Lots of vacationing and "stay"cationing.

 

 

The last two weeks have been jam packed with vacationing and boy am I not complaining! We've had a blast. We started the festivities off by spending a day at Folsom Lake. Beautiful day, cool water and plenty of fools gold to collect, what could have made it better? real gold maybe?

Then we attended one of the bigger events of the year which was my brother's sealing and reception in Oakland. Sam and Milo fell in love with their cousins and we had many motel room parties during the stay.

Milo's trying to show off for the bride to be during the rehearsal dinner.

It was pretty chilly but that didn't stop the pool goers. There is something so special about cousins.

Just married! Such a good looking couple!

The reception was amazing. Sam yelled out during the musical number at the ring ceremony "hello everybody!" as loud as he could. It was one of my more proud moments :) The house was gorgeous, the food was mouthwatering and everything just looked beautiful. I was pretty emotional the whole day because I was so happy my brother was having such a memorable wedding and of course that he found someone so good and perfect for him. Change is exciting, hard and often times difficult to embrace but I am so glad it's all happened.

Milo with his cousin Georgianna. Uncle Mike is pretty cozy so Milo thought he'd get in on the action.

Sam was so unbelievably wired by the end of the evening. During the dancing he just ran around, pushing through people and yelling as loud as he could. He did this until he literally collapse on me and that's when I knew it was time to go home. It was such a blast.

The next day my sister found a cute amusement park called Fairytown. All the attractions were geared toward younger kids so it was the perfect activity.

Sliding down the grass hill was one of the highlights. I love seeing everyone in action.

After our exciting weekend in Oakland we decided to stay close to home for a couple of days before heading down for a 2nd reception in So Cal. Our first family excursion was kayaking on the Natomas river. Milo was not so sure about this life jacket at first but as you can tell he warmed up to the idea of looking like a blow fish.

Sam is so cute. I can always tell when he is having fun because these are his catch phrases "is this fun?" "I am having a good day" "this is a good idea for me" "I am so exciting" "what are we doing?" and "I love you mom".

Roseville aquatic center. We are actually having a lot of fun despite the look on their faces.

We spent a day in Tahoe which was such a good idea! The lake was perfect temperature and so beautiful.

  Another lake goer lent us his boogie board which ended up being a huge hit with Sam. He'

s taking it very seriously.

The next leg of our vacation was to pack up the car again and head down to Southern California for the 2nd reception. We stayed with Hank's parents which was just delightful as always. Little Sam and Grandma Marty have a new game they play where they say to each other in silly voices "I'm Chhannnging!" while making strange faces. This came about from Sam's reaction to Grandma Marty's comment "Sam you've changed so much". I know I've got a weird kid.

Milo missed most of the reception due to his bedtime but he did get a little Papa Harv time. The reception was very cool (all due to my sister Anna's creative talent). If we had had a better camera we probably could have gotten better pictures. Oh well.

Another night of frantic dancing and running around? yes please!

Sam pretty much thought the band was the coolest and scariest thing he had ever experienced. It was nice of them to let the kids play with their guitars.

A day at the beach; the best way to relax after a wedding reception. Mama Nell was on Milo patrol which Milo thoroughly enjoyed and Sam pretty took care of himself. At one point I saw Sam playing with a little girl and asked him "what are ya doing Sam", "Oh I found this guy" he responded as he pointed to her. It was pretty cute, I thought. I don't remember the last time I went to the beach and actually body surfed. It was so much fun! and a little terrifying.

Now we are back and ready for some normalcy...

oh wait...well I'll just say we're back.

Trips and Visits

I decided to take a last minute trip down to So Cal to see my brother before he gets married and moves far away. It was a delightful trip but a little sad to have to accept change in the family. Milo and his cousin Georgianna became fast friends. They have a lot in common. They both like to sit in their Bumbos and put toys in their mouths.

I would say the highlight of the trip for Sam was visiting the "model train train museum" which is essentially a model train town run by some enthusiasts next to a museum. Sam could name all the different types of trains and impressed everyone. The highlight for the trip for me was all the time I got to spend with my brother. I really hope my kids end up being as close to their siblings as I am to mine.

I just told him he could stay up late and watching "The Killing" with us. As you can tell he got really excited.

California State Fair! The petting zoo was a big highlight, though it took a while to warm up to the idea of large animals sticking their enormous tongues in your face.

Sam was a pro after a few courageous tries.

The wizard room! it was like a mini children's museum. Sam didn't make many friends as he kept knocking down everyone's blocks and then wrestling with the blocks on the floor.

Bethany ans Sean! My sister and her fiance took a road trip down to my parent's house and we were one of the stops along the way. Yeah for us! Sam was beside himself with joy. I think he has a crush on Bethany. I told Sam that Bethany and Sean were getting married and his response was "Bethany and Sean are getting married? Bethany and Sam are getting married!"

We had a blast with them. Here we are hiking, swimming and talking on the American river. I think Sam is now either used to the idea of Sean marrying Bethany or thinks he has to be like Sean to get Bethany. Sam continued to say "I'm like Sean! I'm kind of like him". Maybe Sam just really admires Sean which I am thrilled about.I am even more thrilled Bethany is marrying such a sweet guy. Yeah for Sean!