On a very last minute, spur of the moment decision (you know the ones where the farmer husband says, "Hey it rained and this week is our only chance to get away. Do you want to go somewhere?") we purchased plane tickets and headed to California!! I have to say that this was a HUGE step for us but especially for me. I was very spontaneous with 2 toddlers!! We headed to visit my Aunt Barb, Uncle Pat, and cousins Morgan and Ryan who live near LA. They were great hosts and we're so grateful they welcomed us and took such good care of us!
We flew out of Wichita and I was getting nervous as soon as we boarded the plane. The kids sat on our laps and the snacks and toys were getting boring very quickly. Our flight was delayed over an hour because of mechanical problems. We finally got off the ground and actually made up all the time; we were going to land in Denver in time to make our connecting flight . . . until there were thunderstorms that sat over Denver. We circled for over an hour until we were low on fuel and were diverted to lovely Grand Junction, CO where we were not allowed to leave the plane - but sat on the ground for a couple hours until the Denver airport was opened again once the storms had cleared. We finally arrived in Denver about 7 hours after we boarded the plane in Wichita. Not quite the easy 1-1/2 hour flight we expected. Needless to say, our connecting flight had left long ago. We hurried to the next gate with a flight to LAX. With the help of an awesome passenger in our same situation we managed to get on the flight. Otherwise we would have been spending the night in the Denver airport! The kids were doing AWESOME!! So much better than I could have ever expected. By the time we got to LAX it was 2:30 a.m. Kansas time. We waited . . . and waited for our luggage . . . which didn't arrive. It didn't make the quick switch that we did in Denver. Just in case you ever wondered, they can give you loaner car seats if you checked your car seats and they don't arrive when you do - thank you, Lord!!! I said that many times throughout this flight! Another nice thing about arriving so late is the traffic is very light in LA so we made good time driving . . . and finally got the kids to bed about 4:30 a.m. Kansas time!! What a crazy flight. We were exhausted . . . and ready for a relaxing week in sunny southern California!
Our luggage arrived the next evening so we spent Wednesday in our borrowed jammies (with all the snacks and toys there wasn't much room for our stuff in the carry-ons)! We all took naps and relaxed.
We really had a great week. We realized that unless we get far away from home, we don't have the chance to hang out as a family. At home there is always some work that needs to be done or something else that steals our attention. But Ryan was able to spend lots of time playing with Addyson and Braden and just being part of some of the every day stuff he doesn't get to enjoy when he's working. And I was able to do some other things instead of spending all my time making sure the kids were ok and doing all of the entertaining and cleaning up after them. Vacation with 2 kids is definitely different than vacation as a couple but it is good too. It was fun to watch Addyson and Braden experience new things and have fun!
We spent a lot of time playing. Braden loved this dog fence. He climbed in and out and opened and shut the gate.
It was his favorite toy . . . well, that and this Winnie the Pooh train. And the kids and the dogs warmed up to each other and had fun playing too. This picture has Teddy and Emmit. Boomer and Bentley were lots of fun too. Addyson and Braden warmed up to Great Aunt Barb and the whole family very fast and had a great time enjoying the extra attention.
We spent time playing in the pool which Addyson and Braden also loved. Addyson is a little fish! And they really liked jumping off the side of the pool into our arms.
Look how happy Daddy and Braden are!
The fam
Addyson headed straight to the pool.
Addyson playing with Uncle Pat - they got to be good buddies. We went to Zuma Beach. I was a little skeptical how that would go. But they both absolutely LOVED it!! They headed straight for the water. They just wanted to run and stomp in the waves. They kept on until their feet were turning blue! Addyson liked walking in the sand and Braden liked playing in it (except when it got in his eyes). It was a lot of fun!
Morgan and Aunt Barb
Uncle Pat and Aunt Barb
When Ryan and I got married, my bouquet had these beautiful agapanthus in it and I loved them! They were in bloom all over the place in California. These pretty ones were by the pool.
We had lunch at In-n-Out Burger. They have the best french fries and burgers! Braden and Addyson agreed! They started eating whole fries and biting them off. Yummy! And we could enjoy it all outside without sweating in July - awesome!!!
Ryan and I had a date night and had supper at Duke's on the coast in Malibu. Fresh Alaskan halibut, yum! And right on the water. Check out the view!
We also went with Uncle Pat and Morgan to the Home Run Derby in Anaheim (part of the MLB All Star weekend).
We were able to relax and enjoy the beautiful weather. It was perfect! I even needed my sweatshirt some. It was fun just to sit by the pool, hang out, and spend time with family catching up. We took the kids to the park and took time to do things we don't get to do at home.
Great Aunt Barb and her buddies
Addyson and Morgan
Addyson and Ryan
Having s'mores - a healthy bedtime snack! Hey, it's vacation!
Braden eating something, probably chicken nuggets. But I love Teddy poking his head in the side of the shot!
Our flight back was much less eventful, thankfully! A small delay waiting for our pilots on the first flight which had me thinking, Lord, NOT AGAIN! But they arrived shortly. Braden's teeth and ears and his tiredness made him cry for quite a while, but overall a good flight home. Just enough layover to get to our next gate. We got off of our plane in Wichita outside to the hot, humid, windy Kansas weather. We were wondering why we choose to live in Kansas. I asked Ryan if he thought he could farm avocados, but he said no. So I guess we're staying!
Thanks again to everyone who made our trip possible! We are so glad we went!
