Island Life in the US: California Bound

We headed out for our Christmas vacation to California early Friday the 18th. We woke the boys at 5:30am and they were wide awake from that point on. They were so excited to be boarding a plane and heading to Grammie's. Thanfully the first leg of the trip was only an hour and a half and it went fairly well. During our layover we let the boys run around and play in the McDonald's play area they had which was nice. We ate some lunch and then boarded the next plane. By this time, 11:30am, the boys were pretty exhausted. Joshua was getting pretty antsy and was starting to climb on the seat in front of us, but nothing major in my mind since we hadn't taken off yet. However, the older gentleman did not appreciate our little man. He turned around and asked if we could do something with our child because he could not fall asleep. Um, excuse me.....well then.....Nicholas was pretty much passed out already and once we got in the air and Joshua decided to sit on my lap he passed out too. Happiness all around. This lasted for about two hours which was good since the flight was about 2.5 hours or so. We made it through the rest of the flight by giving snacks. Fun times.

Saturday- My mom and I went to do some last minute Christmas shopping. I was able to eat tacos from Jack in the Box and get a Strawberry Banana Julius, yummy. Burt, the boys and my step-dad Jeff went to the playground down the street from their house and the wash where they let Taylor run around. Nicholas ended up getting "lost" for a few minutes in the bushes too.

Nicholas walking Taylor, even though you can't see her.

Nicholas running wild in the open space.

Sunday- We all went to church where Jeff plays in the orchestra. Nicholas went to Sunday school class while Burt hung out in the lobby with Joshua most of the time. My brother Richard and his girlfriend Jaci were suppose to get in this afternoon, but snow cancelled their flight until Monday evening, bummer. So, Sunday evening we just hung out at home and relaxed.

Monday- We went to the mall to see Santa. The boys were very excited to see him, but when it came time to sit on his lap they didn't want anything to do with that. At least they didn't cry. We also let them ride the double decker carousel, the coin rides and race cars around a track. Then Burt and I went shopping while the kids went home for a nap. Richard and Jaci arrived Monday evening. We talked with them for a few minutes before heading to bed. I was very excited to be able to spend time with them for a whole week. (I can't get the picture to scan right now, will add later)

Tuesday- We all packed up and headed to Knotts Berry Farm. We were hoping for warm weather, but not so much. It was sunny, but windy and chilly for my taste, but we survived. The boys loved the rides, but did get cranky by the end of the day since they didn't take a nap. Nicholas went on a "big" roller coaster. He liked the beginning, but once it went down the first hill Burt said his face changed dramatically and he kept asking for it to slow down. Poor little guy. Even though he said it was too fast he still pointed to all the large roller coasters and said he wanted to go on them. Not this time. It was fun to see Joshua be able to go on some of the rides too this go around. He especially liked watching Snoopy on Ice. He was head bopping to the music. Fun times. We ended up leaving early due to Jaci not feeling well, but that was okay since the boys were getting cranky themselves. The downside was that we left during rush hour so it took us forever to get home. Oh well.

Richard, Burt and Nicholas are in the car on the top.

It also would spin at the same time.

This is when Nicholas was probably the happiest.

The cutest thing ever. The boys had to push and pull to make the cart go.

Nicholas working hard. He lapped everyone. Look at that tongue.

Richard and Joshua, so cute.

Nicholas very excited to ride the train.

Wed- Burt and I left mid-morning to head down to my best friend Marissa's house to hang out with her and her precious little daughter Gracie. This was my first introduction to her. She wasn't feeling 100%, but she was still the cutest little thing ever. Her smile is infectious, has the cutest cheeks and she came right to me which was wonderful. I got all the hugs and kisses she would let me steal. I hate that I can't see her more. We were also treated to a homemade Thai meal by Marissa's mom. Burt has never had this privalage so he was very excited. I was happy that I was feeling well enough to eat. It was delicious. She went above and beyond with the spread she made for us. I think there were about five dishes or so, plus soup and the spring rolls. Yummy!!!! After we stuffed ourselves we went back to the house for a little bit before heading to a hotel. Yes, that's right, Burt and I spent a night away from the kids. It was great. We even got to sleep in. What a day.

This was only half of the dishes. Burt took the picture too soon.

Cutie pie Gracie.

Thur- After we got up and ready we went to Starbuck's to pick up some breakfast and headed back over to see Marissa and Gracie. Adam had to work. We hung out for a couple hours, played and talked some more and then got back on the road to head back to Santa Clarita. When we got back we tried to take a little rest. We then had dinner with everyone before heading to church for Christmas Eve service. Nicholas fell asleep right when the music started and Mom had to take Joshua out since he was being so antsy. However, the rest of us enjoyed a very nice service. Their new preacher gave a very good sermon and the music was great too. After the service we got the boys to bed and hung out with Richard and Jaci a little bit before heading to sleep ourselves. Oh and by the way, Richard proposed to Jaci on Wed, so now she is his fiance. That is just so weird to think about, but we are all very excited for them.