Dan, Roxi, & the crew's visit

So right on the heels of Laurie and her 4 leaving we had Dan & Roxanne's family come for their visit. We were already in the party mode and ready to have fun when they showed up. We could hardly wait to get started and spend time with them. It was kind of weird switching gears from one family to the next. Laurie had such a limited time that we packed in several things in one day. Dan & Roxi had a whole week so we were a bit slower to get started.

My kids were so ready for some family time that the time seemed to crawl by till we had our first event. We went out to a Marnier's baseball game. This was the first time I think Andrew has ever gone and maybe a 2nd time for Megan. The feedback was it was awesome but boring at the same time. I think it was just fun to be out with family but the actual game wasn't so exciting for the little ones.

We had our first spend the night with the girls at our house and the boys over at Grandma & Papa's. They were so tired after the baseball game it was pretty much come home and get in bed. They didn't get to do too much and felt a little short changed on the fun of sleepovers. That next day we hung out in the morning while the Men went golfing and then we all came together to see the movie "Brave" at our cool theater. They loved the electic recliners and enjoyed the movie. For the first time ever the movie stopped right towards the beginning & was out for a few minutes while we sat in the dark. That didn't go over too well but what do you do. It was still fun and a cute movie.

After the movie the girls went with Grandma & Papa back to their place. It was the girls turn to spend the night over there while we took the boys. The girls went swimming and then off to shipwreck beads to get stuff to make jewelry. I think they were in heaven and had a blast. We spent some time with Dan & Roxanne while the boys played with each other at our house. We had a nice relaxing afternoon so we could gear up for the first of two days at Wild Waves.

Our first day at Wild Waves was our water day. We spend the whole time playing in the water features. It turned out to be a very warm day and perfect for our adventures. I think it was very busy compared to what we've had before but still we managed to have fun.

We made sure to stay on top of sunscreen and did our best to keep everyone safe and having fun. Everyone got a bit red on spots but no major sunburns to speak of. Just a little toasted you could say. I think this was the most fun I've had in the water section. I even experimented with my waterproof camera for the first time. I have always been afraid of actually putting it under water but went for this time. It was seriously the most fun I've had taking pictures in a long time. It really made me laugh and I was so happy with how they turned out. It was a learning curve for me and now I just want to take more.

We took a little break before lunch to hit up a sea lion show new to the park this year. We had no idea what to expect and found it was super cute. Andrew would giggle at the funny parts and all the kids were glued to the 30 minute action on stage. It was a very cute show and I was impressed. We even hit it up a second time since we liked it so much and the kids were just as good the second time around.

After lunch we headed back to the park for the last round of water fun. It was nice to rotate around and find yourself with down time. The kids were so good to stay with a parent or let us know where they'd be close by. I was really happy how well it all went.

Our next day was day two at Wild Waves but this time we had a dry day. We spent our time in the regular ride sections going on rides. The weather was still nice but there was a breeze that would come through to cool you off. We were happy not to be wet and getting cold. The temperature was a bit cooler and it wouldn't have been as nice. So we picked the right days for each sections.

Again we had it so well worked out that there was someone available to hang back with kids that didn't want to go on certain things. We split on some stuff and I think made it all work very nicely. This was also Brianne's 7th birthday so she felt special and got to pick a few areas to play in or rides to go on. I think she liked that a lot.

We hit up all the fun stuff that everyone wanted and then hit up the sea lion show. Then it was off for lunch and back to the rides for more fun. I think we kind of got a little more tired out this second day then the day before. After lunch we were still ready to go but didn't seem as excited to keep going. I think all the kids were running on very low energy from spending the night and just exhausting themselves with as much fun as possible.

We fizzled out earlier than the day before and started to count down our last few rides. I think everyone got a chance to go on their favorites and all were ready to call it a day in the end. Next we headed out for dinner. Since it was Brianne's birthday she picked Chevy's because she really wanted their birthday sombrero that they give out. She wasn't disappointed.

My family wasn't too thrilled with the idea of Mexican food. Luckly they had a kids menu and chicken strips were on it. I know Jeff was excited as we haven't had Chevy's in almost 6 years of moving here. I think the food was a bit different and not the same as he remembered but he still enjoyed himself.

We headed home for birthday cupcakes and to say our goodbyes. It was great having them all come and have so much fun. We loved every minute and are sad to see it all come to an end. Meg had a few tears last night and we are all feeling a bit empty today. I know if we all lived near each other these get togethers wouldn't be as special so I'm glad for the time we get. I took plenty of pictures as usual so we won't forget all the fun we had.

Laurie's Fab 4 Visit

Laurie and the kids came for an impromtu visit for the beginning of summer. We made a mad scramble to get ourselves together for their visit. We had the last day of school and the next day they were here to start the fun. My kids couldn't wait to see them and were sooooo excited for all the adventures we wanted to do. Our first outing started with a hike to the beach.

We collected seashells and played in the surf full of tiny crabs and seaweed. Nothing slowed this crew down as they explored and got dirty. We found several catapillars that facinated the kids and I even had one drop down from a tree to land on my shoulder. It totally freaked me out but what do you expect from the great outdoors?


On the way back from the hike we stopped at some picnic tables to refuel for lunch. The kids were somewhat quiet while we ate and were really just enjoying that we were all together and the being outdoors.


We took a few hours and decided to hit up one of the many play parks that Grandma's house has to offer. The kids were all getting along really well and just playing their little hearts out. I loved seeing them all together and having fun. Us women got to sit back and chat about current topics which never gets old.

If that wasn't enough of a day we thought we needed to add swimming to the mix. Grandma and Papa's pool does kids swim time and we couldn't pass it up. I think my kids are fish sometimes, they can spend forever in the water without getting bored.


We spent as much time as it took to wait for Jeff to get off work and join us. We had yummy sliders for dinner and then had to cap off the day with a little mini golf action. It isn't a trip without golf in the mix somehow with this crew.

Everyone had a great time for the first 9 holes and then we hung in there for the next couple and it wasn't till around hole 15 that some kids were done with the golfing. It was interesting to see the techniques that were used. I especially loved all the scoop shots that were counted as 1 stroke but really just scooted the ball along to the hole. It was all still great fun for us.

Our next day took us out the Hands on children's museum. This is where Meg has had her fieldtrips so we were very familiar with the activities. It decided to rain on us this day so this indoor activity was a smart choice.

I do believe that all the kids explored until they had seen it all and then ended up back in their favorite spots. Meg was excited to be the tour guide and know what she wanted to do. Andrew was excited to just touch and see it all like all the rest of the group. We killed several more hours here just watching the kids have a blast.

We stopped for a quick refuel at McDonald's and then it was off to the next event. The girls got to go to shipwreck beads for jewlery making stuff while the boys stayed behind to just play and have fun. Then we headed out to the bouncy house fun. All 6 kids had red cheeks but you could hear giggles and see smiles. Andrew had a few face plants with exiting the structures. He never master the fine art of the exit I guess. No injuries so that's all that really mattered. We ended our night getting to see Dan & Roxanne arrive and pack up to have Laurie and her 4 spend the night at our place.

Our last day ended up with awful weather so we had to change plans. We wanted to take them to the theme park Wild Waves but it's all outdoors so we had to skip it. We ended up picked the movies and saw Madagascar 3 in the cool electric recliner seat theater. The kids loved it and I think Laurie's family will never be the same when they go to the movies. Our last hooray took us to Red Robin for a yummy meal. We ate till we were stuffed and said our goodbyes. Laurie headed out to make half her trip home. We had a blast with them and crammed as much into 3 days as possible. It was tough to say goodbye and sad to see them leave. I'm still on "go" mode and wanting to keep the fun going. We now switch over to Dan & Roxanne's visit and we can't wait to have more adventures.