August 2, 2009

We have been gone for a week soaking up the California sun!
Warning- this is my longest post yet! Lots of pictures!

We started our 12 hour car ride Thursday night and got into Las Vegas around 2 in the morning to crash for the night. Friday afternoon we finished the rest of the journey and arrived in California Friday night. The kids didn't do too terrible, although they didn't even sleep the night we drove to Vegas until we got there. Every time Scott would try to lay down Hailey would reach over and pester him and they both were laughing at each other all night long!
Grandpa excited to have his girlies for an entire week!
This is how the kids would eat breakfast each morning...all lined up- Hailey, Mia and Scott
Chatting it up
Saturday we spent some time playing in the pool and then ate at the yummy famous Crab Cooker. After dinner Kevin and I took the kids over to walk around the boardwalks at Newport Beach. They have an elementary school and the playground is right on the beach. The kids were having a blast
Hailey has the strongest little arms! She loves to hang on things. I wish you could zoom in on her face-hilarious!
While we were there a little 4 year old boy stripped his shorts off (he had on boxer briefs) and his mom totally over-reacted, yelled at him and chased him around telling him they had to leave. Right in front of this mom, Scott starts to tell me in a mean low yelling voice "I have NEVER seen a mom yell at her kid like that! It was so stupid! She was counting ONE TWO THREE and he wasn't listening!"... The mom was just glaring at me while I was trying to quiet him up

On Sunday we went to Laguna Beach, but we only got to stay a few hours because the wake was so high. All of the beaches were having record high waves - the highest they've had in 7 years
Kevin and Scott decided to make a big ditch in front of us so that when the water raised up it wouldn't get us wet.
Then he ended up making 2 sharks and a sea turtle in front of the ditch. Every time the water would come up over the sharks and into the ditch keeping us dry we would all applaud Kevin the engineer mind. Then we overheard a mom next to us trying to get her teenage son to build one for her (she was too busy laying out) and she said, "Look at him! He's a grown man and he's doing it" By the time we left the beach everyone around us had caught onto the idea.
Hailey played for a few minutes...
and then she passed out on Grandpa
The kids playing with dad at the pool
That night my parents grilled steaks and we had a little family barbecue. This is Hailey doing the "little piggies" to grandma. It's her absolute favorite thing to do and most of what we heard on our drive down was "Wah Wah Wah" as she wiggled her toes
After dinner Scott showed cousin Mia how to roll down the grass hills
On Monday we spent pretty much the entire day playing at Newport Beach
Scott could live at the beach. He made sure he kept his distance from the water, but he loved digging in the sand for hours and hours. I asked him why he was so scared of the water and he said, "Because I don't want it to take me all the way out there" and pointed to the boats hundreds of miles away
Kevin boogie boarding
Family picture after eating at Javier's for dinner. This is the best Mexican food with an amazing atmosphere if anyone is ever in Laguna Beach!
Aunt Brooke reading bedtime stories to Hailey
On Tuesday we got up and took the kids down to Crystal Cove Beach. It's right below where we stay and it's a protected state park. The fun part is going through this tunnel that is painted by all the kids. It echoed the entire way and all Scott wanted to say was "PIZZA" over and over. After we got through the people at the end said, "We heard you coming!"
The best part about Crystal Cove is that since it's protected people aren't suppose to remove rocks or shells or anything, so there is tons of sea life to look at. The kids were having a blast!
That night we did some shopping and eating at the mall and then Grandpa got the kids tickets to ride on the carousal
Wednesday we spent the entire day at LEGOLAND! (Thanks to my sister Bre getting discounted tickets!)
Hailey and cousin Mia hugging between rides
Scott always begs me to ride the little quarter machine rides at stores and I always tell him, "Sorry I don't have any quarters"... So obviously he had the time of his life getting to ride anything he wanted for an entire day. We couldn't wipe the smile off his face.
The plane was definitely one of his favorite rides because as it went around the curve it sped up and lifted the plane.
Another favorite was this Knight ride. The kids had to be 4 for this one, but Scott was plenty tall enough so he got in. The horse actually trots along around the little forest! Scott loved it!
He even got to go to driving school! All of the kids would run into the sides and get stuck and call for help. Not Scott- He would hit the side and then lean out the door to see which way to turn his wheel....smarty!

Here's a little video of Scott driving. He is the second yellow car...the first yellow car kept stopping and then Scott would run into him and he would turn around and point at Scott saying "No". His mom was on the sideline saying, "Well then move out of the way and he won't run into you!" After Scott passed his driving school they gave him a little driver's licence

Note to anyone who visits Legoland- they have a height requirement even if the kid is riding with a parent. Hailey was a few inches too short, but she did get to go on 3 or 4 of them. Here she is taking a boat ride around fairytale books.

and riding with Grandma on the choo choo trainGrandpa and Grandma were so great riding all of the rides with the kids. We were so lucky to have them with us!
My dad took Scott into the Dragon ride and you couldn't see what it was because you had to go inside to stand in line. Well apparently it was a roller coaster. My dad said it was about his limit. Scott didn't seem too bothered by it, even if he was looking down in the picture they took on the ride

Scott even got to meet Bob the Builder! He was sooo excited
Grandma taking Scott on a Safari ride. I didn't show pictures of me and Grandpa riding in our own cars...pretty funny
Snacktime...
One of the funnest things to do at Legoland is their waterpark. We brought swimsuits for the kids to change into (although Hailey chose not to wear hers) and let them go crazy.
Mia and Hailey were loving it
Check out this goofy face! Love it!
They have a huge pirate ship that has waterslides, cannonballs, and all kinds of fun stuff for the older kids. Here's Scott shooting out the water. The big barrell on the left fills up with water and then when the bell rings it dumps out 50-100 gallons of water onto all the kids!
Then Scott begged Kevin and I to take him on this big ship where you get to squirt the people at the waterpark. The only thing is that we can't really reach the waterpark, but the people at the waterpark can reach us, so we ended up getting soaked!
While Kevin and I took Scott on some big rides, Hailey was having a blast with Grandpa and Grandma in a little play area. They had about 10 little houses filled with legos, slides, and fun things. I told my parents that she had so much fun because Scott doesn't let her touch legos at our house. I guess I'm going to have to buy her some pink ones that can be just for her :) After Legoland we went over to Aunt Bre and Uncle Wally's house for a yummy dinner and a late birthday party for Wally. Then Bre came and spent the night. We stayed up all night outside the room telling stories. It was so much fun to have my mom and all four daughters together!
Thursday morning we dropped the kids off in my parents room bright and early and Kevin and I rode the bikes down to Crystal Cove Beach to have breakfast at the Beachcomber. It was so romantic and so much fun. I told Kevin if we were rich I would have a nanny come over and watch the kids every morning so that Kevin and I could go to breakfast together each morning. Seriously, forget about dinner dates- breakfast is so much more fun and it lets you relax and have a better day. My parents were sooooo great all week to watch the kids and let Kevin and I get a little break here and there
I thought for our last day there we should relax by the pool, but then Scott informed me that we HAD to go back to the beach. We ended up spending the last day down at Crystal Cove Beach playing in the sand.
Mia doesn't just play in the sand, she rolls around in it!
Grandma and Grandpa riding bikes along the beach.
Hailey and Daddy
It was so great to have Kevin with us. To prove my point, the day we left and all got in the car Scott said, "Wait! Dad gets to come too!?" He was so great with the kids and we just loved having him all to ourselves for 7 days!
Scott spent about 30 minutes digging a big hole, and when he went off with Grandpa and Grandma to look at the sea creatures he said, "Don't let Hailey get by my hole!" Well not only did she get by it, but she climbed in it and let me cover her up. It was so adorable!
She got all excited when her toes popped outThen Mia decided to join in too
Scott found a sharp rock that he called his "diamond cutter" that he used to draw pictures on the beach with.
We finished up our last day at the pool.
Scott loves his Aunt Brooke. He loves all of his Aunts though and still to this day won't say who his favorite is and says he loves them all the same :)
Bre, Mom and Brooke
I wish you all knew Brooke when she was little- this picture looks like Brooke holding herself as a baby...no joke! Brooke says that I loved her so much growing up that Heavenly Father sent me a daughter just like her
We got a few pictures out on the balcony before we left
Here's part of the group (Grandpa taking the pictures, Grandma sticking a banana on Grandpa's head so that the kids would smile, and Bre was trying to beat traffic back to San Diego)
Candice, Mia and Rick
Chris and Brooke
And here's our family picture...
I can't end the post (even though it is plenty long- I think record breaking even) without telling some fun bedtime stories from our trip...
Kevin, Scott, Hailey and I (when I wasn't sleeping on the couch) shared a room together with 2 beds. Usually we would put Hailey to sleep first and then once she was asleep we would bring in Scott. Well one night Kevin went to check on Scott and he was leaning over Hailey's playpen saying, "That sucking noise (Hailey's pacifier)! I can't sleep with all that sucking!"
Another night Scott went around and gave all 10 of us hugs and kisses goodnight before going to bed. Then he was crying in his room and when Kevin went to check on him he said, "I didn't get kisses from everyone!" Kevin said, "Yes you did..." And Scott said, "No, I kissed them, but they didn't kiss me!"
Last but not least, one night Scott and Hailey both were making noises and when they were checked on, Hailey had climbed out of her playpen and was laying in Scott's bed pestering him. I think she did it about 3 times before I moved the playpen further along the wall and she finally drifted off to sleep!