Californication...

We made a quick trip to the Cali coast for Memorial Day. I packed everything we needed-- but somehow forgot the camera. Back in my blogging-crazy days, I would have been really upset, but I am now mature enough to shrug it off and hope someone sends me pictures. There are a few things I want to remember about the trip- with or without a picture to show for it..

• Watching Luke play in the sand at Huntington beach. His legs were spread far apart and he was filling his swimsuit with sand. I sat back and watched as one of his hands opened his suit and the other hand shoveled HUGE amounts of sand inside. After it seemed there was no more room for another grain of sand, I watched him punch it down over and over so he could shovel in more. Boys are so odd! After he filled his pants to the brim, he stood up and shook it out.... and then started all over again. What a creative little child I have.
  

• Zack's lips chattering in the hotel pool. Living in Vegas makes every other place seem FREEZING. The pool temperature was great for everyone else, but we were shivering our booties off. I finally convinced Zack it was time to get out of the pool. I took off his goggles and floaties and wrapped him in a big, warm towel. The MINUTE he was dry, he dropped the towel and jumped back in the pool. Luckily, Aaron was close enough to save him from drowning.. cause I wasn't about to jump back in that freezing pool to save him.

• All three kids talking in their sleep. The only conversation I really remember was Ben adamantly screaming, "I'm Sandman! I'm Sandman! Luke, can't you see, I'm Sandman?" Ben always gets so giggly when we tell him what he said the night before. I teased Luke all weekend that he was talking about Barbies in his sleep. He wasn't about to fall for it... but after the 5th time or so, he pulled me aside and quietly asked, "Mom, I didn't really dream about Barbies, did I?" Nope.

• The transmission in our van went out-- as soon as we arrived in Cali. Yes it did... on Memorial weekend. Luckily (we think) we found some random guy who was willing to fix it over the holiday. It turned out to be a much more expensive trip than we had planned... oi.
  

• Driving around with Aaron's parents all weekend. I am so grateful they had a vehicle to take us everywhere while our car was in the shop. Aaron's dad drives like he's competing in NASCAR. It's usually a treat, but after eating a late meal of gross grilled chicken, I couldn't handle sitting in the back seat. As soon as we pulled up to the hotel, I found the closest garbage can to throw up. I don't think I will ever eat KFC again.

• Zack had a red racoon mask around his eyes all weekend-- a permanent one. He HATES when I put sunscreen on his face and always rubs around his eyes, so I was particularly careful when I applied it at the beach. A few hours later, his cute face was still white and the areas around his eyes were totally burned. I am such a bad mom!

• Of course, the highlight of the trip (and the reason why we went in the first place) was meeting our newest family member.. baby Sebastian. Aaron's side of the family is finally starting to give our boys some cousins! Yeah!

• Sebastian's baby blessing on Sunday was very special and I am so glad we were able to attend (car problems and all.) During sacrament meeting at Brett and Kate's ward, Zack almost died after choking on a lifesaver. We joked later about how ironic it would have been had he died from a lifesaver.

• And last but not least, we spent a few hours at the Aquarium in Long Beach. It would have been amazing had there not been a gazillion people there. We were able to pet sharks and sting ray and see some pretty cool jellyfish... but it brings me back to the philosophy that you should never attend museums/amusement parks when everyone else is on vacation. That's one huge benefit of homeschooling-- you can travel when everyone else is in the classroom. Thumbs down to crowds.
  

All in all, it was a great trip. I love my in-laws and wish we lived closer to each other! I love taking road trips with my kids and especially my handsome husband. Aaron was surprised at how chill I was about our car problems, but I grew up expecting the car to break down on vacation. I swear, my family spent at LEAST one night every trip at a random hotel waiting for the car to get fixed. So goes.

It's amazing how a few nights away can make such a difference in the day-to-day routine. I feel rejuvenated. The laundry is washed and put away and I am ready to start packing for my next trip. Utah and Washington, here I come! June is a busy month for us... Have I mentioned how much I LOVE SUMMERTIME???