Are y’all prepared for the longest post ever???? July 5-16 the kids and I spent some time in California. We had a wonderful time with family and friends and stayed busy the whole entire 12 days we were there! We flew in on Thursday the 5th and went to unload at Noni Joanie’s house. Of course the bags were barely unpacked and we headed out to Noni Joanie’s pool to swim with Grammy, Uncle Russ, Auntie Christine and Alex. Cameron loves so much to be with his Uncle and cousin, so he had a great time. On Friday the 6th we started out our morning at Noni and Papa Louie’s for Friday waffles. Of course they were wonderful and it is always fun to hang out with Noni and Papa! After that, Cal, my mom and I left for Calistoga. My great friend Kellie, from HS, got married on the 7th and I had the honor of being a bridesmaid. The festivities began on the 6th with the rehearsal and dinner. We stayed at this great little place equipped with three different mineral pools! Cal loved floating around with her Auntie Kellie. Unfortunately, my mom got very sick with the flu and I had to send her back to Sacramento, but my brother and good friend Lizzie came to Calistoga. Russ was my date to the wedding and Lizzie watched the kids for me. The wedding was gorgeous and loads of fun! On Sunday the 8th, the kids and I drove from Calistoga to Santa Cruz for the night. I took the kids to the boardwalk and they had a great time! Cameron rode rides, played games and we ate a ton of junk food, exactly what you are supposed to do when you are on the Boardwalk! On Monday the 9th, we headed to the beach. Cameron had only been to the beach once before when he was 10 months old and Cal had never been there, so it was quite the experience. It was a little overcast and chilly but that did not keep Cam out of the ocean! He was so brave! At one point I caught him in up to his waist! It made me nervous considering I am a “feet only” ocean person, but he loved jumping around and running from the waves! Cal had her first encounter with the ocean and she was a little hesitant! She let me know by screaming, but she thoroughly enjoyed watching big brother run around! Cam played in the sand and admired the steam train that passed by the boardwalk a couple of times and Calleigh also enjoyed running her tootsies though the sand. We had such a great couple of days in SC and we told Daddy as soon as we got home that we want to vacation there! On our way home from SC that night, we stopped in Concord to visit my Auntie Shannon, Uncle Michael and their girls. We have not seen them since May of 06, so it was a long overdue visit. Cameron had a great time playing with Natalie, who is only a few months older than him, and Gabby, my youngest cousin, was infatuated with Calleigh. She wanted to hold her the whole time! I also learned a little something about my cousin and that is that she loves The Who! She would tell her daddy, “Who, Who!” My uncle would turn on the CD and she would shake her bootie…it was so funny! On the 10th we went to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo with Papa Bob, Grammy C, Uncle Russell, Auntie Christine, cousin Alex and Alex’s grandma Maria. We had a great day checking out animals and the main attraction for Cameron…THOMAS LAND! He got to meet Sir Topham Hat, ride on Thomas, take a picture with Cranky, fly Harold and ride Bertie the Bus. He did not want to leave Thomas Town and that made the whole day worth it! Cam got to ride a big coaster with me and a whole bunch of kiddie’s rides. It was cold and rainy the whole day, but it was so fun to be together as a family! The next few days we visited with many friends that we had not seen in a very long time. On Thursday the 12th we drove to Sonora to meet up with my Grandma Barbara, Pappa Woody, Auntie Cyn and Cousin Caitlin. Pappa Woody had never met Calleigh and had not seen Cameron in years, so it was a very special visit for me. Anytime that my grandparents can spend time with my kiddos is so great for me. Both sets of grandparents have always played such a special role in my life, so to have them involved in my children's lives, means the world to me! On Saturday the 14th we attended a 4p- Regional Gathering. It was the first time that we had the opportunity to meet other families with children who have 4p-. It was so great and overwhelming all at the same time! The people we met were wonderful and all of our children are so different that it was nice to learn more. My dad, mom and brother came with us, so that made it all the more special!! Thanks to the Farrell family for hosting a wonderful and fun afternoon! On Sunday the kids and I went and watched Papa Bob umpire. Cameron sat there and watched the whole entire game and all he could think about was wearing Papa’s mask afterwards! We then had the chance to catch up with Chris’s BF from HS, Dayne. I had not seen Dayne since we got married and he had never met the kids, so it was an awesome day filled with swimming for all of us and margaritas for the adults…perfect day! We then had dinner with Papa Bob, Uncle Russ, Alex and a few friends. It was a great last evening in Sacramento! We spent the 16th packing up and then got to have dinner with Auntie Lizzie and met her new child Vinny, a French bulldog and the cutest thing we have ever seen! It was nice to visit with her and her hubby Todd before we headed to the airport and home to TX. It was a great trip and full of excitement. I have put up a slide show of the whole week and quite a few videos for you to check out! Hope you enjoyed our trip in a blog…
XO
Cass, Cam and Cal
