Back to our Vacation

After Daphne's blessing, sadly we had to say good bye to Daddy since he had to go back home to work. Then we drove with my parents back to their house. We don't do many road trips since we live so far away from everyone so I was curious as to how the girls would do. The first 5 minutes was not a good sign. But they were obviously tired and both the big girls ended up crying themselves to sleep. Which was nice as they slept for a good chunk of time. We had planned to stop at a couple stores that I wanted to go to, but sleeping kids was more important to me!

We drove from Ogden to Las Vegas making many potty breaks and nursing breaks. Even though my sister Tricia and her family were on their way to Nebraska after Daphne's blessing, we stayed at their house that night. We ended up not getting much sleep because it was too exciting to play with cousin's toys even when they aren't even there! And then my sister Tara and her family got there as we were "trying" to go to sleep. More excitement!
The next day, we ALL were driving home. Tara and Jon to their house in Palm Desert and us to Ventura. We drove to State Line and road on some rides at Buffalo Bills. The kids LOVED the log ride! Lucy was so scared about it at first, but then LOVED it and talked about it for DAYS! Sadie and Allie road with Grandpa and thought it was so cool. Then we drove to Calico which is a ghost town that I remember going to as a kid. Note to self and all others interested: Do NOT go to Calico in the summer and in the afternoon! It was HELL...literally! I did not take any pictures (I think my Mom did but I will probably never see them; ahem Dad!) because I had to be in the shade with Daphne. I had her covered with a blanket but even still if we were not in the shade she would just cry! Just standing in the sun made you feel like you were getting an instant sun burn! It was crazy! Some sweet lady even gave me an umbrella to hold over Daphne. I do have to say, the people at Calico were all SO nice! Giving us things and letting us do extra etc. We walked through the old mining tunnels and even panned for gold! Sadie and Lucy both got some gold and were so excited about it! The kids got a souvenir and we got a post card for Daddy and we were out of there!

We made our to McDonalds and were so ready for a drink! The girls were excited to see Ronald sitting on the bench as we walked in. Look how hot they look! Red faces and everything. And of course Daphne is out!

We finally made it to Grandma and Grandpa's house and we were so excited! The weather was exactly what we hoped for! It was so nice to get away from our Texas heat! We got to go visit my Grandma Beebe and Aunt Joyce. It was great to see them and they loved seeing the girls! We hadn't been to Ventura for almost 2 years so they have grown a lot since then.

We got to go to the beach a lot! Which is what I wanted! I wanted a nice relaxing vacation! Most of the times when we go to Ventura we always have so much planned. This time we planned nothing! Me and the girls got to hang with Grandma and Grandpa and just enjoy each other! We walked to the park, went to the library that I used to go to as a kid, went to many favorite restaurants, and of course the beach!

The girls got to sleep together and they loved it! They have gotten in the habit of it and one usually ends up in the others bed during the night now that we are home. They are so cute! I love sleeping kids! They just look so peaceful and cute!

We did a lot of playing Barbies! Well, mostly following directions with Barbies! Sadie likes to tell us what to do and say as we are playing! One time Grandma and I got "too silly" and we got shot down quickly! Even though Grandma has never really played Barbies before (according to her word) she did great and the girls LOVED playing Barbies with her in her room!

Grandma and Daphne! Daphne got so spoiled with all the attention from everyone! It was so fun! We all enjoy her so much! I did a little photo shoot so we went down town to view the area before hand. The girls asked to put their feet in the fountain while I was looking around. I said yes, but not to get wet. Pretty soon, this is what I found! Yes, we were the white trash kids playing in the fountain! But it was worth it! They had so much fun!
Here are some of the pictures of my kids during the photo shoot. Lucy with her fingers in her mouth and playing with the seam of her shirt. She really has found comfort from those two things. She will come up to me and grab my shirt hem or the hem of my skirt. I have even seen her use Daphne's hem. So cute! She had her shirt off because she was hot (?I know?) and smiled perfectly, but when I put her shirt on, this is what I got.

We had so much fun in Ventura! It was great for me to be able to see friends and their kids too! There is more to come, but this was the first part of our trip when just our family was at Grandma and Grandpas. It was such a great time! The girls really enjoyed being able to spend so much time with them at their house! They love finding gold coins in the sand box every day and trading them in for a prize out of the treasure chest! They loved chasing their cat Taffy around from under the table to under the bed. :) It was a great time!