The last week of May we enjoyed a trip out to California. We first drove to Arizona to meet up with Chris's parents and to say a quick hello to the remainder of our family. On the Saturday we arrived in Arizona, we enjoyed a family swim party and barbecue with my family (I need to steal some pictures of the party from my mom) and then had Someburros for dinner with the Justin and Lindsay Hogge family.
Sunday morning we headed for Dana Point, California. Our first stop was in Blythe to visit Grandma and Papa Hastings. I still can't believe I didn't get any pictures taken with them. It has been over four years since we visited Blythe. I'm so disappointed about no pictures.
Jeanette (my mother-in-law) grew up in Eagle Mountain, California and that is where Chris's parents met. I had never seen it, so we took a little detour and stopped by the little mining town. Ashley had been asleep the whole time from Blythe to Eagle Mountain. When she woke up we explained that this is where Nana and Grandpa Brown used to live. She took a look around the small mining community and said "This is garbage." We couldn't stop laughing.
As we headed out of Eagle Mountain, Madison managed to spill an entire bag of popcorn on her.
Once we stopped at our beautiful beach condo, we decided to head into town to grab a bite to eat. Chris comes to this part of California quite often for work so he knew just the right taco place to take us to.
My girls were born in Utah, but Chris's and my love for Mexican food has sure rubbed off on them. Madison loves salsa!
Just down the side street from the taco joint was a beautiful deck overlooking the ocean. The girls were so excited to be this close to the ocean.
It was chilly!
We headed back to the condo and got our jackets on and crossed the street to take some pictures of the sunset.
Chris the Karate Kid
The next day we spent at the beach but almost all my pictures are blurry because one of my little munchkins put their finger on the lens.
Grandpa playing horseshoes with Maddie.
Rylee couldn't handle all the fun and had to take a break.
I love this picture of Chris and Ashley.
Nana and Rylee
Chris watching a movie with the girls one night before bed.
Grandpa and Nana enjoying the movie. Jeanette sprained her knee before we came and with all the walking and playing we did at the beach she ended up visiting Urgent Care to make sure there wasn't a major injury to her knee.
We headed down to San Diego to take the girls to the San Diego Zoo, while Grandpa, Nana, and Rylee visited an aircraft carrier. On our way there we stopped by the San Diego Temple that was being renovated.
Could Rylee get any cuter?!
Pictures from the zoo.....
As we headed back to the entrance at the end of the day, Ashley saw a man painting faces and of course wanted hers done too.
The next day we headed to Balboa Island where we walked the pier, rode the ferris wheel and carousel, and stopped by a candy shop. You had to ride a ferry to get onto the island.
Ashley couldn't get enough of the ferris wheel.
Chris almost lost his lunch. He hates ferris wheels. This one was going super fast too.
This was our final evening at the beach.
Ashley had been scared of the water the whole week. She finally got in and had a fun time on our final night.
The beginning of the hole Chris dug to bury himself.
On our way back to Utah we stopped at the California/Nevada border. Chris wanted to ride the rollercoaster. As soon as we went inside and Ashley saw the log ride, she wanted to go.....so I took her once and Chris took her another time (the other girls were too young to go). It's a horrible blurry picture, but I wanted the memory.
I love the beach and wish we lived closer. It was a fun trip to get away, enjoy beautiful weather, spend time with family, and especially have some help with the three girls! Thanks Nana and Grandpa!
