LA, San Diego

We spent Labor Day weekend with family and friends down south. We first dropped in on our good old UCLA friends Chad, Kimber, Abe, and their newest addition, River. They treated us to a BBQ feast in the University Village gazebo, where we used to live (in the Village, not the gazebo).

Isaac really liked the grilled corn.

Bethany and Isaac are just a few months younger than Abe, but my little sweethearts turned into total bullies as soon as we got there--tag-teaming to sneak off with as much of Abe's stuff as possible. With some encouragement from Kimber, Abe stood up for himself and then all the kids got along fine with their newfound mutual respect.

Abraham and Isaac had slight a rough patch, but it was all good in the end.

(As the story goes.)

Next stop was to see Great-grandma Dot (Jared's grandmother) in San Diego. Jared's family typically gathers at her place on most holidays, so we got to see a bit of the fam while we were there. We even went to a movie (The Help) with Grandma, Dave and Kathy while cousins Emma and Grace babysat.

The kids, of course, were most fascinated by Ginger, Grandma's new rat terrier. They both took turns walking the dog. I love this pic of Grandma Dot with Bethany.

Funny story--during nap time, Grandma's house phone rang and I remembered that there was a cordless phone left in the babies' room. I went in to get it and found Isaac like this:

Look closely, he had lined his pack n play with labels, folders, papers, and a thick hard cover book. His shins were covered in labels. I looked at the bookshelf that was within reach and he had completely cleared off two shelves. I could hardly control my laughing as I cleared out the crib and ended up with a stack about 6 inches thick. Moving him to clean it out wasn't a problem--this kid was OUT. I'm not sure how much of this action Bethany caught--she was sleeping peacefully about a foot away. This was some fun he had before drifting off!

Last but not least, we got to spend all day Tuesday with Stacie, my BFF (heart necklace and all) since first grade, and her cute 2 year old daughter Cameron and husband Jeff. They live in San Diego too and I'm so happy to live near them again. Stace is expecting another little girl #2 in January, yay!

After naps and admiring Cam's incredible post-nap hair, the hot + humid conditions made it a perfect time to toss the kids in the inflatable pool. Jeff's parents were also there, adding hilarious grandparent commentary. No wait--they came all the way from Massachusetts for the week, so yeah, it was me and my brood that were "also there."

Stacie and I stuck our feet in as well--best idea ever. And then, I caught Cameron's adorableness on video--new best idea ever. Watch and don't miss the end!

The day ended perfectly with a picnic dinner on the beach at Coronado Island. The sand was sooo soft, I didn't even mind that a little got on my sandwich. Jared had to leave earlier in the day, but with everyone's help with watching the kids, it was a really peaceful end to a great weekend.

And then I paid $4.29 and 9/10 for gas.

The end.