One Step At a Time: California Dreamin'

Goodbye San Antonio!

(I know, took me long enough right?)

I figured it was probably a good idea to get finished up with 2011 if we're almost at 2012!

Yikes!

On our drive from San Antonio to California we stopped in Roswell, New Mexico!

Which was AWE-SOME!

Considering we've been trying to work Area 51 into our drive across the country for years!

We only stopped for lunch so we didn't get to go explore the desert :-(

But it was pretty neat the way the people of Roswell have embraced their "Alien-ness"

Even the lamp posts have been abducted!

We stopped in Albuquerque to watch the Isotopes play

We sat in the grass and I liked sitting there the most! The kids got to move around a bit.

They even found a bug which had us all jumping a bit.

This is Makayla with Oscar's shoe trying to find and smash the bug.

Don't they just look tiny next to Jordan?

I love that.

Oscar was a little better about running the bases this time.

He was definitely prepared for it! During the whole game he kept saying "bases, run, bases, run" just waiting for us to tell him yes!

Thanks to the Isotopes and winning the game, we all got free hamburgers and fries!

Then it was back to the car again.

Lots and lots of driving!

But Makayla was teaching Oscar some of her songs... hilarious. Really.

We stopped in Fresno

(Dirty Fresno!)

And took a dip in the river for a while

Then I got to visit my Grandparents who live near the bay.

It was perfect timing because a bunch of my cousins and Aunts and Uncles were all planning a visit too, so it was kind of like a baby reunion... or party, just for me ;-)

The kids had a blast running around outside and learning to play croquet.

I just have to share this funny story about my cousins children.

They were teaching my kids how to hold the croquet mallots like guns to protect the Empire or the Universe or something, then when Oscar finally raised his "gun" my cousins son fell down pretending to be shot, then Oscar (not understanding, just laughing at his cousin's dramatics) swung the mallot towards his sister who fell down and in her last dying breath reached out to her brother and said

"... they were... deceptecons!"

I about died laughing!

My aunt took us to the beach. Which was AWESOME!

I love the ocean. I don't think I took enough advantage of it when I lived in Florida, or Baltimore, or LA. Seriously, if I could go back, I would spend every day there!

This is a picture of some surfers on the cliff (and in the water) they carried their boards out, tossed them off the edge, then dove in after them. Pretty cool! And I'm pretty sure I could not jump off that cliff!

I loved the short time we got to stay in California. We loved our hotel that we stayed at.

It had free "snack/happy hour" every monday-thursday as a way to get to know your neighbors you could go get snacks and drinks. But their snacks were more like dinner... and it was something different every night! So much fun!

We were also right next to a mall (that had a Disney store, so the kids played there a lot!) and an Asian market. Mak liked going there and seeing all the animals, duck, turtle, fish... a little odd... but it entertained her! I liked looking for unique things at the market.

Our hotel room also was a little living room and kitchen, with 2 bedrooms and bathrooms! So it was basically like living in a baby furbished apartment, except there was room service, free breakfast and 4 days a week, free dinner too! I LOVED IT!

There was a pool and hot tub that we took advantage of whenever Jordan came home from work. So there was a lot of night swimming. It was perfect, tired the kids right out before bed!