Back to California! It seemed kind of crazy, but we were in California for a week, then home for a week, then in Utah for a week, then back to California! Mcks and I headed to Utah to spend some time with my family before driving to California. We picked up Jake in the Las Vegas airport, and he drove the rest of the way with us. First, our trip to Utah!
Utah Trip
We were all excited to be with family again. Mcks was espcially happy to be with grandma and her cousin Maycie! Maycie and Mckynlee played so well together. Mckynlee became Maycie's "Ninny". And don't even get me started on how much Mcks loved her baby cousin Melanie. She would crawl into her seat and just give her lots of snuggles and kisses. Melanie was a champ and just took like. Babies hugging babies is so cute!
I hadn't been to my old Alma Mater in a while, so we headed down to Provo for a visit. Everything in the BYU store looked different. Completely different. I felt so old walking around campus, like I didn't belong anymore. I am not the same study-crazed student I was. But, every turn and corner seemed to remind me of a good memory from my college days. Man, I loved college. I loved BYU. I loved being student.
Anyway, in the bookstore, there was a metal statue of Cosmo on a bench. Mcks, in her very cute BYU getup, was thrilled to sit on the "dog, dog". She was beyond excited. And really wanted to tell us all (through signing) that she was sitting on a dog. We all had a good laugh.
Anyway, in the bookstore, there was a metal statue of Cosmo on a bench. Mcks, in her very cute BYU getup, was thrilled to sit on the "dog, dog". She was beyond excited. And really wanted to tell us all (through signing) that she was sitting on a dog. We all had a good laugh.
In the midst of our shopping, the fire alarm went off. Everyone had to leave the building. It was very cold. And Mckynlee has decided that now that she knows how to walk, she needs to walk everywhere. So we played around Brigham Square until we decided to was much too cold to be outside. We hung out in the HFAC until the WILK opened up again. And we couldn't leave BYU without having a Cookies N' Cream Chocolate milk. If I had an addiction, this would probably be it.
That night, we just hang out and played with cousins.
On one of the days in Utah, we went to the Aquarium. It was so fun! Mcks loved walking around looking at all the fish.
Heading to California
Our plan was to drive to Las Vegas to pick up Jake, then head to San Diego. We headed to St George, then would go to Las Vegas the next day. The girls, my mom, Ariel, and I (and Mcks and Clark) headed down before the second car. We went to a little park before going to the house for the night. It was a really fun park!
They had a really cool zip line at the park. I think it was built for handicap children, but it worked really well for the little kids. Mcks loved it. You can't really see her face because of the placement of the bars, but she was smiling so big.
Mckynlee LOVES swings. There were a lot of kids at the park, so there was a line. When her turn was done, she was so upset! She didn't think her turn should be over yet. But, it's never too early to teach them about sharing and taking turns.
To San Diego!
The next morning, we packed up and headed to San Diego. We got into town in the afternoon. The rest of the day, we just spent time together. We also had to figure out sleeping arrangements. We had 10 adults and 4 children, making 14 people total. We were staying in a 3 bedroom condo. It was a tight squeeze! But we made the most of it. Jake and I were in the living room on an air mattress and we bounced Mcks between a few different places. She was in a pack and play in the kitchen or in the master bathroom. The problem was the kids waking each other up. It all worked out though.
Day One - Sea World
The first day was spent at Sea World. It was surprisingly cold, actually. Luckily, we were able to bundle up, so we were fine.
What you can't see is the awesome matching shirts Jake and I made for everyone. We put special nicknames on the back, which was half the fun of it.
Dad -- Papa
Mom -- Grammy
Kyle -- reydeguitarra
Ariel -- Hope Crusher
Clark -- Homie
Chris -- Me
Mikaela -- Fatsicle
Maycie -- Mini Me
Melanie -- Melli Bug
Jake -- Walmartian
Me -- Mad Hatter
Mcks -- The Favorite
Kevin -- Beast
Cayson -- Ninja
Dad -- Papa
Mom -- Grammy
Kyle -- reydeguitarra
Ariel -- Hope Crusher
Clark -- Homie
Chris -- Me
Mikaela -- Fatsicle
Maycie -- Mini Me
Melanie -- Melli Bug
Jake -- Walmartian
Me -- Mad Hatter
Mcks -- The Favorite
Kevin -- Beast
Cayson -- Ninja
We went to a few shows throughout the day. Mcks was fascinated. She just watched in awe. And would start clapping. It was adorable! After some shows, we went on some of the kid rides. Hooray!
We stayed and watched the Shamu Christmas show. Mcks did really well staying up so late! She was a champ.
Day Two - Sea World CHRISTMAS
Day Three - Beach Day and Family Pics
The most important part of the day was taking family pictures. My mom had told everyone well in advance that the kids needed to have good naps so she could get a good family picture. So we took a relaxing day in the morning.
We took morning walks to take advantage of the beautiful beach.
Family Picture time!
We weren't allowed to take pictures during his shoot, but we did take some beforehand.
We also took some after.
There was a small park overlooking the beach. A girl could get used to a view like that. And Mcks could get used to swinging everyday.
Day Four - Exploring Cali
After La Jolla Cove, we headed to Old Town San Diego. My parents had been to a store there before that had all sorts of Root Beer treats. We have quite a few Root Beer fans in the group, so we headed there first. Jake's absolute favorite kind of Root Beer is Dang! That's Good Butterscotch Root Beer. It is pretty delicious. And I'm not really a fan of soda. But The Root Beer store had some! And they offered it in root beer float form. YUM!!
Mcks loves dancing. She heard the music playing and just couldn't help herself!
We also visited the Mormon Battalion historic site in Old Town San Diego. It was really cool to experience. It is easy to talk about pioneers as if they are fictional characters who lived fictional lives. But in reality, these are real people who had real struggles. Their faith in Christ amazes me. They are truly amazing people. I've provided a link to more information on the Mormon Battalion below.
My baby turned 10 months old on this trip. 10 months! She is so fun. I love having her in my life. She really brings out the best in me. I wouldn't trade being her mother for anything. She loves saying "dada" and "mama". She signs all the time. She signs when she wants a nap. She signs when she wants more or is all done. She knows "dog". She loves dogs. She walks all over the place. She is just growing up way too fast.
Mckynlee LOVES babies. This really goes to show you how strong the Nature side of children really is. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big supporter of the Nurture side, too. But, there are things you just don't teach. We obviously don't have a lot (or any) of babies around of Mcks to learn how to snuggle them. Without showing her what she should do, she would just snuggle baby Melanie all day. She gave her kisses and hugs and pats on the head. She would bring her toys and food and would just hang around her. It's just too darn adorable. I love that she shows a compassionate side already.
Day Five - Our Last Day
We started our morning at Seaport Village. Another beautiful day in San Diego.
After a few hours at Seaport Village, we went to the beach. We spent the rest of our day playing on the beach right outside our condo.
Mcks plays Spikeball! She just wants to do what we do.
Our (second) trip to California was so much fun. It was great to spend time with siblings and cousins. The next day, we drove 5 hours to Las Vegas and flew home to Bentonville. We flew on Allegiant and it was TERRIBLE. If they weren't so much cheaper than any other airline, I would never fly with them again. And even then, I still might not. We were not at all impressed. Anyway, that doesn't matter now. The trip was amazing and it left us wishing we lived closer to a beach. Ah California, it won't be too long until we are back again.