Huntington Beach & Disneyland

We flew into the LA area pretty early on the 8th. And we had the rest of the afternoon to kill. So we drove out to Huntington Beach to fill up our souls with the joy that is any time spent at a beach. Jenna was in heaven building her sand castle. And playing in the FREEZING water with Casey, "Hurry Dad, run, the waterfall is coming." What a great afternoon.

 We spent the evening walking around Downtown Disney getting ready for the next day! You know, getting our game faces on. It was okay, we didn't do a whole lot of shopping, so it felt like we were walking for walking's sake. So we didn't stay long.

 We had an amazing time at Disneyland! It honestly could not have gone better. With this many people we have had trips in the past where a lot of time has been wasted trying to decide what to ride next, or where we are eating, etc. But this trip went so smoothly. We did split up for a little so that the Quarders could hit the new Cars Land in California Adventure. But otherwise we were together the entire time and went smoothly from ride to ride. We all felt like we got everything in we wanted to. All of the kids did amazing. None of them really napped, but were still well behaved. We had so much fun! 

 Jenna was absolutely terrified of the characters! Scared to death. Any time any of them came within 10 feet of us she would start to cry and say, "Hold you, hold you, hold you." until one of us picked her up.  She was a little better with the fairy godmother probably because you can see her face. 

As you can tell from her face, Jenna was a little unsure about The Pirates of the Caribbean. Of course, she promptly asked to go on it again as soon as it was over. 

 She started running out of steam during the firework show...

...and was asleep before the show was over. A day well spent! And she was fantastic. 

 

The next day we drove home with my mom. With a special stop in Barstow for some mustaches. Cuteness!

San Diego

 We had a busy and fantastic week in San Diego last week. We started with a birthday luau for our niece, Chloe who turned 3. It was so much fun.

Chris & Sara had the party at Santee Lakes at the splash pad and the kids had a blast...except Jenna. I thought she was getting better about water, but she was not having any of it. She was totally freaked out and would only get close when Casey held her and helped her play a little. She was much more comfortable safely behind the fence. I hope that will get better as she gets older. Growing up with a pool in the back yard, and camping at the beach every year, I have a real love of the water and would be so sad if her discomfort continued.

It was so nice to have all the family together, plus some! I was reminded once again how grateful I am for my family. And I am equally grateful that Sara's in-laws and her friends love her and her children as much as do. As I continue through this life, I realize it really does take a village and Sara and Chris have surrounded themselves with a great village! 

 On Sunday we headed to South Carlsbad State Beach for our annual camping trip with the Loughs/Powells. We didn't have campsites next to each other this year. So it was a bit of a trek to visit each other. Which was kind of a bummer but over all it was a great week full of naps on the beach, the kids driving the car the, not nearly enough pinochle, frolicking in the ocean, watching "There's a Monster at the End of the Book" on the iPad, and family bonding. 

How cute is my mom? 

Chloe had the time of her life on the bogey board. 

So many kids, so few iPads

We also took Malan family pictures. It was a nightmare. I'll be completely honest. Half the family didn't want to be there. The photographer was and hour late so the kids were all hot and over it before we even started. At least some of the pictures turned out okay. Wish I could associate it with better memories.

The whole fam damily

My Dad and Holly

My mom and Bob

For the last part of the week we got to spend some time with Casey's mom and sister. Marnee was in town for a conference and so Lorrie joined her and we had dinner in Old Town and then spent the next day at Balboa Park. It was great to see Marnee and Lorrie again!

We had, as always, a great week in San Diego. I'm so happy that I get home as often as I do. I'm grateful that Jenna gets time with my family and more specifically her cousins. I want to thank (publicly) Chris and Sara for giving us a roof over our heads every time we come to town. We know it's not always convenient or easy, but you never fail to be welcoming and open. We love you and will be eternally grateful for your hospitality.

Throwback Thursday

10 years ago...camping at South Carlsbad State Beach...

Kim, Katie, and kids day of fun!

My friend Kim Henrie and her two darling children, Cutler and Kapri joined Jenna and me for our trip to San Diego to meet Ashtyn. I thought Kim could take some newborn pictures of her. {Unfortunately, Jen's uncle passed away right after Ashtyn was born and so the pictures didn't work out.} But Kim and I got a completely exhausting fun vacation out of it. We drove down on the 15th and it took us the kids the 16th to recover. But we did the 17th up right. We started the day with a trip to Sea Port Village. We walked the pier, rode the carousel, and looked at all the shops. We went and had lunch at the only place I will eat fish, Anthony's,  and saw the Star of India.

 

We wanted to hit the tide  pools but low tide wasn't for a couple of hours still so we went to Old Town and walked around for a little. The church did a big ole' remodel on the Mormon Battalion. It was pretty cool, though we didn't get to stay very long as the kids were melting down. We did get to see a real blacksmith at work and some old coaches. I forget what cool stuff San Diego has. I need to get out of Sara and Chris' house more often. :)

Seriously, how cute are they?

 Finally we headed to the beach. It's all Cutler wanted the whole trip. When we were headed into town, we stopped at my Dad and Holly's house for a minute. As we were exiting the freeway Cutler says, "Um, sorry guys, I can't see the beach." We were cracking up! So cute Cutler finally got to see the beach. I think he was a little scared of the crabs and sea anemones. I'll admit, sticking your finger in an anemone is a very different experience. If you don't grow up doing it, it might freak you out a bit. I had so much fun. Ocean Beach is such a nostalgic place for me. It's home. And it feels like my soul takes a breath when I am there. I'm hoping this was the first of many trips there with Jenna.

After that we headed back to Sara's. It was a jam packed day of fabulousness. The next day we headed home. Thanks again for coming, Henries!