Going back to Cali

Wow, we have had a super busy spring break! I am still trying to unwind and I have to go back to work on Monday. We had so much fun in California visiting the Campbell's. I have to be honest in saying that I didn't really help Ang get ready for the baby at all, except maybe taking her mind off the waiting a little bit. It really ended up being a super fun vacation for the whole family.
I was really surprised at how well the kids did on the drive there and back. We heard the question "Are we almost there, yet?" so many times from Cole we lost count. Damon finally had the brilliant (yes, brilliant) idea of drawing a little car on a scrap of paper. We put it on the dash board and moved it closer to the California side of the dash every little bit. It worked like a charm, and even when we were still 300 miles away Cole got so excited at how close the car was getting to California. We didn't have to hear that lovely question, he just watched that little picture move ever so slowly. The best was when he fell asleep on the way home and woke up just as we entered the valley. He looked at that car and got so excited that we were so close to home. It was so cute! Ellee and Luke were happy as long as there was good snacks, music and cows to look for. Luke especially loved the cows! He would yell "COWS" as loud as he could and repeat it until we acknowledged what he said, only then for us to hear him "mooing" nonstop until they were out of sight. Every time we been in the car since we returned he is on the search for cows. We discovered just how much of a chatterbox Ellee is. She just babbled away in the backseat. It was fun to hear her repeating everything we said and making no sense in one moment and then have a complete sentence come out of that mouth which we completely understood. Too cute!
We got to Cali on Friday afternoon, dropped our stuff at the hotel and then immediately went over to Angie's. I know the kids were so excited, but not nearly as excited as I was. We just hung out and let the kids go crazy outside. Wow, it was so nice to see Angie. Plus, the minute we got there Cole and Brady were stuck like glue for the rest of the weekend. I really don't remember them being apart whenever our two families were together. They played so well. Damon and I could tell that they were both just that much older that there really wasn't the bickering or fighting that we used to deal with. I am still shocked at how old Ben is. That really surprised me. He is so mature and GREAT with the younger kids. Toby was asleep when we got there, and not happy to wake up-but then started relaxing and showing off all his toys to Luke and Ellee. Well Luke at least, Ellee discovered a little car that she could climb in and push herself around. She immediately claimed it as her own and wouldn't let anybody else near it. Willy was still at work so we didn't get to see him that first night.
On Saturday we headed to an Easter Egg Hunt for their community. There were so many people, it was a chaotic mess-that the kids absolutely LOVED! They put grass down in a parking lot for the hunt and had it all organized so the kids would only have to hunt for eggs with other kids the same age. Ellee, Luke, and Toby were all in the same group-and they all made out like bandits. Cole was in the same group as Brady and after they said go to begin the egg hunt, I would guess that it lasted a total of 90 seconds before all the eggs were picked up. They both had fun, starting on different sides of the grassy area so they wouldn't have to compete with each other. Poor Ben, if we thought Cole and Brady's group was bad you should've seen Ben's. I bet those eggs didn't last more than 30 seconds. Wow, it was crazy! The kids all had a blast. I think that Damon and Willy got the raw end of the deal. Inside each egg was a ticket for prizes. To claim the prizes you had to wait in line-and what a line it was. They had to have been in line for 45 minutes while Angie and I tried to entertain the kids. At least we got to walk around, Damon and Willy just had to sit there in line. By the time they got to the front of the line all the good prizes were pretty much gone, so we got a ton of coupons for food. We ended up hanging out at Angie and Willy's all day (except nap time). It was a really fun day.
On Sunday, we drove down to San Fransisco. I absolutely hate crossing all the bridges down there but Cole thought it was so cool. Damon wanted to show us a different side of San Francisco so he took us across the Golden Gate Bridge to Santaquin (don't know about spelling, sorry). We went hiking and ended up at an old lighthouse. It was so pretty. Plus the view of San Fransisco was amazing. The kids all did pretty well, especially when they were getting rides on Daddy and Mommy's shoulders. Ellee loved all the pretty flowers. Everything was green and in bloom. After our hike we went down to Santaquin Beach. It was probably my favorite time of the whole trip. We played in the sand and waves. It was a pretty nice day so we threw a blanket on the beach and just relaxed. Cole and Damon had lots of fun out walking along the shore, trying not to get too wet when bigger waves came in. Luke was all about throwing the sand-I don't know what it was but he thought it was the funnest game around. Ellee wanted nothing to do with the sand at first-she stood there absolutely paralyzed when the sand got between her toes. So we put her on the blanket. She finally relaxed and started playing in the sand. She loved putting the sand on my legs and rubbing it around (bonus, my right leg got a pretty nice exfoliation). It started getting colder so we decided to wrap up the beach scene. We crossed back over to San Francisco and did the Pier 39 tourist stuff. The kids loved imitating the sea lions for us. We didn't get back to Roseville until after bed time. So we gave the kids a bath and got them in bed, then I went over to hang out with Angie and Willy while Damon stayed with the kids at the hotel.Monday was all about the swimming. Cole had been begging to have Ben and Brady come over to go swimming with him so we all got together and went swimming. It was fun to watch all the kids in the water. The older kids just did their own thing having fun. The twins and Toby liked sitting on the edge of the pool kicking and splashing in the water. I think Ellee was the bravest of them. She wanted us to throw her in the air, to jump into us, and even let us help her float on her back. After swimming we made it another day at the Campbell's. We made spaghetti and Angie made her yummy Alfredo sauce and had a good pasta dinner-with no complaints about food from the kids. We hung out and watched the kids wrestling and playing together. I absolutely loved this vacation. I only wish I could have seen baby girl Campbell, but I am the only one from my family who has seen Angie and her baby belly! Since we've been home I have felt like calling Angie every day, it made me realize how much I miss having them close! At least it won't be too long until their visit in June.