California Vacation

Ah, Where do I begin? Last week, our family took off to sunny southern California. We had an absolute blast and didnt want it to end. Although there were a few hiccups, all in all, we had a great time.

We left bright and early (ok, so it may not have been so bright at 4:30 am) Saturday morning. Our plane left at 7:20 AM!! We had great intentions of getting the kids to bed Friday night at 8:00 and ourselves in bed shortly after at 9:00, but being so excited to leave, the kids had a hard time falling asleep ( as did I) . I think around 10:30 they finally gave in. I myself wasn't able to fall asleep until 3:00 AM!! We woke the house up at 4 and were out the door at 4:30. They didnt mind a bit though and were troopers all day.






We arrived in Long Beach to a wet and very cold California! WHAT??!! We spend the day at the Swap Meet and had great fun eating Churros and waiting 45 minutes for a Hot Dog! The waiting part wasn't fun! Later that night, we met up with a friend from high school and his sweet family for a BBQ. It was great to see them. I hadn't seen Ryan for 6 years and it was great to catch up and reminise on old times. Here is a picture of the gang! Thanks Kagy's for a great time!





Sunday was Fathers day. I have such an incredible, loving father and I am so grateful I got to spend the day with him. What a fun day we had. Church in the morning where Marcy gave the most incredible talk about Fathers and then went on to teach Relief Society. She has such a gift. One I wish I had! After church was dinner. Let me just explain a little bit about my mom. She loves to cook. And she is GREAT at it! Every meal was homeade by her and preceeding dinner, was ALWAYS an appetizer of some sort. One of my FAVORITES was a baquette with pesto mayonaise, topped with fresh sliced mozzerela, home grown basil and sliced tomatoes drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. YUMM!! No wonder I gained 5 pounds while there! Thanks mom for spoling me!!




My Daddio and his girls!


My handsome honey and his 3 boys!



Family picture on Fathers Day



My dad talking to my brother on Fathers day. This picture is funny because he is laying on 2 air mattresses which were on top of a table. Hey, with 6 kids running around the house for a week, this was the only place he could find to relax!







The next 3 days were spent at California Adventure and Disneyland! We had a blast. Thank you Marcy for watching Gabe on Monday so we could be kids again and ride all the rides and not have to worry about diapers, strollers and switching children. It was heaven! It was Carters first time riding California Screamin and Tower of Terror. I didn't even think of turning the flash off on the camera when I took this picture of Carter's first ride, but if you look carefully, you can see his face! He looks terrified, but LOVED it and rode it a total of 3 times! Just like California Screamin, he loved Tower of Terror! The picture is classic (I was able to turn off my flash for this picture)! Everyone else is SCREAMING and Carter is as cool as summer's morning (as my brother would describe him). Just sitting as if he is enjoying a movie. We had so much fun. The park wasn't to crowded and it was the perfect temperature.

Were going to Disneyland!!! OK, Actually California Adventure!



Carter right before launch on California Screamin! He was SOOO excited!! I had to sit this one out to get a picture! Classic! He is sitting near the back.


Can you see him? He is on the bottom right hand corner.


Grizzly Bear Rapids... before!










Gabe LOVED Disneyland and did surprisingly well without a nap! It was me who had a hard time! While there, we celebrated Carter's 6th birthday! He got a cool b-day button and 60 dollars to spend at the park! WOW! He loved all the attention he got! Almost all the employees at Disneyland wished him a happy birthday. Happy birthday buddy! Hard to believe your 6 already! Love you to pieces dude!


Donut Birthday Breakfast!


Gabe LOVING It's a Small World


McKay less than thrilled to be riding It's a Small World!





Friday was mom's birthday. She is 60 years young! You would never guess she is 60! She keeps up with all of us and doesnt stop for aminute, Not to mention how beautiful she is. Really. I dont think she has one wrinkle! On Thursday we celebrated by shopping and took her to dinner. After dinner, we went back over to the house and surprised her by having some of her closest frineds there for cake and ice cream. Happy Birthday mom! We love you!

Friday was spent getting ready to come home. The most horrible day of the trip. I always hate packing to leave. We did, however manage to go to the pool and see a movie. We went to see The Proposal. Is was hysterical! I loved it!

Gabe with Aunt Marcy in the Spa. It's as if he turned to mush once he hit the hot water! AHHHHH!!









Saturday we headed for home, but not before we went to Laura Smiths wedding. She was married in the Los Angeles temple on the 27th. We headed up to LA at 8 in the morning and didnt get home until 3. It was a great day at the temple and so good to see old friends. When we got home, we put our suitcases in the car and headed for the airport. I had a pit in my stomach the entire day. We made it to the airport and got right on the plane and headed for home. We did everything we wanted to do except see friends and go to the beach. Maybe next trip. 6 days was not long enough. We made great memories and had so much fun being together. It was a much needed break. Until the next trip....