We were able to take a whirlwind vacation to California during the kids Mardi Gras break. Lucky for us, California had a warm spell the whole time we were visiting so we had some fabulous weather.
Our first day, we traveled to Newport Beach to visit with the most loving family in the world, the Bonds Family. (I nannied for them when I went to Valpo and most recently, we went to eldest daughter, Taylor's wedding in Nashville).
God has sure brought our families together full circle and Tom and Julie have been such a great example of how Jesus can be the center of a marriage and family.
The Bonds live about a block from the Pacific Ocean so we were excited to see what California beach living had to offer. It was fun to watch the surfers, we definitely don't have big enough waves for that on our Gulf.
My kiddos with youngest Bonds daughter, Ali. Ali recently got accepted to Ole Miss and will be visiting the college soon! We are hoping and praying she becomes a Mississippi girl! She already loves the big bows so she is halfway there :)
Luke enjoying some beach time.
Can't keep my kids from boogie boarding but the water was absolutely FRIGID!! They did not last too long but at least they can say they boogie boarded in the Pacific Ocean.
Addison getting warm and snuggly with Julie. Love.
Me and Julie! So much fun and laughter, it was a great day.
The next day we headed to Stephen's sister's house to visit with her family. It was the first time the cousins met and it took all of three seconds for them to start running around and playing together. It was very cute and warmed my heart.
Andrea and Marlon have a beautiful house and yard and the kids enjoyed swimming, especially in the hot tub. Luke and little Marlon were two peas in a pod the whole trip and had so much fun together.
Grandma Joan with all of her grandkids.
Marlon 7
Amelia 11
Addison 6
Luke 9
Matthew 3
Andrea, Joan and Stephen after a fun filled day of food and swimming and jumping on the trampoline.
The next day we traveled up to the mountains in the Big Bear area.
It was a long, winding road up the mountain with an amazing view. Unfortunately Luke and Matthew have a similar tummy and both got sick on the side of the road. It was a long trip but worth it once we got there.
Amelia ready to climb to the summit!
Addison posing as cute as can be.
The hike was absolutely beautiful and so fun! We all were so proud of Grandma Joan, she was a real trooper and we were thankful she made it!
The boys taking a break.
Luke playing with some snow he found.
Grandma Joan with all the kiddos.
This is near the top of our hike. You can see Big Bear Lake in the background.
We were unbelievable impressed with all of the kids. Not one complaint or whine, they were awesome hikers on some difficult terrain.
We made it!
The Camas Family
Addison found a little nook that she wanted her picture taken in. Always ready for the cover of a magazine, our little Addison Kate.
Pacific ocean one day, snow up in the mountain, the next. Pretty cool.
After our hike we went to the lake and the kids fed the ducks. Luke and Addison even had ducks take the crackers right out of their hands.
Such a fun day!!! Puke and all.
The next day we traveled to Knott's Berry Farm. This was perfect for the ages of all our kids and there was nobody there!! It was amazing, our kids could go on the rides over and over without even getting back in line. We could not have picked a better day and we pretty much stayed open until close.
We had to get a picture of Luke with Linus. Linus is the character with the blue blanket and who sucks his thumb. Just like our Lukey.
This ride was a hit with everyone! Amelia is not a daredevil at all so she loved staying in Camp Snoopy with her little cousins. The big boys even went on some roller coasters but Amelia stayed behind. Her most thrilling ride was the Log ride, and of course Addison wanted to go on every spinning, fast ride she was tall enough for.
Choo Choo ride! Yay!
Matthew and Amelia enjoying some time together. Matthew loved Amelia and stayed with her wherever she went. The feeling was mutual and Amelia was a great helper with little Matthew.
Daddy getting some love from Addison.
Mommy getting some love from Daddy :)
We had such a fun trip and enjoyed all of our destinations but man did we HATE the traffic. This is how we felt we spent most of our trip. Stuck in traffic with a billion other cars.
We are very spoiled where we live and we could not wait to get back to non existent traffic in Mississippi.
This is how the kids felt about sitting in the car for hours every day while we were visiting.
Boo.
But, we LOVED our trip and visiting with everyone in California. Thank you for everyone who hosted us!
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