Easter 2013

We got home late from California, put the kids to bed in their clothes (they were so worn out).  Thankfully, the Easter Bunny made it, even though he was probably exhausted too.  The girls had an Easter Egg hunt at our house, we attended church then went to and Easter Party at Jessica's.  We hadn't been out there for a long time, she put a ton of effort into it and made it really fun for the kids with another egg hunt and lots of prizes.  

Farewell (Day 8)

Our last day in California was pretty chill.  We played at the pool then took the girls to the park to get some energy out before heading home.  We had a really fun time, but it was good to be home too, we wanted to make sure we were home for Easter.  

Balboa Beach (Day 7)

We ended up at Balboa Beach, I love this area!  The housing is so fun and the beach is gorgeous.  There was a fun playground on the beach for the girls, they had a blast.  Then we sat for hours on the beach watching the seals and dolphins.  It was so much fun, we had never seen them in their natural environment before.  It was really neat.  Brinley made a friend while we were there and played with her for quite a while.  Another fun day!  

Our favorite Day (Day 6)

We LOVED this day!  We took the kids to the park in the morning then went to Long Beach.   We found a spot that rented 4 person bikes,  perfect!  The thing was, this spot kind of gave me a creepy feeling, maybe it was the homeless lady asleep on the bench, maybe it was intuition, I don't know, I just didn't like it and I knew I didn't want to be there, but wasn't really worried about it since we wouldn't be there for long.  We rented our bike and rode along the coast.  It was so beautiful and so much fun!  We all had a blast!  We loved it, the kids loved it!  It was a perfect day.

 The bike had a spot for the girls to sit and ride in front of us (horrible picture, I know).  As we were riding along the beach looking at our girls we just both had this moment where we were filled with joy and couldn't help but know how blessed we are to have these two beautiful girls in our lives,  we watched London put her arm around Brinley, lean her head on her shoulder and Brinley in turn put her arm around London, it looked a little bit like this...

 Dustin and I shared a glance, a smile and a very proud moment to call these two our own.

 The coast was just beautiful!   As we headed  back to take our bike back we saw a cop car.  Dustin said, "he was hauling!"  And he was!  As we rode up a little bit to where we needed to return the bike we saw a guy (homeless) in handcuffs and a woman on the ground (apparently there is a little grass park area where homeless people like to hang out).  More cops started to come, they shook the woman, but she was motionless.  More cops, ambulances and sirens of all sorts swarmed the area.  I knew that was not a place for my babies so I quickly got them to the car and Dustin returned our bike.  I don't know for sure what happened, I don't know if she was dead, but I suspect she was.  Remember how I said that I kind of want to live in California?  Well this quickly reminded me how thankful I am for my little house in quiet, conservative, Utah.

We headed back to the Hotel for some pool time.  Such a fun day!  Minus the homeless arrest part.  I love my little family so much and am so thankful for them in my life!  

Our Last Day at Disney (Day 5)

 

We were really glad that we decided to spend three days at Disneyland.  The third day allowed us to see everything and ride all of our favorite rides multiple times.  Brinley was happy to see most of the princesses and her and Madi had front row seats at the Tangled play.  The only downside to the day was that we had to say goodbye to Troy and Sabra.  We had such a fun time with them!

Disney Day Two (Day 4)

Our second day at Disneyland was super fun, duh!  Lunnie's favorite thing was the characters, especially Mickey, Minnie, Tigger and Pooh. 

This was the night we went to World Of Color, still amazing!  We love love love World of Color!  We got a hotel close by in case we needed to go back with London, but we wore this girl out and ended up pretty much staying at Disneyland from open to close all three days. 

 

 

My friend Jan sent some gifts for the girls, so nice!  They were supposed to open them the first night we went to Disneyland, but the girls we ZONKED so they opened them the second day instead.  She got them each a pair of Disney PJ's, perfect!  Thanks Jan!  

Back to Disney (Day 3)

We were able to spend three days at Disneyland and California Adventures.  Dustin and I have always wanted to go with our entire family.  We know that's not possible, but it was so fun for the girls to be able to go with some of their cousins.  We love this place!!

Troy and Sabra were so nice to bring tiaras for all of the girls.

Lunnie and I were able to spend lots of time together this trip we were best buds and rode lots of rides together.  Some people think we are crazy for taking a baby.  It was so much fun and we are so glad we did! 

And to be honest, it was much more enjoyable for both London and I than it was the last time we were there.

 It was such a fabulous and beautiful day to be in Disneyland.  Brinley was even super brave and rode the Tower of Terror, scared the crap out of her!

 

The Sabbath in San Diego (Day 2)

On Sunday our little family wanted to spend the day in San Diego.  Lunnie got a tummy ache in the car and was screaming uncontrollably, so not like her!  She obviously has some sort of a bug.  Poor girl!  We stopped, I held her, nothing could calm this girl.  We opted to find a pharmacy, but a screaming baby (in pain) trapped in a car seat, California traffic and trouble with the navigators (yes, all three of them) don't mix well.  We finally found a pharmacy/drugstore, but given her age there really wasn't much over the counter medications she could take.  Needless to say, our day in San Diego was cut short, but Lun finally started to feel better so we spent most of the afternoon on Coronado Island, wandered around Hotel Del Coronado (so pretty) and ate lunch at a nearby pub. 

 On the way home Dustin suggested we stopped at the San Diego temple.  I have always been intrigued as we have passed by this beautiful white building in the past, but never stopped to see it. So pretty, so peaceful, I could spend my life on the grounds of an LDS temple.  I love how I feel here.  And honestly, this was one of our girls favorite parts of the trip, Brinley really has an appreciation for beautiful things and well, Lun just likes space to run around.

 

8 Glorious Days in Sunny California (Day 1)

Is there something healing about the color blue?  Blue skies and the sea heal the soul in a way like no other.  I don't think I could ever get sick of the ocean...ever!  Every time I go to California I think I could live there, you know, if circumstances were different, like for a period of time.  This time we were there for 8 days... 8 glorious days and this little trip couldn't have come at a better time. We needed a change of pace, a change of scenery... I NEEDED the sea! 

 

I was a bit nervous as this was London's first time on an airplane, but she did great.  She's just so busy!  I didn't think there was any way she would sit still for two seconds, but we managed.  I was constantly changing her diaper so we didn't run into any 'problems'!  The entire trip, every time I was near a bathroom I would change her regardless of if she needed it or not.  So what does she do as soon as we pull into the hotel?  She has a blow out like we have never seen before.  In the car seat (rental), all up her back, in her hair, EVERYWHERE!  So, we changed her in the middle of the parking garage and that was the beginning of MANY blow outs this trip. 

 

We stayed at the Hilton...nice, but we won't stay there again.  It just takes so dang long to get anywhere, the hotel is way too big.

The first day were there we met up with the Shockeys and  Clarks (Troy and Sabra) for some time at Huntington Beach.  It was so fun to be able to spend this time with all of them. 

 

When we were there we saw a plane go buy with a sign that followed "Will you marry me Princess?  Love Hector".  When I got home I noticed this plane was in our family pictures so I cropped it out.  I must admit, I was slightly disappointed that I wasn't the Princess in this story. How romantic!

 

 

 

 

Troy and Sabra brought kites, buckets and colored bubbles for the kids so we spent some time playing.  As the sun began to set it got quite chili, but Lunnie didn't care.  She was quite content to sit and eat sand. 

 

Later that night we had a pizza party in out hotel room and swam at the pool there, it was a great beginning to a spectacular trip.