A vacation to the best place on earth!

Prepare for a long post...

We just spent a week in southern California at my grandma's house. I always loved going there growing up and I am so grateful that my own little family can love it too. We had a packed week with firework shows, parades, the beach, swimming, shopping, aquariums, the zoo and Magic Mountain/Six Flags. It was great! I love going at least once a year because it is a guaranteed enjoyable vacation. We didn't make it to Disneyland or Sea World this time, it would have been way too crowded to enjoy over the fourth and we had so much to do already. It was so nice to fly, I must add! Why do we love California so much?

-My whole California family, they are so much fun and the best hosts.
-The beach! Lots of beaches actually.
-Ruby's Diner on the pier(best milkshakes) and you are eating literally on top of the ocean. There's always something neat that some fisherman has caught too, great for entertaining the kids while we wait to eat.
-The Cheesecake Factory, I know there is one in Utah but you feel less guilty eating Cheesecake when you are on vacation right?
-Magic Mountain!!! need I say more?
-Pool parties at Marla and Keith's.
-Fresh homemade salsa when you arrive and the freezer is loaded with ice cream.
-Comfy beds and a well stocked kitchen. After all, it's grandma's house.

The boys had such a great time. Gavin even asked to go to Grandma's house today. I am so blessed to have a wonderful loving family. I hope someday soon we can visit more often. I cherish all the opportunities we get to spend with family, you just don't know what's going to happen. I don't want to take any moments in life for granted. I have so many great memories of Eric from all the trips we have made there. I sure miss him. California will always feel like someone is missing. I missed him so much while I was there and yet at the same time I felt so close to him. Memories are all I have to hold onto so I am doing the best I can to hold on tight. My heart ached on the roller coasters as I realized he would never ride on them with me again. I loved seeing his face on the rides, you could tell he was a little uncertain but he would never vocalize it. That last trip we made two years ago will always be my favorite! I still have a hard time hearing, seeing anything to do with atv's. Just the thought makes my skin crawl and my stomach twist. Being that it's summer and a lot of people are into that stuff, I'm really trying to work on not falling a part inside. It's a lot more challenging than you could imagine.

Some funny things that happened on our trip. The kids did great on the flight, Gavin was so excited. Max managed to fall asleep as soon as we landed-excellent timing... During the flight I was explaining to Gavin where we were going etc. He replied " the bich, we're going to da bich! mama, da bich...YAY!"(if I spelled it correctly I would feel worse) I was a bit embarrassed to say the least and spent the next half hour saying yes, we're going to go to the BEACH! being so careful to get that 'eeeeeeeeeeeeee' sound in there. So you all know he can say beach correctly now and it isn't mistaken for another word. While eating at Ruby's Gavin had to go potty. He came out of the bathroom so proud and excited he turned to a lady sitting near the bathroom and yelled in her face "I did it(slight squeal in his voice) I went PEE PEE! I did it!" As he informs people he likes to stomp one foot and shake his fist. It is quite comical to me because he still gets so excited. I have been hesitant to declare my son potty trained because I was afraid I would jinx it and all my hard/exhausting efforts would go to waste. He can stay dry all night and has for the past month with only two accidents. He still forgets occasionally during the day but most kids do. We really are so proud of him.

Celebrating the Fourth at the Hollywood bowl with my Aunt's family. They were also celebrating The Dodger's Fiftieth year. It was quite the production. Gavin had a special moment when Randy Newman sang "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story. It was precious.

Enjoying a sucker at the parade

I think Max had the best view. It was so crowded at the parade

Enjoying an ice cream cone at Grandma's.

Max enjoyed everything about the beach, even down to tasting the sand...yuck!

A starfish or octopus ... there are eight legs/tentacles

Max joined in the fun too, I think he was just hungry for more sand...

Sand free fun. What better way to cool off after a day at the zoo? Gavin gets a little carried away with the water at others expense.

Don't mess with him, you will get wet!

The boys were a bit anxious to get started at the aquarium but we needed a family picture before they went too crazy.

He was so excited to feed the birds, I was so surprised, he even tried to coax the bird to hop on his arm.

Aren't jellyfish incredible?

Touching the stingray...brave little Gavin! He pet a shark too.

A place with air conditioning!!! We had to take a little break from the heat.

Until next time...