Visting California Friends

We were able to see a handful of friends during our time in California. We never can see everyone we want to because of time constraints and schedules. But we were thankful for those that we were able to meet up with. Here are pics of some of the people we visited:

Autumn and Karis have been friends since birth. She was excited to see her and they all had a great time together. 

Auntie Linda and Uncle John

Friends from our old small group. Karen helped me tremendously by coming over once a week to watch the girls for me so I could get a break. 

We had lunch with them in Irvine, our old stomping grounds.

We visited our old church and saw old friends and how much the church has grown. We had lunch with the campus pastor and his family. Here is a picture of the kids in the church lobby. 

Afterwards, we met Julie at Mocchilato so Julie could take the kids home while Derek and I continued to visit with friends. 

Derek hung out with Joe 

I went to Redondo Beach to visit my old roommates. 

A Trip to California

I made a wedding cake for some friends five years ago. I made them a 1-year anniversary cake as well. The husband asked if I would make them a 5-year anniversary cake if he flew us out there. Of course I said yes! We spent six days in California over Labor Day weekend. 

We took a late flight on Thursday. The girls did great on the flight but not little Kyle. It was late and he refused to fall asleep. He eventually did but then kept waking up. Thankfully we were in the Economy Plus section with not a lot of people around us. We even had the whole row (six seats) all to ourselves. He finally did fall asleep and was out the rest of the night. He slept through landing, de-planing and waiting for our luggage. 

Crazy girls slept a little on the plane. They were great about waking up and de-planing. They were crazy-excited at the airport waiting for my sister to pick us up. It was 12:30 am our time!

It was a busy four days of baking, seeing friends, and spending time with family. Derek had a long day on Friday. He met up with some friends during the day and then drove down to San Diego to celebrate a friend's graduation from Marine boot camp. He didn't get back home until midnight! We lounged around on Saturday as I baked and the kids played with their cousins. After naps, we went out to dinner and then to the beach. We only had about 45 minutes before the sun set, but the kids loved running around in the water and playing with the sand. We wished we had made it down to the beach earlier, but we were too afraid of the holiday crowd. 

On Sunday, we went to our old church and had a potluck lunch afterwards. We saw a few more friends in the afternoon and then delivered the cake in the evening. It was a long day and the kids barely napped while we were out for about 12 hours. But they had a great time and so did we. 

On Monday, we met just a few friends at the park. It was a hot day. Actually, it was hot the entire time we were there. We were hoping to get a break from the Texas heat, but SoCal was experiencing a heat wave. Such a bummer! 

After the park, we went to our friends' pool with Julie's family and my cousin and her two kids. It was a great way to cool off. We then went to our friends' house for burgers and dogs. 

The next morning, Derek and I woke up at 4:45 am, packed the car and then woke the kids up at 5:30 am. We had a 7:30 am flight which was delayed about an hour. That caused us to miss our connection, so we were booked on a later flight. By the time we got home, it was rush hour so the ride home took a long time. The kids were exhausted and hungry. Karis kept whining in the van and we kept telling her to stop. She finally broke down in tears and said, "I can't help it!" Poor thing got little sleep the night before and then had been up for 12+ hours. We were all exhausted and happy to finally get home!

Our First Trip Back to California

In early January, one of the airlines was having a great sale. Tickets were almost half price. It was the last day of the sale and Derek didn't know his work schedule and whether he would be able to take time off. Too good to pass up, I purchased the tickets with hopes that Derek would be able to join us for some part of the trip. Because the sale required that we only fly on certain days, the trip was for 14 days... and Derek ended up not being able to join us.  =(

My kids and Julie's kids were so excited. They were all counting down the days. It was a long 41 days!

Thankfully, we learned about an escort pass that would allow Derek to come with me through the airport and to the gate. I wasn't too worried about the girls on the plane. I knew a new coloring book, some stickers and my iPhone (along with the excitement of seeing their cousins) would keep them busy for the 4 1/2 hour flight. I was most worried about how Kyle would do. He loves to stand and cruise and needs constant entertainment. But he ended up sleeping for half the flight and doing great the rest of the time! 

When we got off the plane, Marzano was at the door ready to help me. Yay! It was nice to have an extra set of hands with the stroller, car seat, carry-ons and kids. Julie and Jessi were waiting for us at baggage claim with balloons. So fun!

We spent the next 14 days just being a part of the Lee family. Each day, we ate breakfast with them, saw them off to school and welcomed them when they came home. The girls joined in on their cousins' bedtime routine, brushing their teeth alongside them and listening to a Bible story. It was one big, 2-week slumber party!

The kids and I went down to Irvine a few times to visit some friends. It was good to see and catch up with them. But the majority of the time, we spent with the family. The girls loved spending the afternoons playing with Jacob and Jessi. They also loved playing with new toys and in their backyard.

  

We spent a lot of time outside in the warm sun. Jacob, Kyle and I took a walk to the grocery store one Sunday afternoon. I got Diet Coke, Kyle got some celery and Jacob got some Nilla wafers. It was fun to have alone time with Jacob and talk to him all about school, his friends and what his favorite car is.

We also went to the park a couple times and had a picnic.

On our last Saturday, we all went to an outdoor mall to play in the water fountain, eat frozen yogurt, visit the bookstore and go on a train ride.

  

We went to Julie's church on both Sundays. The girls love having Julie for the teacher and Jacob and Jessi as the teacher helpers. Here they are praying before their snacks.

Julie loved on the kids like she always does, she fed them, and helped take care of them. We hate living so far away from her and her family.

Fourteen days was a long time to be away from Derek. We missed him terribly and he didn't enjoy coming home and sleeping in an empty house. With as loud and busy as our home typically is, it was quite an adjustment for him. We talked and/or Facetime'd him every day. Karis was especially having a hard time, not knowing how to deal with her emotions. At times she didn't want to talk with Daddy because it made it worse. We were sad to leave California, but so happy to see Daddy. 

Derek met us at the gate. The entire terminal could hear the squeals of "Daddy! Daddy!" from the girls. 

The plane ride back was definitely more challenging. The kids were exhausted. Kyle fought taking a nap, slept for only an hour and threw down everything I gave him to try to keep him entertained. The girls were whiney and cried over everything. Thankfully the flight was only four hours on the return and just when I thought I couldn't do it anymore, we started our descent. As we were deplaning, a lady across the aisle complimented me on how great my kids were. I rolled my eyes and thanked her...