California

Joshua and I had so much fun in California. The trip started out a little shaky with everyone getting sick, but it all worked out and ended up being a great trip (Besides the fact that Caleb was not there, then it would have been really great). The first week we just kind of hung out... went running with my sister, went out to lunch lots, went to the beach, went to Target, and my other favorite stores that we don't have in Vermont (mainly Trader Joe's), and just relaxed since none of us were feeling that great. It was a really fun relaxing week.

When the weekend came things started to pick up. On Saturday we met my brother John's family for lunch in Santa Barbara. Joshua had fun being with his Cousin Braddock who is 6 months older than him. This is my parents with "Braddy" in his matching grandpa shirt.

After that we drove up to Arroyo Grande to Susan Branch's birthday Party. I loved it. We got to meet her and have her sign a book for us. She is my favorite scrap booking and cute things artist. Here is her site if you don't know her work http://www.susanbranch.com/
She was super nice and loved the babies. It was a wonderful & special girls' day out.



On Sunday the whole family met for dinner to celebrate my nephew's birthday at my brother Travis' house. It was also a chance to see my nephew Jared again before he leaves on his mission May 7th. We played games, took a walk to the beach and hung out together.

Travis, John and my Dad. Some of the grandkids.



We attempted to take a picture of the three little babies...it didn't work out to well.



Then Tuesday we went for a walk on the beach to have a picnic and tide pools.



Wednesday we went down to Camarillo for my niece's Baptism. It was really beautiful. My nephew (her brother) who just got home from his mission baptized her and her dad confirmed her. This is Isabel right before her Baptism with Emma. These are some more of the grandkids with grandma.



Thursday was Gam's (that is what we call my grandma) 90th birthday. She is amazing! I just hope I have some of her longevity genes in me. She is still completely independent, gardens, dances and her mind is still perfect. She even does a lot of crossword puzzles. At the party I got to see all my extended family... a bunch of whom had never seen Joshua before. Plus all my brothers and sister and their kids were there. My uncle and his band played music, so we were all dancing and had a great time. It was kind of dark so the pictures all turned out a little funny.

The three youngest with their youngest babies. John and Braddock, Elizabeth and Ezra, and Joshua and I. These three babies are within 6 months of each other and love playing together. Of course we couldn't get them to look.



My uncle Ronny and Bobby singing. Gam and her four kids



My dad and his mom dancing.



Joshua and I with Gam and my sister and Ezra.



Gam and her 21 Great Grandkids, 18 of them are my nephews and nieces. Someone cut some of them out of the picture when they took it.



Gam and 7 of her 8 Grandkids. My brother John had to go home a little early with the baby. The picture got stretched and everyone looks really chubby :)



Friday I flew home. It was a busy great trip, and so much fun to see everyone. Joshua already misses playing with all his cousins. He constantly wants me on the ground playing with him now, so I am really missing all the cousins for him to play with :).

The Beach!!!

Caleb is so sad, we went to the beach today and had a picnic. It was such a great day, it was about 82 and not breezy at all. I was so excited to take Joshua to the beach for his first real beach experience. He has been either to little to get down and play, or it has been to cool for picnics and stuff. I was afraid he would not like the sand like he didn't like grass. I was wrong. He loved the sand. I put him on the blanket and he crawled right to the sand and started digging in it. After a while he noticed the water and started to crawl down all excited. The water was pretty cold but he absolutely loved it. He thought it was like a gigantic bathtub. He would stand and the water would come get his feet and he would laugh and laugh. Then we started to chase the wave and he was loving it. Afterwards he would not stay on the blanket and in the shade, all he wanted was to see the water. He is a real water dog. Caleb and I both loved the water as babies and kids. Every weekend we would take a family walk to the beach and we weren't ever supposed to go swimming we were just playing and walking. Somehow I would always accidentally trip into the water and get all wet. After that is would just be a waste to not go all the way in and swim and play. It was always the big joke that no matter what somehow I would always go swimming.

Down to the water...

Testing the water...then loving the water.

Digging in the sand with his shovel and pale.

Stealing Ezra's shovel.

The Pain and Torture

Joshua and I are in California. We took the trip kind of on a whim. Three weeks before we left we were not going to go. Then it started to snow again so I called my parents and told them we would come. Anyway, there is a lot going on, there is a huge family reunion/birthday party for my grandma's 90th birthday, my oldest nephew just got home from his mission, my other nephew will be leaving for his, and my niece is getting baptized...so it is a chance to see everyone in my family. So my dad got us these great tickets right into Santa Barbara. We flew from Burlington to New York with a 2 hour lay over, and then from New York to Salt Lake City with a two hour lay over and then direct into Santa Barbara. Which made for a 30 minute drive home instead of a 2 hour and 45 minute drive home (depending on traffic). Which after 15 hours of travel is a really really long drive.

The flights were all going great, perfectly on time, Joshua was being wonderful.... We even got to see his Grandma and Grandpa Bailey and Uncle Joseph in Salt Lake during our lay over. They brought me my favorite dinner in the whole world, a grilled chicken Cafe Rio salad, and took us to a great clean spot near the airport where Joshua was able to crawl around. It was a real life saver. I was starved and Joshua was happy to get down and see everyone. So up to this point the trip was going great. Then we get on the plane to Santa Barbara. Joshua is really tired so he goes right to sleep. Someone on the plane decided they were cold, so the flight attendant turned the heater on. The plane ended up getting up to like 102 degrees, we were all dripping with sweat, and Joshua was drenched and kept waking up because he was uncomfortable. Luckily the flight is short about an hour and 10 minutes, so before I knew it they say they are descending. The pilot puts the gear down and starts to land, I look out the window and see the run way lights and get so excited that I am about down with these flights. By this time my butt, back and arms were so so tired from holding a baby on my lap all day, plus it was 1 am my time and I had not slept since 7:30 am when I woke up at home, so my nerves were wearing thin. Anyway I see the lights we are going down and all of a sudden the pilot jerks the plane up and we start to fly away again. He says it is really foggy and he couldn't land. He was going to try one more time and if he couldn't land again he was going to fly us to LAX! So I start to pray and pray and almost burst into tears. He circles and tries one more time...I see the ground and am so excited and then he pulls up again. I started to cry. Meanwhile my parents are watching my plane and frantically are trying to figure out what is happening. Finally they let them know that they are taking us to LAX. They jump in the car and start speeding down there to pick us up. The flight to LAX is only 30 minutes, so we landed quick, but they wouldn't let us off the plane. At least the doors were opened and the plane cooled down. I called my parents and they are already about an hour or so away, they were going pretty fast. So the pilot says they are going to get a bus for all the passengers to take them to Santa Barbara, but they can't let anyone off until they figure out the arrangements. Joshua wakes up and is really fussing so I ask if a can deplane since I wont be taking the bus, of course I couldn't. A half hour latter and a lot a frantic phone calls... they finally let us out on the gang plank. Apparently there was a miss communication and the bus they ordered to be there at 11 pm was sent back. They thought we were going to turn around and try Santa Barbara again. The pilot gives us two options. We could get back on the plane and risk going to Santa Barbara again, but if we can't land they bring us back to LAX and provide no transportation, or we could take a bus. Both options would be a one to two hour turn around time. I say my parents are coming and I just need to know were my luggage is going to be they say I have to wait until they make a decision before I can get my luggage, including my gate checked stroller. Finally they bring us to the gate area, and we sit there for a half an hour before they announce that they ordered a bus which will be there in 45 minutes to an hour and our luggage is in baggage claim waiting. At this point it has been an hour and 45 minutes of waiting on the plane, gang plank, and gate area, and Joshua is very upset. The worst of it was that while we were waiting we found out that two planes landed in Santa Barbara after we left... so we just had an incompetent pilot. My parents were there to rescue 15 minutes after I got my luggage. Most of the other passengers ended up paying for a seat on the airbus, but I don't think a bus ever came for anyone because everyone scattered and they never gave us a pick up spot, and in LAX you will never find your bus without an exact pick up spot. We left the airport at 12:15 and got home at 2:30 CA time 5:30 am VT time. I doubt I ever would have made it if my parents hadn't come for me. All in all it was 20 hours of traveling and holding a baby the entire time, I absolutely hate Delta. I still have never had a on schedule normal flight with them. Jet Blue or Southwest are the only way to go.

After a day of rest we forgot about our terrible day and have been really enjoying our trip. From the stress Joshua and I both got bad colds and gave them to everyone here, but we are almost all recovered.

Joshua is really enjoying all the sunshine. It has been low 70s to high high 60s with a pretty cool breeze, but starting today it is going to be mid 80's. Joshua being sick with a fever and cold I have kept him in his fleece jacket outside, but today he wont need it. He doesn't really know what to do outside. He will finally touch the grass but that took two days! He really likes the dirt and patio. He really loves being with his cousins... and this black marker pen!







Ezra taught Joshua to crawl at Christmas and now he is teaching him to walk. Joshua has been cruising everywhere and has taken one or two steps to get to something!