SoCal

"I'm soooo glad I don't have braces anymore!" (Kate)

"Are those pirhanas real?" (Holly)

"Mom, I was by the wato and a big wave tame and cwashed me into the sand." (Emmy)

"Mom, if we lived in California, would we get season passes to Disneyland?" (Kate)

"Absolutely yes." (Me)

"Emmy, take a picture with me so we'll have a photo of me at Disneyland."



"I have to wait for the waves to come to me so it can pack the sand down really tight so it's like impossible for me to get out." (Aaron)


"Wait Mom, let me make a face for this one." (Aaron)

Disneyland, how I love thee.

We had a great time on our vacation. We go every year with our amazing friends, the Greens. We love traveling with them because we have a blast together and we are also pretty independent at the same time. We stay in different condos (near each other) so we have our own space. We always do the beach days together and cap those days off with dinner and games at one of the condos. We saw each other a bit at Disneyland and one day the kids rode rides together for the morning. But we spend plenty of time alone with our own families too. It is a winning combination of friends, family, and fun! Some highlights this year were:

Greg dumping a glass of ice water on my lap when he got riled up playing games

Kate saying over and over how much she loves Disneyland

Watching Holly and Emmy meet princesses (Mulan was by far the nicest - and the shortest line!)

Having Emmy get a raging fever after lunch at Disneyland and then throwing up the rest of the evening

Having Greg take Kate and Aaron all around to the big kid rides - they had so much fun with him

Going on big bike ride in St. George on our pitstop before California

Aaron digging all sorts of holes and forts on the beach

Kate and Lauren Green boogie boarding for hours

Greg trying to learn to surf for hours

Greg, Aaron, Matt, and Bradley going kayaking out from the Oceanside Harbor

Watching Holly take a million photos of the hippo at the San Diego Zoo

Eating fish and chips on the beach

Greg taking Kate and Aaron kayaking and snorkeling at La Jolla beach

Hearing Aaron talk nonstop about seeing leopard sharks and stingrays while snorkeling

Going on "It's a Small World" four times because it was Emmy's favorite

Being able to say to my kids, "We will do whatever you want to do," and meaning it

See you next year, SoCal.