We're Home!

We're back from California and are adjusting to the real world once again. Chris' mom is here with us for a week so it's making the adjustment a little easier. We're happy that she gets to be with us to celebrate Landon's birthday this Wednesday - I can't believe he's two!

We were glad to see Chris and missed him a lot while we were away but it was sad to have to say goodbye to our California family. We miss them so much! We had a blast while we were there. Although, our two weeks seemed more like two days. Here's a little summary of the fun time we had:

Since the time of Ainsley being the only grandchild, we've made a yearly trip to Gilroy Gardens (formerly known as Bonfante Gardens) with my family. It's a theme park in Gilroy that is designed especially for smaller children. Our days are numbered there because the little ones are getting bigger but we've sure had a lot of fun while it's lasted.

We met Grandpa Yarbrough at the Oakland Zoo one day. I used to take Ainsley to that zoo every week when we lived in Castro Valley. It's one of the best zoos I've ever been to and was fun to visit once again.

We were able to visit with most of our Bay Area family. And, what would a trip to California be without a visit to the Jelly Belly Factory?!

A couple of days before we went back to Texas we made a last minute decision to use a Six Flags theme park ticket that Ainsley had received from a reading program she participated in at school. There are two Six Flags parks near my parents' house so we chose Discovery Kingdom. What a great choice it was! There were a ton of rides and shows for the kids, the weather was nice, and Landon met his hero Thomas the Tank Engine in Thomas Town. I also learned that all of my children feel the need for speed. All three of them went on the biggest roller coasters that their height would allow. Ainsley had to convince me to ride the coaster of her choice. I've gotten a little wimpy in my old age but I have to admit it was pretty fun. It reminded me of the Tidal Wave at Great America only a little bit more loopy.

Half Moon Bay

We went to the beach today and had a great time! I rented a wet suit and went Boogie Boarding for the first time in about ten years. It was fun but tiring. I ended up busting up my knee on what turned out to be my last ride of the day. It was pretty embarrassing. After somehow knocking my knee cap out of place, I stumbled in as far to shore as I could before having to call to my dad to drag me out of the water. My already bad knees seem to be getting worse with each passing year - sigh. My brother and I used to go to the beach all the time when we were growing up. After getting my license we'd go at least once a week. I don't ever remember getting so tired trying to paddle out or injured riding in for that matter - I must be getting old!

We're Here!

We've been in California since Wednesday and the time is already flying. We're staying at my parents' house but we're spending time with Chris' parents too. Here's what we've been up to so far . . .

The first full day we were here it was HOT. I'm not used to living without air conditioning anymore and even though it wasn't Texas hot, it was still pretty bad - at least indoors. We set up a little pool and a slip n' slide in my mom's and dad's backyard and let the kids have some fun in the sun. Unfortunately, my little Texans got cold pretty fast. I believe it took us longer to set up than it did for them to play but they had fun while it lasted.

On Friday we spent the day with Grandma and Grandpa Yarbrough. We met them at Children's Fairyland. Landon and I stayed until he really needed a nap. I left the girls with their grandparents who took them to their house to spend the night. Landon and I picked them up Saturday afternoon.

On Saturday evening the kids helped Grandma and Grandpa Gadd and Uncle John garden. It started as taking them out to run around and ended with happy, wet, dirty little children who have decided that we must return to California every summer to help Grandma and Grandpa garden because they are getting old and need their help. The day ended with some home boogie boarding lessons given by Uncle John and storytime. Uncle John has continued the boogie boarding lessons today. We'll see what happens when we head out to the beach in a few days!

Before We Go . . .

I can hear Kaylee yelling at Chris right now, "You're so mean!" Is he being mean? Probably not. This morning she was telling me, "You're making my life miserable!" I think this is all coming from the mayhem we've experienced the last couple of days. We're so excited to go to California tomorrow but getting ready is not an easy feat. And, we'll miss Chris. I'm about half way packed and ready to call it quits for the night - we don't leave until tomorrow evening. 

One of the things I did today was tape Kaylee's bedroom in preparation for the paint job Chris volunteered to complete while we're away. He told me that if I would tape, he would paint. This evening Kaylee approached me with, "Am I going to hibernate in Ainsley's room tonight?" (when Ainsley's room was being painted, Ainsley "hibernated" in Kaylee's room for a few nights). We told her that she needed to sleep in her own room because we wanted her to get a good night sleep and figured she and Ainsley would be up all night if they were sharing a room. This did not please Kaylee, and she replied, "I don't want to sleep in a tape room!" I asked her why not, thinking it would have something to do with being scared. That was not the case. Her response, "I don't want to sleep in a tape room because it might get too sticky!" How can you argue with that?

Last Sunday Landon came home from nursery with a crown of sorts that said, "I'm a brother." He absolutely refuses to wear hats. We've tried and tried but he can't stand to have anything on his head. So, when he came home wearing his crown we were in shock. He wore it until it broke - it ended up ripped in half.

There's not a whole lot of news on Ainsley's end. She's been helping me get ready for our trip and is very excited to visit her grandparents for a few weeks.

Our flight doesn't leave until 6:55pm tomorrow. We arrive in California at 10:35pm Texas time. Yikes! I'm prepared for three cranky kids. Wish me luck! 

4th of July

We had a fun 4th of July this year! Chris had a four day weekend so we got to spend some extra time with him. Our city goes all out with a parade, festival in the park, and fireworks. And, we live in unincorporated Round Rock so we can legally set off fireworks. 

The morning of the 4th, we went to the parade. It was a lot of fun this year! When we got home, I tried to snap a few photos of the kids in their USA colors but a couple of them weren't in the mood, haha. That afternoon I took the kids swimming. Chris stayed home to build his new propane grill and we put it to use that evening. After dinner we played outside and ate homemade ice cream while we waited for it to get dark. The kids played with those little poppers that explode when you throw them on the ground. Landon kept calling them popcorn. So cute. 

When it was dark we took turns setting off fireworks with our neighbors. It was pretty windy so we didn't use our sparklers. We decided to save them for Landon's birthday at the end of July. We took a break to watch the fireworks that the city sets off, which we can see from our neighborhood and then went back to our own fireworks show. The night ended after 10:00pm. I had no idea how late it was! It was a good day, but the 5th of July was another story. After a late night with children who don't know the meaning of sleeping in, well, you can guess how that went.