California trip {day 1}

Our flight left at 5:20am, so we had a very early morning! What was so funny was that we didn't have to wake either of the kids up - they both woke up on their own by about 2:30. 

We had a lot to haul around - 3 big duffels, 2 big car seats, 2 umbrella strollers, and a backpack/bag for each of us. Tyler was seriously the hero of the trip, getting carts and loading and unloading everything as I kept the kids out of the way.

Tyler and Millie sat on one side of the aisle, with Max and I on the other. They were both so good on the flight and slept a little bit.

Hard to tell from the pic below, but I saw a rainbow out the window below us! I'd never been "somewhere over the rainbow" before.

We eventually got to our rental car. We couldn't check in to our hotel in Anaheim for a few hours, so we cruised down Highway 1 and stopped at a beach along the way.

Seal Beach was beautiful! Lots of big seashells.

I got Millie a little dry erase number pad and it totally kept her busy through all the travel time.

Made it to Anaheim! Found our hotel and a Walmart, where we got stuff for our lunches while we were there.

The Candy Cane Inn was really cute and had a fun pool!

It also had a free shuttle to Disneyland! We took the shuttle over to check out the area and get the kids some chicken nuggets right by the entrance.

We were all so excited to go to Disneyland the next day!

Family fun

We got to have some fun cousin/sister time in June. Kim and her family spent some time in the States between moving from Cambodia to Belgium! It had been over a year since we had seen them and we were so excited. Steph came from NM too so it was a mini-reunion for a couple of days.

Millie and Eva discovered they have the same shirt!

Having some art time.

We thought it would be fun to tie dye t-shirts with the kids. It was messy but turned out really cute! The kids love their shirts.

One of the things Millie wanted to do this summer was have an art show! So we asked the cousins to "submit" some pieces and we had the show while everyone was here. I tried to do it outside but it was too windy, so we strung everything up in the hall. They loved walking through and seeing each other's art!

Had to finish the day with popsicles.

Steph recently became a Piyo instructor, so she showed us her stuff. Linds and I tried to follow along as best we could. 

Went to see Finding Dory! We all loved it.

After the movie with all the kids wearing or displaying their shirts. 

And of course swimming!

Another Piyo workout. I was always grateful for interruptions from the kids.

More swimming, this time at Grandma's pool.

It's so fun seeing these 3 cousins interact as they get older. 

Max was pretty tuckered out from the week! He actually ended up getting sick right before we left on our trip. I felt so bad but luckily he was over the worst of it by the time we left.

Father's Day Weekend

Tyler had to go out of town for a training and his flight was on Father's Day in the morning, so we celebrated with him the day before. We tried to see Finding Dory in theaters but it was sold out, so we saw Angry Birds instead. Not as good but still a fun family outing. 

The kids wouldn't cooperate for a nice picture before Tyler left on Sunday morning, so this was the best we got. These kids are so lucky to have Tyler as their dad - he works tirelessly for them and loves them so much. I love seeing our kids through his eyes at the end of the day. When he comes home he is so excited to see them and I'm reminded that they really are cute and that I love them haha.

I took the kids to church and we went to my parent's for dinner. These rolls were my contribution, and I was so glad to have an excuse to make them!

We got my dad the book "How to Babysit a Grandpa" and we all laughed while he read it. 

These holidays mean more to me as I get older and as I learn to appreciate my dad and husband and all the father figures in my life. We love them all very much!