I told the kids that I wasn't going to go to their end of year productions this year, since Dane wouldn't sit through the ceremonies anyway. Their little faces were so crestfallen that I gave in and attended anyway. They racked up the awards and sang cute songs.
The day after school let out, our family piled in the car at 7 AM and set off for California. Dane looked like this for much of the 30 hour trip.
Another leg of the trip, and Dane is still displeased. If I reached behind me and rubbed his foot, it'd console him until my arm went numb.
But he liked the hotels!
Lake Elsinore was our first stop. It was so great to see the Ververas and Needhams again. They went to Joshua Tree National Park on Monday while Dane and I chilled with Becky and my cousin Sariah in Lake Elsinore.
Looks like Landon's thumbing through his bird guide. They enjoyed Joshua Tree, but I'm glad I stayed home. Why would I want to see more of the landscape that I just drove through for hours? And without air conditioning?!
Our next big adventure was Disneyland. Meg and Becky knew how to get around the park with Fast Passes, so we didn't spent much time in line. The kids' favorite rides were the Matterhorn and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
They got to train as Jedi knights and defeat Kylo Ren.
Dane thinks he too is strong with the Force.
The water at the beach in San Diego was too cold for me, but the kids went out far enough to see the fish.
Sisters.
When they got too cold, they had fun building a fortress in the sand.
Logan, hamming it up.
Playing with cousin Addy.
Next we went up north to visit the Williford clan. On Sunday, the Boyce family (Emmy, Bryan, and Reynold) met up with Sari, Becky, Addy, and us to have a picnic by the Sacramento Temple. It was a beautiful day, and a great reunion for sisters and cousins. The kids were smitten with their baby cousin, Reynold.
I like Becky's pretty hair in this photo.
We celebrated Logan and Addy's June birthdays while together. Addy turned 4 and Logan's turning 6. Becky filled pinatas, Daniella made a cake, and Sari provided hours of outdoor water fun.
"Sari, it's too cold!" So their awesome Aunt Sari did what a tired mom (we won't name names) would never do: she lugged buckets of hot water from the house and dumped them into the pool. And when the hot water ran out, she heated water in the tea kettle!
The kids enjoyed listening to Grandpa read "Mary Alice, Operator 9" before bed.
After we left Yuba City, we stayed 2 nights in Elsinore to break up the trip home and say goodbye to Nonna and David, who left for their mission last week. They are now in the MTC in New Zealand! After their training they'll fly to Kiribati, a small atoll in the Pacific, where they'll train teachers at a church-owned high school.
Now we're back home and facing real life again. Well, at least Landon and I are. Landon reluctantly sat down at his computer this week and sullenly resumed work on his dissertation. I sighed as I realized nobody was going to take us out and I'd have to prepare a menu and go shopping. The kids are still having a wonderful summer vacation, but I do hear considerable whining in the morning when I remind them to do their chores, their math, and their piano practice.
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