California Trip - Sunday through Tuesday, Family Photos and More

The Sunday of our trip, we attended church in my parents' ward and then went back to their house for lunch. (But by the time it was ready, it was really dinner.) On Monday morning, the whole family met for family photos. We decided to do it in a studio as a way to manage all the kids, but I definitely prefer a more natural environment. Still, it's nice to have updated photos since our last family photos were nearly six years ago and there were a lot less grandkids. 

The Hayman clan.

Just the Malones.

Here's my parents with all their grandkids. Benjamin was clearly not feeling that excited by this point.

 All the girl cousins. I guess I never realized that Adelaide is the youngest girl. The other girls are all pretty close in age.

And now all the boys. The boys were struggled by this point, so we added the fathers into the mix to help them. 

After the picture taking, we headed back to my parents' house and we went back to their community pool to play together. My parents wanted to do a grandkid sleepover that night (because they're crazy but bless them) so after getting them bathed and changed after the pool, David and I escaped for our first date night in a very long time. 

Sleepover time.

We went back to our hotel and ate our leftover Mexican food (because good Mexican food is a sad thing to waste) and then went to see Wonder Woman which I absolutely wanted to see on the big screen. I had very high expectations for the movie and I would say I was only underwhelmed because of how high those expectations were. I thought it was a great movie overall. 

After the movie, we stopped at a grocery store to pick up some ice cream because every good date should involve dessert. 

My dad putting Benjamin--and himself--to sleep.

The next morning, David and I went to the San Diego temple for a session and then stopped at Panera for a quick lunch before picking up the kids from my parents'. (I also stopped at a See's Candy to buy a pound of chocolates because I have my priorities and they don't have any stores in the East.) 

The kids had had a great time with all their cousins and the grandparents. After leaving my parents' house, we planned to drive out to see my grandmother to have a little one-on-one time with her. But when we were halfway there, Zara threw up in the car. (David's quick cat-like reflexes produced a bag almost out of thin air and he caught nearly all the vomit. Thank goodness. I wouldn't want to have to clean that out of a rental car.) 

Since there had been some sickness going around, we decided to just turn around and go back to our hotel so as not to infect my grandmother. (But Zara quickly recovered so I'm pretty sure it was just car sickness.) After getting the kids to bed, though, I drove back out to see my grandma and we had a great chat for a few hours just the two of us. It's always lovely to talk to my grandma. 

She told me a lot about her family, her step-mother (who she didn't get along with), her step-brothers, how she would have married my grandfather all over again, and about our favorite books and TV shows. After my visit, I stopped at In-N-Out on my way home because I was suddenly starving and because I had promised myself I'd eat as much of it as I could. Mission accomplished. 

California Trip - Grandma's Birthday Reunion

The whole reason for our trip to San Diego was for a family reunion. My grandmother (my last remaining grandparent) turns 90 this year, but even though her birthday is in December, we decided to hold her "party" in July since that was the best time for everyone in the family to travel. My entire extended family was there and it was so, so delightful to see them all. 

Saturday, July 15th was the big event. Family and friends took over the cultural hall in my grandmother's ward building for a luncheon and picture taking. We ate catered BBQ (though they did not give us enough rolls so I had to run to Albertson's to buy more) and Costco cake. (I have a longstanding love of Costco cake.) My mom did a lot of the planning and her efforts were very much appreciated.

There's not much to report from the actual event. There was a lot of catching up and socializing. And eating.

My cousin Brittany also put together a short little slideshow of my grandmother's life. She has a great story. And then we gathered together for some photos. 

Here's my grandma (center) with some of her friends.

This is my Uncle Ron's family. (Though technically Ron is my dad's cousin.) He lived with my grandparents when he was in college and has always been treated like a fourth sibling.

This is my Aunt Cheryl's family. She was the oldest child in the family. She and her husband Bill had five children and I count that her children have had 13 great-grandchildren (though more are probably still forthcoming).

Here's my side of the family. My dad was the middle child and only surviving son. (They had a brother named Edward who died the day he was born.) My parents had four children and we've produced another 11 great-grandchildren. 

And here's my Aunt Debbie (youngest child) and her family. Debbie and Mark added six kids and nine great-grandchildren to the family. There's a 10th baby on the way and I suspect more forthcoming. 

I always find it amazing how your progeny grows exponentially. From one couple came three children, 15 grandchildren, and 33.5 great-grandchildren. Simply incredible. My grandmother is a pretty incredible woman who left an indelible imprint on my life. I'm so glad we got to celebrate her. I always hope we'll have lots more time with her, but I'll always count this trip as a very special opportunity to spend more time with her. I'm so glad we were able to go. 

Even though we had eaten a big lunch, my family went to our favorite Mexican restaurant--Fidel's--for dinner that night. It was the only night we could all go together. So even though I wasn't terribly hungry, I valiantly tried to eat my tostada for the sake of family togetherness.

The cousins, as usual, loved spending time with one another and ate their weight in chips and salsa. Benjamin and Sebastian (the two youngest grandkids) just sat and laughed and laughed with each other in their high chair prisons. I'm excited to watch these boys grow up together. 

California Trip - The Beach and Bubbles!

Friday morning was a day of resting--at least in the morning since we'd had such a long day at Disneyland the day before. The kids--ever boundless in their energy--just wanted to play with Benjamin's bubble maker.

The had a blast playing in my parent's backyard. That bubble maker was totally worth the $22 we spent on it.

Because everyone was in town and since my parents' house is no longer large enough to fit the whole family, we all took turns staying at my parents' house or staying at a hotel. We'd been with my parents for three nights, so it was our turn to move into a hotel for the rest of our stay. My sister-in-law arranged for us to get suites at the Air Force base in Miramar which had a small kitchenette, two queen beds, and a pull-out couch. It was a nice set-up and much less expensive than other similar hotels in the area. It also made us miss the military life ever so slightly. There's something comforting about belonging to an organization like the military to make you feel like you belong.

After moving our stuff into the hotel, we headed to Carlsbad beach where we had arranged to meet up with other family members in town, particularly our cousins. I hadn't seen most of them since we'd left Utah nearly four years ago so it was a great reunion. I was only sad that I didn't get more of a chance to talk with them. By the time we arrived, it was nearly 4PM which meant the heat of the day had passed and the beach wasn't too packed. The kids adore the beach so they had a great time, but unfortunately I didn't get any photos.

After the beach, we went to Panda Express for dinner with my brother Jason and my cousin Justin and his family. So all-in-all, a pretty good day.

California Trip - Disneyland!

Yes, it's a little appalling how long it's been since my last blog post. But there's a bunch to catch up on now so hopefully I will actually be able to get through it all. In July, we went to San Diego for a family reunion. My grandmother turns 90 years old this year and we held a big celebration in her honor and all my siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, and uncles were all there to celebrate. Some of them I haven't seen in many years so it was wonderful to get to see them again.

We flew to San Diego on Tuesday, July 11th on Southwest. It was an uneventful flight and the kids actually did really great on the flight there. (The flight back was a different story.) We rented a car and drove to my parents' house. Since we still had many hours of daylight left once we arrived (thanks to those 3 extra hours we got), I tried to take the kids to my parents' community pool but their key didn't work. That was probably a good thing since I was so tired. But I did get some In-N-Out which is all that really mattered.

The next day, we did make it to the pool and then went out for delicious Mexican food at our favorite taco shop. I miss good Mexican food.

On Thursday, July 13th--which happens to be my mom's birthday--the whole family went to Disneyland. All my siblings and their children had arrived by that time, so we got to have a great time running around Disneyland together. The cousins love being together. My family was the first to arrive since I wanted to be sure to have plenty of time to do as much as we good since we only had one day at Disneyland.

The girls and I did Star Tours, Zara and I went on the Matterhorn together (she hid her head the whole time), and then we did the Astro Oribiter together before meeting up with the rest of my family who had finally arrived. (We ate a quick lunch we had packed with us at this meet-up.)

Once the cousins were all reunited, we went to Fantasyland to ride Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and the carousel.

All the girl cousins, minus Adelaide. Grisette, Anna, Zara, and Isabel. Grisette and Zara were born only a week apart.

After the carousel, we separated for a bit. David, Elisa, James and I went to use our fast passes for Indiana Jones (the fast passes really worked this time...we got to get on a lot of rides with them and didn't have to wait very long for any ride). I love Indiana Jones so I was glad we were able to escape for a little bit to go ride it. 

Meanwhile, the kids waited in the always extraordinarily long line for Dumbo. After riding our respective rides, we met up to exchange kids and move on to our various destinations. (Adelaide also got to ride the Jungle Cruise with Uncle Brigham, who she simply adores.)

By this time, it was mid-day and it was SUPER hot. We tried to stay hydrated and in the shade as much as possible. We took a break just to sit for a little while and then we waited in line with Grisette, Zara, and Adelaide to meet Moana whose "station" is right next to the Jungle Cruise. 

Moana is a big favorite around these parts. I was afraid that we'd have to wait in line forever to meet her, but once again, the line moved speedily and it wasn't too bad of a wait. 

By this point, I was fading fast. We were all in need of a cool treat, so we went to the Tiki Room for some Dole Whip with my parents (my other siblings having wandered off to other destinations). 

In all my many trips to Disneyland, I don't remember ever going to the Tiki Room so we popped inside for the show. It was a nice respite from the heat.

After the Tiki Room, we parted ways with my parents and then we wandered down Main Street a bit. We went to the baby room so I could nurse Benjamin, change his diaper, and then we found a quiet spot inside the Main Street Cinema where we ate some snacks and tried to charge my dying phone (before we were told that wasn't allowed). We stopped and met Pluto and then took the kids to Toon Town where we rode Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin (not my favorite) and played on some of the play areas in that part of Disneyland. Adelaide also picked her special Disneyland gift--a Baby Simba stuffed animal.

Zara, Adelaide, and I left Toon Town to meet up with Cassy and Brigham and their family to ride the Tea Cups. (David wasn't interested. He doesn't care for spinning rides.)

Then we popped into the Mad Hatter's Store where Zara picked her Disneyland memento--bridal Minnie Mouse ears.

Next, we decided to terrify the kids by going to the Haunted Mansion. We had tried going earlier, but they had experienced some technical problems and were closed when we came by the first time. Adelaide was terrified and clung to me the whole time, but afterwards, she said the ghost ride was super funny. Revisionist history right there, but sure, Adelaide. 

My parents watched the babies--Sebastian and Benjamin--while the rest of us went to ride Big Thunder Mountain. The whole family took up an entire train with the girls and I in the front. David spent the whole ride screaming his head off like a girl and Brigham joined in. I think Big Thunder Mountain was the highlight for me. It had finally cooled off, we got to ride as a family, and it's just a fun ride even for the little kids.

We sat and visited for a little bit after the rollercoaster, and then took some photos all together. (Bobbi and Jeremy weren't there unfortunately.) Cassy and her family went off to other sites, my parents went home, and Jason's family and my family went to the French Market Restaurant to grab some dinner and enjoy some live jazz music.

By this time, it was nearly 9PM and David and I were ready to head home. We stopped to buy Benjamin's gift--a Mickey Mouse bubble blower--and then stopped at a store on Main Street to buy a Disneyland ornament as is our tradition. By the time we had finished and gone to the bathroom, the night parade was just winding down and the fireworks were apart to start so we just opted to watch the fireworks from the Disneyland Railroad Main Street station.

We headed to our car right before the firework show ended and made the drive home. It was a long day but a lot of fun. I'm so glad we finally got to take the kids to Disneyland and to get to do it with our whole family. We'll definitely have to do it again when the kids are a little older and can ride more of the fun rollercoasters with us. I always forget that we don't live that far from Orlando....and they've got Disney World there.

How Georgia Does Snow

We don't get much snow in Georgia. Right before we moved here in 2014 there was an unexpected cold front which iced over the roads and crippled the city for 48 hours. Commute times ballooned--it took my father-in-law EIGHT hours to get home that day--motorists were stranded, and many parents could not reach their children. Several daycares and schools had to remain open overnight to shelter unclaimed children. Basically, it was a nightmare of epic proportions which made the rest of the country mock Atlanta relentlessly. 

Ever since that disaster, any inclement weather is met with extreme caution and white-knuckled terror. And though I grew up in San Diego where the weather is always moderate and kind, I have spent at least 10 years of my adulthood living in areas where snow and ice and cold winters are a thing. So I just have to roll my eyes at the freaking out that commences anytime the temperature threatens to drop to 36 degrees F as it did this past weekend. 

All the meteorologists predicted possible flurries late Friday night and snow Saturday morning. But even though it wasn't supposed to start until well into the evening, the schools decided to close early on Friday. 

Sure. The storm could always blow in faster than expected and we wouldn't want people to get stuck again. It was somewhat annoying, but I at least understood their reasoning. 

The kids were beyond excited. Both Adelaide and Zara said several prayers begging for snow. By the time David and I went to bed on Friday, it was raining an icy mixture, but not really snow. And when we woke up on Saturday morning, this was about the extent of our "big" snow storm. 

 

The kids were still super excited and begged to go play outside. And Benjamin even let me put his hat on him (and kept it there) which he normally doesn't allow. 

Lack of snow notwithstanding, it was extremely icy. Some areas cancelled church on Sunday out of caution for the ice, but not us. It took us 20 minutes to free our cars from their icy enclosures. 

All our poor plants and bushes had long icicles and were weighed down by the frozen water. Our trash cans were completely sealed shut. 

The temperatures were still rather cold throughout Sunday but the sun was shining and most of the ice melted. But "out of extreme caution" the school district decided to cancel school on Monday because many of the roads in the northern part of the county were still quite icy. 

Fine. One snow day. But then they just announced that they've canceled school AGAIN. And now I have lost my patience because this is just bordering on ridiculous.  

Which makes this meme that much funnier because IT'S TRUE.

Also the expected temperature for Thursday is 70 degrees. 

Hahahaha. 

If they cancel school on Wednesday too, I'm going to riot.