First off, we had a BLAST in Newport with the family. My parents are incredibly kind in letting us invade their vacation timeshares, which makes it so comfortable and easy for us. We stayed at the beautiful Marriott Newport Coast villas, each of us with our own rooms and bathroom. We definitely were living in style! Even though we live there 9 months out of the year, we still LOVE to vacation there. And the best part was being with all my siblings and their families. There were 12 adults and 10 grandkids (plus 2 still in the oven), but we never felt crowded or overwhelmed.
Mike and I drove down on Friday to meet my parents at a Dodgers game. It was Abby's first Dodgers baseball game, and of course she was an angel. We had Dodger Dogs and enjoyed the warm weather. That night we drove down to Irvine and stayed in a hotel while Mike got up the next morning and helped some friends move. We then drove down to Carlsbad to see Mike's sister and family there. We had a BBQ at an old friend's house from Pleasanton and got to meet the adorable girls that Mike's sister and family are adopting. They are going to be the parents of 5 kids here pretty soon! CRAZY!
Sunday we drove back to Irvine to go to our old ward where my 2 sisters and their families met up with us. It was great to see our friends there--it only made me want to move back faster! That night the party officially began with the family. Everyone showed up (minus one brother who came later that week) and we all checked into our rooms. The rest of the week was spent going to the beach, swimming, going to Disneyland, eating Sprinkles cupcakes, eating at In-N-Out, more beach time, and of course, playing games. The boys even went to the midnight showing of Batman--Dark Knight! Probably not the best idea for Mike, since he drove home the next night and had a hard time staying awake!
Friday night we went out to eat with the whole family at a Mexican restaurant in Costa Mesa called Mi Casa. It was delicious! That night Mike and I went to our ward's annual corn roast down at the beach. We missed it last year, so I begged Mike to take us this year since we were in town. What a party! And what delicious food! We ended up staying until 8:30 before driving home. It was a LONG drive, but Abby slept the WHOLE way home. I now believe that is the only time to travel--at night when the kids will sleep! We made it home at 2:00AM and immediately crashed. Abby has been catching up on her sleep ever since we got back--sometimes sleeping 14 hours! Crazy!
I know I mentioned some major milestones for us, so I better get to those before I forget. :) On Sunday, I noticed Abby sort of chewing on her lower lip kind of funny, so I checked her gums and felt a tooth coming in! Of course I was immediately worried about the lack of sleep that would sure be coming because of this, but it ended up being nothing. That girl is a fighter! She sleeps even more now, which is surprising because I know some babies get real cranky and fussy when they have teeth coming in. She was pretty fussy and whinny a few weeks ago, so maybe that was why. But nevertheless, our little Abby has her first tooth!! :)
On Wednesday, Mike and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary! And Mike surprised me with a spa visit to get a massage. What a treat! I really do have such a thoughtful husband. He watched Abby all day on Tuesday while I was at Disneyland with my family, and then buys me a massage for the next day. It was amazing! He got to go golfing that morning with my dad, brother and Mike's friend, Wade. That was his anniversary present. :) I also made him a book with memories of the previous year and a list of why he is my best friend. (I do this every year with a different theme...why he's a great dad, why a wife needs a husband, etc.) HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MIKE!
Also on Wednesday, Abby started to crawl. My dad was playing with her and teasing her with a little frisbee. He put in on the ground, far out of her reach, and she started to crawl to get it! She has been so close to crawling for so long, I thought she would never actually do it. But NOW she is all over the place. And if we aren't watching her carefully, she is getting into mischief. She actually crawled to Mike's plate during dinner (he was sitting on the floor) and picked up his piece of steak before he could even blink! She is one fast little bugger! It's so fun to watch her grow and experience new things. I LOVE this age!
Those were our big milestones during our vacation to Newport. The week just flew by and before we knew it, we were home and unpacking and doing laundry. What a bummer! But while we were there, we did find another apartment to move into when we move back. We are moving back to the same place (just a different apartment) because we both liked it so much and we still have some friends there! Get ready to party Poulsons!
Here are LOTS of pictures from our week, BEWARE!
The whole family that was there. My mom made the outfits for all the grandkids--so cute!
All the grandkids holding hands.
A quick family photo.
Abby on the Nemo ride at Disneyland. I took her for the first half of the day before Mike picked her up. She was extremely nervous on this ride....I don't think she really liked it!
Riding Thunder Mountain with my brother! I LOVE this ride. My mom lost her cell phone while riding on this ride, but luckily they found it and she got it back the next day.
Abby's "twin". My sister's little girl and the only other cousin with red hair!
Hanging out at the beach. It was so cold this day, but I actually went in the water and jumped through and under some waves.
The boys burying my nephew....he didn't really like it, so they had to hold him down for a quick picture!
DODGER GAME!
Abby's first time in the ocean. She HATED how cold it was!
She LOVED the sand, though!
Playing in the sand...she did end up eating some. YUCK!
All my sisters and my mom. Aren't we so cute? :)
8 comments:
So FUN! That got me so excited for my family reunion next week! I love the "Abby" in the sand picture...reminded me of the first time we took Elyette to the beach house in Santa Cruz when she was 9 months old. We wrote her name in the sand and took a pic too. Unlike Abby though, she ate A TON of sand that week! Good times! Hope we see you guys again soon.
I'm so glad you had so much fun ... but sad I didn't see you when you were here. I guess you'll be here before we know it. Okay, that "twin" picture is SO cute. She totally looks like Abby! And the one with her playing in the sand looks like she's doing a funky little dance. She's so cute! It makes me laugh. Give her a squeeze for me.
family vacations-- can't beat 'em.
How fun! First, congrats on all the milestones. Also, I can't believe how much Abby looks like her cousin! Crazy. The beach looks fn. We're going to head to the beach over here when it's not quite so hot, but nothing beats southern california beaches.
It's so funny how some of those kids TOTALLY look like Germany's and the others must look like the othre half. But there are a few of them who can't be mistaken for anything but a GErmany! I CAN'T believe how Glen looks! Wow! What a cutie! Cara has always been such a pretty girl. Such a great looking family. I LOVE all the blonde hair!
I can not believe how fast she is growing up....before you know it, it will be time for another little squirt!
Hi! It was fun to see you guys last week---and Abby is so cute and growing so fast! That photo of her in the sand with her name written in it is soooo cute! I her little hat! =)
Hope you guys enjoy your last weeks in beautiful Northern Cal (we loved it up there), and we will see you guys soon! Take care! =)
It was a blast! I can't believe it is already over! It was so great to see you guys! Sounds like you will be leaving soon! We miss you!
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