A visit to Alli's

I was able to combine a trip to visit Alli and her family with my Dad's retirement party. This is Alli's cute house in Huntington Beach. She literally lives a few blocks from the beach.

It was so much fun to spend time with Summer and Ben. I also love Abby, she is a good dog. The kids lay all over her and she lets them. Ben and Summer are so cute. We had fun going on walks and I loved watching them ride their bikes. Ben is a pro. Alli also made really good dinners. I also loved "Alli time" at night. We would chat and hang out after we put the kids to bed. I miss you Alli!

Seriously....check this spider out. I was playing with the kids in the backyard and there was this huge spider in the back yard. It totally freaked me out. It had a huge black spot with white dots around it. Its web is pretty impressive. I wonder if it is poisonous?

California Beaches

Huntington Beach

Ben playing in the ocean. Both kids LOVED playing in the waves. We jumped the waves for hours! The awesome thing about California beaches in September is there they are deserted! It is fancy, we felt we were on a private beach!

Corona Del Mar

Those seguls were just waiting for Summer to drop a strawberry! Alli and I would get up drop Ben off at school, make a lunch and head to the beach. What a life!!!!Summer and I walked along the beach to these rocks. She was so much fun and silly to be with. We laughed and laughed and had fun walking in the water. Amazing! I didn't want to leave.
I just couldn't get over how beautiful this beach is. See what I mean about it practically being like a private beach? Check out these waves! They weren't the kind you could body surf. There were coast guards telling people not to go out that far because the rip tide was so strong. I love the sea breeze and hearing the waves crash. We were still able to play in the water but didn't go out very far.

The last day we took a drive to Laguna Beach on Pacific Coast Highway! It was so much fun.

Huntington Beach Pier

My pretty sister! We decided to get ice cream and take a walk on Huntington Pier.

This is the only picture I have of the 4 of us...trouble that my eyes are closed. I love Huntington Pier. It is so relaxing and a fun place for the kids also. Huntington Beach always reminds me of trips to the beach when were younger and of course of Mema!

I loved walking on the pier watching the surfers and looking for seals and dolphins. Some guy caught this huge stingray. I was glad the stingray got away! Ben kept given the surfers a thumbs up when they would catch a wave.
Ben thought it was hilarious that he could put his hamburger in his mouth with no hands. What is a trip to California without going to In&Out. We went several times.

I love this picture of Summer. She is so cute. She loves In&Out that is for sure!

We went to one of my favorite stores by Alli's house...Trader Joes. The kids thought it would be so cool to wear there costumes to the store. People kept commenting on how cute they looked.

I was just getting ready to put Summer and Ben to bed after reading them a few stories. It was sad for me b/c I knew I was leaving the next morning so this would be my goodbye. I had a fun time with Alli and the kids.

Flag Rasing

Since Dad retired with the Military, he was presented a flag. We all got up early and headed to the base for the flag raising to honor Dad.

Us in front of China Lake Weapons Center where the flag raising was held. While we were waiting, I took the kids on a walk to "find rabbits" and the funniest thing happened....

The kids were happily looking in this bush for rabbits when the morning horn went off at 8:00am. It freaked Summer and Hannah out and they stared crying. Alli and Em came running over to comfort them. Parker and Ben were the concerned brothers. They quieted down pretty quickly and then the flag ceremony started. Flag Ceremony

Dad was presented with his flag and thanked for his service to the government.

Family Picture!

Most of us hadn't been on the base in a very long time. After the flag raising, Dad took us for a tour of the base. One of the stops was at our old Jr. High...Murray. We all went to school there so it brought back a lot of memories. We had fun walking around the campus.

Michael and his BFF...Einstien!Dad, Parker, and Mom by a cool Rocket...check out how pretty the surroundings are. See there are palm trees on the desert Alli and Becky!!!

Dad helped design the sidewinder mistle (hopefully I got that right)! Pretty impressive. Dad also showed us where he lived on base when he first moved to Ridgecrest and also drove us by the Military CSI.

Dad's Retirement Party

What an accomplishment to work for 40 years at the same job. It was so nice to hear what Dad did while he worked for the Federal Government. Growing up I always new it was "top secret." It was interesting to hear what his coworkers and boss shared about Dad and the legacy he is leaving. I always knew that Dad was efficient but that is an understatement. Also to hear how valued he was and how much he is going to be missed was touching. 3 patents and 1 pending is also very impressive. It was so inspiring to share this night with Dad.

Steve with the caterers....you were a good sport Steve! The food was a Mexican buffet and it was delicious. Mom decorated with a fiesta theme. She framed pictures of Dad throughout the years and had fun centerpieces on each table. Good job mom!Emily, Russ, Steve, me, Becky, Michael, Ashli, and Alli
Mom was so good to get babysitters so Alli and Em could enjoy the night without kids!
Cute Alli

Michael presented Dad with a restored bell from a retired steam engine for the family. Michael did an awesome job letting Dad know how much we respect and love him. He also did so much work restoring the bell and getting everything just right for Dad (including making sure that the everything was perfect for the party), thanks Mike! Dad was so cute, he had the biggest grin on his face all night!

Mom, me, Em, Steve, Dad, Alli, Becky, and Michael
We love our Dad!

Emily and Russ

Chocolate cake...a family favorite!

My brothers :) Steve was cracking me up, he loved this award Dad got and carried it around for a while!

It was a great night that I will always remember. I am glad I got to share this milestone with Dad. Thanks Mom and Dad for a great party.

Anna

Fun Times with Alli and kids

I had so much fun with Alli and the kids. We of course had to hit a chocolate store and then headed over to Liberty Park. Here are the kids with their bags of candy!

This picture is weird of me but it is the only one I have of me and the kids! I sure do love them.

Here is Ben at the top of the climbing wall. Summer taking a break to have a few cheetos

Summer and I got sick while they were up. Summer and I spent 2 full days on the couch. Neither of us wanted to move. We did make time for ice cream and watched Horton Hears and Who and Curious George multiple times. Even though we were sick, it was fun to have bonding time with Summer. Summer being silly with her ice cream. I think she looks so much like Alli when she was her age. Ben loved markers and painting. I was impressed at how well he can stay in the lines. Ben loved my work. We went there on two occasions. I have tons of art supplies and toys so he had a good ole time. We went to Park City over night. We ate at this restaurant in Deer Valley that overlooked a lake with ducks. It was really pretty.
Alli sure looked cute in her green dressWe explored all over the hotel. Ben especially loved the waterfall. He would tell me "Mommy and Summer can stay in the room and we can go explore, okay Aunt Carol?" It was cute and we had a good time. Alli and I made Lettuce Wraps for dinner. After the kids went to bed we watched "Confessions of a Shopoholic."
We had a view of the swimming pool so Summer and Ben wanted to eat all of their meals outside on the patio. The next day we headed back to Salt Lake and went to a matinee, shopped at Target (one of our favorite places :) and then went out to eat. I was sad to drop Alli off. I sure do miss them and I'm so glad that I get to see them in a month.

Birthday Games

There is nothing like a family game of Hungry Hungry Hippos. I remember playing it as a family when I was younger. Alli is sure a cute little sister...this was serious business for the kids. Thanks Ash, a good idea to capture the action. We also played the Wii, which is always fun!