Sunday, July 22, 2012

California Trip 2012

While our friends were sweltering away in 110 degree heat in the Phoenix summer last week, we were here:


Do you need a minute to get over your jealousy? It's ok, I'll wait.

Anyway, last week we took of on our usual summer vacay to summer California to visit S's family and relax for a few days. And I have to say, it's probably one of my favorite California trips we've had recently. First of, it's been awhile since we've been. Our scheadules have been so busy this year that this is actually the first time we've gone since Christmas and I felt like we really needed this trip. Things have been a little stressful lately, and I've been feeling a little restless so a getaway was definelty in order.

And, let's be honest, I'm a bit of a homebody. I like being at home, and I thrive on routine, so while I love vacations by the end most of them I am ready to come home and get back into the swing of things. But I honestly could have stayed a few extra days this time. And a huge part of feeling this way is just how happy our boys are when we are at "Poppa's" house. I swear, S's dad could play with L from morning to night with no breaks. It wears me out just watching them, but he absolutely loves our boys and wants to spend as much time with them as possible. So not only is L in seventh heaven (and L2 also, although he's not really old enough to "play" in the same way yet) S and I tend to get lots of breaks and lots of time to do some things on our own. Seeing as how we have no family in Phoenix this is a huge luxury for us and one we utilize to the fullest while we are there. 

I have many more pictures, but I'm being lazy tonight so I'm only showing the ones from my cell phone! So in no particular order here are some highlights from our trip!

The Petting Zoo

If you are every in the Moorepark area of California,and you have kiddos, you need to check out Underwood Family Farms. I have no idea why S has never taken me to this place before, it was awesome! And I don't just say that because it was a cool place to take the kids, I really enjoyed it to! It was a small park, farm, petting zoo. It cost about $5 a person to get in, but it wasn't crowded at all and it was small enough that we could walk around and enjoy everything without getting tired or L getting cranky.  It had everything from pony rides to chickens to goats to a HUGE pig to wooden trains to play in. There was also a small market area with jams and veggies and honey, and you could also pay to go out into the fields and pick your own fruits or vegetables. It was honestly really, really cool. And L freaking loved it. He spent forever playing on the big train and saying hi to all the animals and then me and him took a train ride around the whole farm. It is definelty on my list of places to go back to.


The Park

There is this awesome park near S's house, one he grew up going to, and we spent a lovely afternoon with the boys there. Not only was the weather a beautiful 78 degrees (going down the slide without the risk of third degree burns? Amazing!) there was a creek running though it filled with ducks for the kids to feed. L thought it was pretty much the coolest thing ever!






Jammin' with Poppa

S's Dad play guitar and L was very into "playing" with him. I'm not sure who had more fun.... Poppa getting to share something he loves so much with L, or L getting to play with a new kind of musical instrument. It was probably one of the cutest things ever. What do you think, does L look like he might be the next Jack Johnson?





Front Lawn Morning Skype Sessions

S's little brother happened to be in town at the same time as us, but we had just missed his sister who had been there the week before. We had a skype session with the whole family so she could see the boys playing with Poppa, Grandma, and Uncle and because we were trying to soak in as much of the gorgeous weather as possible we pulled a blanket into the front yard and skyped outside!



Swimming

Poppa has a pool and we were excited to show off how far L has come with his swimming skills. And L loves swimming, but he was a little put off by pool water that is actually chilly as opposed to pool water that feels like bath water! It took his Uncle and Poppa getting in with him, but eventually he braved the cold and had a blast! 

Skateboarding

We found a longboard/carveboard (I don't know, I thought it was just a skateboard but S has informed me I'm wrong!) in the garage. At first L would only ride on it on his tummy but eventually all the guys got him to stand up and balance while they pushed him. How cool does he look, and also, how big does he look? Like, he looks like a kids here, not a toddler. Makes me proud and sad and the time!


Parents Night Out

We got several alone moments this trip, including naps (SOOOO NEEDED!), lunch dates, and shopping, but probably one of our best nights was getting an actual "grownups" night out with some old friends. We got dressed up (and by that I mean I wore my tight jeans and heels!) went to sushi and then went to a local bar where we laughed and talked and played shuffle board and had a night completely worry free. It was amazing and I'm so thankful that I have such great in-laws that not only take such good care of our boys but also are so willing to give us some time off when we visit!






So that was our trip. It was great, we were all sad to leave (Poor L spent pretty much the whole car ride home asking where Poppa was and crying that he wanted to go back to Poppa's house. Heartbreaking!) and now we are trying to fall back into our normal routines here!

**For some reason Spell Check is down on blogger...... I'm ashamed to admit I rely heavily on spell check. If this post is riddled with errors, I apoligize.