It's no surprise that I'd LOVE to move back here, but the timing's just not right yet. Hopefully someday. :)
We have literally been jam-packed the whole time we've been here...which could be a good thing or a bad thing!! We got here Monday night, the 13th, so here's a recap of what we've been up to......
Tuesday
We cut the girls hair...
We went & saw Grandpa Gary & then went to Aunt Valerie's house to see more family. The girls fell asleep in the car & we didn't want to risk having a crabby-Cali so this is how Dustin carried her to the house!! It's too priceless to not snap a quick picture!
Wednesday
We took the girls to Disneyland...see next blog post!!
Thursday
We didn't do much, & then that night Dustin & I had a date night close to home at Lucille's & then went & saw Total Recall. It was a nice night just the 2 of us. :)
Friday
The first day of our Family Reunion was today! We had a beach bonfire tonight & it was loads of fun. However, I hate the beach. I guess that's a big "however", but still!!! Ugh Sand!!! I now know why my mom hardly ever took me to the beach as a kid. I knew Brooklyn would like the beach but I never knew HOW much she'd like it! Take a look..
Getting the bonfire pits are first come first served...with no reservations available. My aunt & uncle were there a few months ago at 6 am & they were all full...so they made sure to get there early this time. The kicker was, though, that there was hardly anyone there at that time! Figures. We had shifts so that the same people didn't have to be there the whole time. I was the 3rd shift, from noon to 2pm, so I sat there at the bonfire pit for a few hours getting burned. I wanted to take my iPad to read my book, but I left it plugged in at home. UGH! But that's ok cause me & my aunt just sat there & talked the whole time. It was really nice & relaxing! After my shift I went back home, picked up Dustin & the girls, then we all went back cause that's when the family was showing up.
Cali & Brooklyn running to "the beach"...(totally unaware that "the beach" is the whole place, not JUST the water!!)
Cali washing off in the showers
Dustin & I at sunset
The group around the bonfire
It was a great day visiting with family...and the girls had an absolute ball!!
Saturday
Saturday was Day #2 of our family reunion. Ironically enough, it was also the 15th Anniversary of my great-grandpa's death. Our whole entire family who was at our picnic was the product of Nanny & Poppy (my great-grandparents). They had 4 kids, who all had at least 2 kids, who all have kids of their own...which is where we get such a big family. Poppy died the day before I went to The Netherlands in 1997. So with Nanny we have 5 generations in several families, which is so cool. (Actually my great-great grandma died when I was in The Netherlands, so I was fortunate enough to know her well.)
If you take Nanny, who is the mom of all mom's and make her #1, then make each of her kids #'s 2 through 5, then their kids their numbers in chronological order...that makes the youngest member of our family #72! My grandma is #3, my mom is #6, & I am #24 (and so is Dustin since we're married). We got shirts with our own individual numbers on them for the reunion. Here are my little #'s 63 & 68.
And here's a big group picture...with a good 1/3 of our group missing. :(
Oh...and NO...we didn't mean to stand by color. It's just how we turned out!
All the little boys picking on the big boys (Dustin & Curtis)
Cali hitting the pinata
Sunday
Another Disneyland day...see the next post (when I get around to writing it)!! ;)
Monday
After trying to recover most of the day we went to a Dodger game that night. I'm SO glad we didn't have anything planned for Monday during the day cause we were hurting units! I mean, I know I'm only 30...but WOW I can definitely tell I'm 30! I'm not the early 20-something girl who could walk around all day & go do it over the next day! I was one sore puppy. My whole lower body was aching. We actually didn't get out of bed until about 11am! We did get to go & get yogurt though with our aunt & cousins...which was so yummy!
We went to the Dodger game & watched them LOSE against the Giants. :( But it was fun either way.
Our view (which, in my opinion, is the best in the house...top deck right behind the plate...seriously can't beat it)
We left our seats to go sit by my family so they could help us with the girls. Here's Dustin, the girls, & me...with my mom, Kaitlyn, & Mike looking on in the background!
Tuesday
Tuesday we had a nevus family get-together...which was just so awesome! I totally forgot about traffic, and really thought that the people would have already been at work by 10am, but they weren't...so we were a whopping whole HOUR late to our nevus beach date. :( I felt so bad, but everyone was really so understanding.
We met at the Santa Monica pier & there were 2 adults with nevus as well as 4 families of kids with nevi's. Such a great turnout, in my opinion. Here's a picture of the kids...
And here's my little beauties in the car on the way home...
That night we were offered 2 free tickets to the Dodger game. Ummm, 2 Dodger games in 2 nights? YES, PLEASE!!! You certainly don't have to ask me twice!! Plus, it was Fernando Valenzuela bobblehead night, which you just can't pass up! Our seats were a level down from where we were the night before, and just about even with the right field foul pole. I couldn't believe all the food places even just one level down from where we usually sit. I have just always sat in the Top Deck so I don't ever remember sitting any lower, which will now be our new seats. Dustin & I were in heaven & we didn't want the game to end!!!
Our view Tuesday night...where they lost, again, to the Giants. :(
Even though they lost, it was still great. We got go see Fernando Valenzuela pitch the first pitch & watch George Lopez announce the starting lineup!
Wednesday
Wednesday was the #2 reason we came to California...for Brooklyn's dermatology appointment with Dr. Eichenfield in San Diego. (More of that to come in another blog post...) So what else should we do while in San Diego...let's go to Sea World! I really wanted to go to the San Diego Zoo but seriously EVERYONE was telling me to go to Sea World instead...so we did. Brooklyn & I actually dropped Cali, my brother Michael, & Dustin off at Sea World, then went to her appt, then went back & met up with them.
Here's Mike with the flamingoes
Here's the Shamu show
And here's Cali having a blast on the jumping thing
As great fun as these pictures seem...Sea World was horrible!! Seriously. It was terrible. First off it was $73/person to get in. Then Dustin spent $48 on 2 hot dog meals & a sandwich meal for him, Cali, & Mike while Brooke & I were at the appt. Then later on in the day I spent $28 on just 2 apple juices, a milk, 2 coffee's, & a yogurt parfait. Then every show cost money to see. We did not have to pay for the 10-minute Shamu show, thank goodness. But all the other shows cost money (that we could see). Also, Cali is 40" tall. Well every ride is 42" to ride alone. So Cali had to ride with me for the 3 rides in the Sesame Street play area. She couldn't go alone, like she wanted. So we went to the little kid place...but all of that stuff you had to be less than 39"!! Well what about the poor kids who are 40"?! Brooklyn couldn't go on the bouncy thing that Cali loved. Cali couldn't go on the few rides that she wanted to go on...so needless to say, both the girls were not happy. Mike wanted to go on the water ride...the one that you get soaked on. So I took him. And of course, you literally go under an entire waterfall so we got off the ride completely soaked from head to toe. We could have dried ourselves off in their little machines for $5!! Uhhh, no thank you. But every single other ride says that you can't go on them if you're wet! Super. Plus, we were very disappointed in the lack of animals they had. We thought they'd have had more than what they did have...unless we just weren't looking in the right place. But we were following their map...so who knows?! We actually left a lot earlier than we thought we'd have...but we were very glad to leave. :) It will be a VERY long time before we go back there again!
Thursday
Today we didn't have anything on our agenda except dinner with my grandma. She had dinner planned since tonight is the last night with all of us. My mom, brothers Mike & Curt, & Curt's girlfriend Kaitlyn are all leaving bright & early in the AM. So we all had dinner together. Then Dustin & I went to my aunt & uncle's house to see if there's any way they can have a cooling system in it. It's been very warm here the past 2 summers so they were curious about air conditioning. It was great to have a lazy day just visiting with family that came over to see us...and write a long blog post too!!
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