BODEGA OR BUST!

We spent half our Cali trip at my parents' house (minus one glorious night away from the kids at a lovely hotel - thanks Mom and Dad!) and the other half in Bodega Bay for our family reunion, where we all stayed under one roof at an AWESOME beach house. We really missed Vicki & Barry and Jamie & Chris, but the rest of the gang was there, and it was truly time well spent together!

Cora and James were comfy as could be in the Equinox we borrowed from Grambot & Grandpa:

The kid tally included one 7-year-old (Barry celebrated his birthday while we were at the beach house), three 2-year-olds (James had freshly turned 28-months, Eli was at 27-months, and Tyson was closing in on 24-months), one almost 13-month-old (Cora), and a 6-month-old (Addy). It was a full and LOUD house, let me tell you, but it was also a blessing to see all the great-grands together and witness their interactions. Here are the boys giving Barry a hug once everyone arrived safe and sound:

James, Eli, and Tyson:Tyson was the biggest baby-lover of all. He couldn't get enough of Cora:Addy is just as laid-back as her big bro was as a baby (D&T are VERY lucky to have been twice-blessed with such easy and happy babies):Once everyone and all our gear was settled, we hiked the "10 minutes" down to the beach. Well, it might have been 10 minutes, had there not been three 2-year-olds involved...James and Eli were thrilled with this little wind-blocker (because it was WINDY):

So windy (and cold) that Cora was NOT impressed with her first view of the beach...

Jay took some photos of a tiny waterfall, and James explored the tiny stream it made out to the ocean, cold toes and all:It took a lot of man-power to get all the boys back up the trail to the house. Way to go Uncle Davey! James quickly became best buds with his "Un-cuh Dav-ie" and continuously wanted to sit with him, and be held by him, and play with him, and hold his hand, and basically go with him and do everything he was doing. It was too precious!

"SKISH!"

Even though we've taught James to leave bugs and other small creatures alone ("Look, but don't touch"), he still knew just what to do with this little simulation station. He followed along with all the other kiddos and had a blast "Skishing" the bugs...

EXPLORATORIUM!

We were very lucky to have my parents take us to the Exploratorium in San Francisco today. The kids had a blast. All of them. Including us "big kids"! Thanks Mom and Dad!!

My boys are SO cute walking hand-in-hand (matching red shirts intended, so I could find them easier in the crowd):James loved the "saur-us" that greeted us at the front door, of course:There was a huge exhibit about carbon footprints and recycling and all things "green", which was really cool and informative. I had to get my picture with Cora in front of the giant tree slice (yup, we're matching too - both in pink).The butterfly exhibit was great. Just like home (humid and hot). James got a kick out of the butterflies and fancy plants, and I enjoyed hunting for birds. This photo shows the view up towards the living roof:Here's the whole gang up on the roof:James was not at all interested in the touch pool this time (though he loved the one in Atlanta), but he liked the jellyfish a lot!Of course, even better than the jellyfish was the toddler's Explorer's Cove. James, Eli, and Cora all had a blast and we were in there for a LONG time, just letting them run free and play. Cora surprised us all with her ability to walk up and down the stairs without our help. She kept up with the boys pretty darn well!By the end of the day, both kids were getting sleepy, so I switched Cora into her wrap (an Agave 6) and Jay put James into the BB2. They were both asleep shortly thereafter. The mark of a day well spent!

DOWNWARD-FACING DOG

Monkey see, monkey do has been an often-uttered phrase lately. Not just with James copying Eli and Eli copying James, or the boys copying their daddy or uncle, but Cora has been copying EVERYONE more and more. James is currently teaching her to do downward-facing dog, and she's pretty good at it:

Of course, when he demonstrates, she prefers to use him as a tunnel...

And just because this photo is so cute, here is Paw-Paw chasing Cora around the kitchen:

IN-AND-OUT

I have a slight obsession with In-and-Out Burger, heightened by the fact that I never get to indulge those cravings anymore, living out here east of the Mississippi and all. Therefore, it is always a goal of mine to hit the joint while visiting my parents in Cali. Luckily for James and Cora, they were both old enough to be indulged as well on this particular visit. James LOVED his milkshake, and Cora kept requesting fries long after the rest of us had finished our meals and were ready to go. A successful lunch, for sure.

GRAMBOT AND HER GIRLS

Cora and Addisyn posing with their Grambot, in their near-matching outfits (pure coincidence), at almost 13-months-old and 6-months-old:

And just for fun, here are James and Eli posing with their Grambot in matching outfits (her idea, her purchase), back when they first met at almost 3-months-old and 2-months-old (at the end of June of 2009):

She's one lucky grandma, eh? That's a lot of cute babies in her arms!

FAMILY 4TH

Yeah, our babies are cute.Baby Doll was almost too much, peeking through Grandpa's fence...Then add Addy into the mix and we were borderline sugar high with all the sweetness in the house. The girls looked adorable in their near-matching outfits (unplanned - we got Cora's at the Gymboree outlet, likely last year's 4th of July outfit).Dad had an awesome setup for the kids out back, with shade tents and a pool and lots of ride-on toys. We BBQ'd and visited with family and enjoyed a very relaxing day watching the kids play. James and Eli have been so great together. Really makes us wish we lived closer so these boys (and now Cora and Addy) could see eachother more often. We can just tell they'd be the best of friends!Cora had her first popsicle, all to herself.James enjoyed holiday benefits - eating junk food like Cheetos.And at the end of the day (before it was dark, since we knew the kids would never last long enough), Jay and Dave set off some fireworks while the rest of us enjoyed the show.These faces pretty much sum up what James and Eli thought of the "Boom Boom's!"

AT GRAMBOT AND GRANDPA'S HOUSE...

...life is good!We finally met Miss Addy! She's awesome - happiest baby ever (ALWAYS smiling) and so cute and cuddly you just want to zerbert her all over! She is a little over 6 months younger than Cora, yet almost as tall and perhaps even a tad heavier. If she was mobile, she'd probably rule The Queen! (By the way, Jay had just laid down to close his eyes and get rid of a headache, but when I graciously went to tell him the Bacons had arrived, he ran out and stole Addy before I could get my hands on her! Unfair!)Uncle Davey and Auntie Taryn brought James a new book (which he has been obsessed with since):Eli is so sweet! Man, did we ever miss this kid! Love his "Cheese!" face!

FAIRYTALE LAND

Upon arriving in Sacramento, we headed to the park for a picnic lunch and some leg-stretching time at Fairytale Land. The Queen fit right in...James found a "Piwate Sip!"Grambot taught James how to make a wish. Well, he learned to throw the coins in the fountain, anyway. The actual wishing is unlikely. He's got some form, eh?

James' favorite thing was the "Choo Choo!" of course, but this tractor was a close second. He was "Driving!" forever. Until I put Sissy up there and encroached on his space. Then we were finally able to move on to something else.Stopped for playtime before driving the hour home to Stockton was a great plan. The kids were so happy. And we wore them out enough that they napped all the way home.

FLYING WITH TWO

It takes a LOT to fly with two kids 2-years and under, both in carseats. We actually traveled light, leaving the stroller at home, and taking only one suitcase for the two of us and one for the kids. We still looked like quite the sight at the check-in counter though...

MANY thanks to Sandy for getting up well before dawn to take us to the airport. She saved us from having to deal with long term parking and the shuttle, not to mention probably about $100!

The kiddos did SO much better than we expected them to today! James was absolutely perfect. He really was. Of course, with Cora, we expected the worst, so it could only have gone up from there. In all seriousness though, she did wonderfully, and we even received a compliment from a fellow passenger about how well behaved our children were on the flight.We were pleasantly surprised, and very proud. Way to go Team Lindsay!

LOOK WHAT I MADE

Another Simple Skirt. This time for Addy:

Can't wait to meet you today sweetheart! Until then, as James would say, "Peace out!"

LOOK WHAT I MADE

This little soaker (size small) and applique shirt (size 0-3 months) is for Baby Boy Johnson. Applique is FUN and easier than I expected!

(This is the back of the soaker, a happy little Curious George for their little monkey!)

I left the extra soaker pad out of this one, since I have no idea whether R&S plan to cloth diaper. This way it's even cooler for their tropical climate and can be used as a decorative cover for any diaper. And since I know they're planning to travel home to their old stomping grounds with their new baby sometime over the winter, I made him a pair of fleece pants too (size medium).

Here's hoping the package I mailed to them almost a month ago actually arrives sometime before the baby does!