California Day 8

La Jolla

 LaJolla is home to sea lions and seals galore....

 they are everywhere, sunning and swimming....

 we could have touched them they were so close!

 In fact, maybe I suggested Maryn try just that....touch them I said....ha, then a man quickly jumped in and said, "No!  They are mean! Don't touch them!" 

 So instead we just went about our merry way and enjoyed watching them in their element, hearing them sing (bark!) in their own little way....

 We could have watched them all day....when one got boring, we tuned into another who was up to something new....

 these were some pretty impressed kiddos....

 see, this guy was a performer....he knew we were watching and he entertained us for a bit pretending as if he was going to come up to us and then backing off back into the water again.  

 Ryan had his hands full....thankfully, C fell asleep early on in LaJolla, a true blessing for the rest of us as I am sure we would have been rescuing her from the Pacific Ocean had she been awake....

 We lucked up and found a sandy little beach area....

 the children all put their toes in the water once again only to find out that, yes, it was still so cold!

 These two.

They have been a blessing to watch.  Their friendship is tight.  Never have they been alike, in fact, they are quite opposites.  But they have always meshed well, always been each other's best friend, always enjoyed doing life together.  I am so very thankful God chose to give them to each other.  

 So cold, always, so cold....

 Amazing.  They just congregate and hang out on the beach.

 The colors of the ocean....so pretty.

 Little bit did wake up as we were walking back to the car....she was thrilled to see the sea lions and seals too!

 She asked me to take her picture and I obliged....she is really cute.  We all say she is really cute.

 And then she wanted to walk which was fine until we realized she wanted to take a break every three seconds....ha.  Her favorite thing to say right now when I ask her to do something is, "Just a minute..."  She says it in the sweetest little sing-song voice which makes me smile everytime!

We arrived back at the hotel just in time to meet up with Uncle Randy and Aunt Kit....the boys and Ryan took in an Angels game with them for the evening while the girls and I ordered in and swam the night away!

California Day Seven

It was a great day to do a bike ride through Hollywood....

 we thought this was the best way to see everything LA had to offer....

 and it was enjoyed by all!  

 From the tar pits to the rock....

 lots of water drinking....

 and then came the Hollywood Walk of Fame....yep, we got wrangled in by this one....we were naive, trusting that our tour guide would only talk to legit people....alas, this one snuck up on us, chatting with out guide, we jumped on his bandwagon with big muscles and THEN, and only then, did we realize that there is a charge to pose with Mr. Muscles.  Ah, yes, welcome to LA.

 The girls got off of the bike trailer a few times to hang and play....

 we cruised to the famed Farmers Market....interesting story, yet no pic to go along....we decided to spend more time at the market following our tour so we headed back there for a late lunch at Cheesecake Factory....we were seated and soon came a lady, two children and her husband.  Y'all, this lady is a long time friend of mine from the town I grew up in, a town that is only an hour away from where we currently live....here we are in California, in a random restaurant, and over walks my friend, Laura, and her family to say hello.

 Le Brea Tar Pits....so cool to see the bubbling still happening in the park....

 I am not even sure what this is called but I do remember our guide stating that a lot of people choose to do headshots with them....

 So fun to see Mickey's Star....

 No trip is considered a real trip without an American Girl visit, right?!?

 The boys wanted to do a round on Rodeo Drive....

 so while they mingled with the wealthy, we hung out at a local park with the girls....

 MK loves to make faces these days for the camera....

 and as the sun set, we drove through Beverly Hills and googled the houses to see their costs....WOW!  Some pretty amazing homes for some pretty amazing dollars!

California Day Six - Disneyland

We landed in LA just in time to get a good nights rest and wake early to go to Disneyland. I had been before many moons ago but goodness how a place changes - or, rather, how different a place is than you remember it being when you were younger.

 Though there are rides that are the same as Disneyworld, there are also very different rides to be ridden.  We put on our "wait in line" stance and began our day.

 We encountered a few squeals of delight and a few not so happy screams of fear.

 Maryn was a big weary of the rides, some because of the noise and others because of the speed.  Teacups were just what she needed!

 My sister and I used to love Mr. Toad's Wild Ride....it is now gone at Disneyworld so what a treat it was to ride it at Disneyland.

 Chapman was all in for fun so long as "cotton" was involved.

 A few breaks here and there with food for thought was fabulous!

 It was a good day with our people.  My memory that stands out the most will be of Maryn.  Bless.  She wanted to do it all, just like the bigs.  In the end, the rollercoaster was the end of wanting to be like the bigs....I am pretty sure she traumatized the two ladies sitting in front of us....she screamed, she cried, she was NOT happy one bit.....hated it.  Now when you ask her if she would like to go to Disney, she quickly responds, "NO!"

California Day Five

On this day, we made our way down the PCH - Pacific Coast Highway

 Our original plan was to take the PCH from San Francisco to LA but that plan had to be altered when we learned that a portion of the PCH was closed due to a bridge outage.  

 So, we drove for Monterey to Big Sur on the PCH

 And we took our time stopping and allowing ourselves to be in awe of God's beautiful creations before us.  This drive is fabulous, so beautiful in many ways and just breathtaking....

 Ryan and I did this trip many moons ago BUT we timed it wrong and ended up driving the best views at night - ugh.

 It was much better this time around surrounded by our kiddos and it was early in the day with no fog to leave us wondering what we were missing.

 We managed to make a stop by a local campground in Big Sur.  Two of my father's siblings and their families were staying there for a few days and we got to crash that party for a bit to spend a moment with them!  

 When I was growing up, I used to visit California - many summers I spent with my Uncle Randy and Aunt Kit and my three cousins, Ryan, John and Matthew.  Lots of great memories.  My Aunt Nancy, Uncle Ken and cousin Derek joined us a few times as well....I have always loved each of them dearly!  

 Big Sur is peaceful and a nature-lover's dream come true.  The children loved playing in the stream.

Ryan reminded me often to keep my eyes on the road....

and MK kept right on dancing!

Two of my most favorite people ever....my Aunt Nancy and my Uncle Randy, both are my dad's siblings and both make me laugh and smile each time I am honored to be with them...

The California coast is always worth a drive and I would recommend it to anyone....it's just beautiful.

The bigs

and more bigs....Ryan was scared stiff to allow them even this close to the edge....

and add Maryn into the picture and that led Ryan to the car....he has a fear of heights....

We all took it in and enjoyed the views....

and then we were on our merry way headed south for the remainder of our trip!

We drove Highway 101 which wasn't all on the coast but it was a great ride through the mountains and backcountry of California.