trip to California. Until I get my act together, how about I share these pictures from Papa and Seal Pup 1.0's adventure to Boston to see a Red Sox game last month? I found the pictures while working on our California pictures last night and thought they were fun, so obviously I thought you'd think they were fun too. 
Lots of food.
And, I am told, there was actually people playing baseball as well.
More pictures in 
They have fun. At the end of last month, Papa and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary. Being subscribers of the "go big or go home" ethos when it comes to celebration, we opted to go on a Meditteranean/European cruise sans pups (thanks to Grammy, we felt pretty good about leaving the pups at home, thanks Grammy!). We started off in Spain. 
I am in the process of sorting through 12oo photographs of European vactioning at the moment, until I can get that taken care of, why don't we talk about our family venture south to Maryland, shall we? Oh and yes, hello, we are back.
At the beginning of last month, the family made the trek down to the 
But we stayed long enough to see sheep, so that's something.
After the heat and sheep exposure, we decided to visit the 
Before we headed home on Sunday, we visited some friends in Baltimore and stopped at a little neighborhood playground in Laurel. 
Tons of photos up in 
It occurred to me that this blog was still celebrating SP1.0's birthday, so clearly, it is time for an update. I meant to post after Easter; but, we were too busy chasing bunnies (we were also cleaning out our basment which got flooded when the northeast was hit with all those rainstorms, but let's not dwell on that). 
We have turned the learning of bike riding into a family affair.
There was kite day at school again. Someone may be over any sort of wariness he had about flying kites in years previous.
Kite day was an important day for the record books, it was the day that I may have conceded and admitted to Papa Seal that Seal Pup 2.0 did, indeed, need a haircut (sometimes his 'do maks Amy Winehouse appear well-groomed).
So we did that. First haircut, went okay. It was just a trim, because his curls are awesome.
And I got a new partner in meal planning. He is very opinionated.
We are going to see some sheep this weekend, so there will probably be cute pictures in the corner of the itnernet net week. 
A small party was had, and by party, I mean two sets of family friends, balloons and pizza. And there was a bike...with training wheels (and a helmet). Someone was suitably spoiled. 
More birthday celebration picaroos in 
