Thanksgiving in CA: Part 1

I prepared for the worst...traveling with 3 small children...I told myself it would not be easy. BUT, even though it wasn't easy, it really wasn't bad at all and we all had a wonderful time!

Emmeline was quite the traveler and even enjoyed her own seat for a few minutes on the airplane:) All the kids did great...of course there were moments when they got a little fussy, but nothing we couldn't manage. I'm so proud of ALL of them (and of Ed and I:)

The weather was a bit cooler this year, so we spent more time inside. But that's okay, because we found plenty to keep us entertained. Ed's aunt and uncle live their lives surrounded by music, and we enjoyed it in so many ways while we were there. Sam loves the guitar and would play songs for us "upon request." He did quite well for a 3-year-old!

The girls even got a little hands-on exposure to the instruments and loved it when someone was playing the piano or guitar.

I think they will enjoy their turn playing Uncle Doug's guitar too:) For now the case was fun to climb on and explore!

We did manage to take advantage of one very nice afternoon to go to the beach. We are so thankful for a bit of nice weather because we all had such a great time! We revisited the carousel Sam went on last year for the first time. This year we went on 3 times in a row and Sam chose a different animal each time. He LOVED it!
After we dragged Sam away from the carousel, we walked down to the beach and had some fun.

The girls did great and really enjoyed the sand. It's such a treat to be able to do this and we always create such fun memories.

One thing is for sure...Sam loved every minute he spent with Uncle Doug and Aunt Denise and soaked up all of their attention. He absolutely adores them. During this trip, he developed a special admiration for A. Denise...she has risen through the ranks and now sits right up there with Mimi and Nana...that is quite a compliment! I love seeing these connections build with each successive visit and am so blessed for the role they play in our childrens lives.

The rest of the trip was a bit "chillier." We went for an outing to see the Christmas decorations and festivities at a local outdoor mall, where we went last year also. But it was a tad bit chillier this year:) Almost felt like we were back in Wisconsin...minus the snow!

Luckily we were prepared for cooler weather. The girls looked quite cute with their rosy cheeks!

We are so thankful for our time with Doug and Denise and had such a great visit with them. Each year we create new memories and have so many fun pictures and videos to remember our visit by. Thank You Doug and Denise for making this trip so special for all of us!