Cali-BO-Bali!!

Wesly at the non-stop - have to watch her every.single.move - get into everything - but doesn't know the danger - stage.
I have to say the only way to get through the constant having to know where and what she is doing every second...
is every single thing she does right now is SO DANG CUTE.
She is just such a small human...this picture melts me : )

Here is the party for this particular day.
Classic pic of papa.
Sound asleep? OR Catching flies?
Sound asleep.
I snapped a few peeps of the top right pic asking whom is the individual from UTAH?!
Bless us straight out of winter whities.
We all paid for it.  Major burns on day 1.
My bad.

My favorite minutes at the beach.
Dad.  In the sand.  With the kids.
Catching crabs.
We love when dad can join us.
This wouldn't be a picture if he didn't.
:/

I really don't mind watching her every move.
Like I said before...its all too cute!
Ok...a break every now in then is nice : )  If Im going to be completely honest.
BUT
this trip was her first real experience with the sand and it was just as I remembered with the other 3.
A little skeptical at first.
Then curious.
Then eventually and inevitably eating it.  Laying in it. Playing with it.  Loving it.

Papa wonders why all babies look at him like so?
I informed him that most people don't challenge infants to a staring contest!!
This...
was priceless.
She didn't move for a good 5 minutes.  Staring.  While he did the raised eyebrow "oh" look that he is infamous for.
We all got a pretty good laugh.
*yes...she is sunburned*
*and yes-the CPS was called*

Nicole spent some QUALITY time with my kids.
There is something that happens to a moms heart when someone else takes an interest in her kids and dives in to spend time with them.
Every night she came over after a long day of work and took the kids one on one and spent time doing a game, going on a walk, taking them to a park, even went on a trolley ride with them.
Thank you aunty Cole.
There are very few people in this world that a mom can thank for doing something of this sort.
It wasn't expected nor asked for...
you just did it.
Thank you.
AND
Although I have no pics of your good friend BriOn with my kids...
all I have to say is WOW!
Im not playing when I say this...my kids can rank on the top of his list of:
"The most annoying kids" list...but he sure doesn't seem to categorize them there.
I tried with my darndest to tell my kids to lay off...but it was impossible.
Lets just thank cross-fit too.
Without that...the kids wouldn't be home right now flexing in the mirror and asking how Brion's muscles got so big.
True story.
Thanks for being a human jungle gym Brion!

Oh my.
Every ounce of her.
Too cute. 

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Im a new convert to the waking up at 5am crazy talk and heading out before the sun peeks over the mountains...
type of traveling.
Its still the same amount of hours...
but seems less.

 Feel free to call CPS again.
I will admit that Benadryl- and Dramamine - were helpful agents in accomplishing some shut eye and some quiet moments during travel.
I WILL argue, though, that I DID follow dosage guidelines -
AND -
they were snatched from a deep sleep in their beds to pile in the car before the sun was up -
SO -
Im sure the combo of the 2 was the ticket to some sweet silence ;)

AND!
ILL DO IT AGAIN!
AND AGAIN!

**As always, I must thank the one and only that makes such a trip even possible.  The grand mama and grand papa!  Oh how we would love to have you closer, permanently, but if that were so, our memories and traditions of visiting California would fade to non-existance - and that would be tragic.
To have a home away from home, and to visit - in my opinion - paradise, and to have open arms and loving grandparents to greet us, feed us, and most importantly, spend each moment with us...
INVALUABLE.
Though my visits every year to California as a child to see my grandparents were a little different,
they are memories.
And moments we still talk about and laugh about now.
And the memories that you, grandma and grandpa, are helping create with my kids are lasting memories that they can live with forever.  And the relationship they make and that grows each and every time they are with you are some of the most important relationships outside of our own family unit.
For them to know that there is family near and far that love them unconditionally and that would do ANYTHING for them is a blessing and gift I will NEVER take for granted.
We are all so lucky.
Thank you for your time.  Truly.  Your time is so valuable.  I cherish every minute I have as well as every second my kids have with you.
xoxo