Whenever we are planning some type of trip or something big my pregnancies tend to get in the way. I did not want to miss this one all of Sean's immediate family would be there and the majority of his cousins, aunts, and uncles. So I was pleasantly surprised when the Dr. gave me the ok to drive to CA. She gave me strict instructions about driving and then about being careful while there and staying down as much as possible. So away we went it took us a couple of days to drive we staying in Salt Lake City, UT and then again in Las Vegas, NV. We were able to meet up with Jenelle and their kids to carpool with from SLC to CA. It was nice to have someone for Carter to run with when we were at lunch and the stops along the way. We had a good time getting there and I am so glad we took as long as we did. *I wish I had more pictures of the trip because these really don't do it justice.
Once we arrived we got checked into our hotel. We stayed at the World Mark right there close to the beach. Almost everyone at the reunion stayed in the same place which made it really fun! We bunked up with Jen and Shane. The rooms were perfect they had 2 bedrooms, 2 bath, a hida-bed and also a full kitchen, washer and dryer. It was great to have breakfast before the beach and to be able to pack lunches to take with us.
No one had any major plans for the first night of arrival so Sean and I took the boys out on the Pier to eat at Ruby 's. It was fun to have the night together and just hang out before all the fun began!
Walking back to the car there was a band playing some music and Sam was jamming out on Sean's shoulders. The people behind us got a good kick out of him saying, "here is the first redheaded white rapper." Everywhere we go people always think we are a strange family being redheads and all. But it makes for some fun conversations!
Over the next week we spent most of our days at the beach! I am not a huge fan of the beach all day but am learning to love it. One of these days when we go to the beach I will truly be able to enjoy it and not have a little one running around or be pregnant. But it was so much fun to watch the boys have a total riot. Sean took Carter out on the boggy boards and he was actually able to catch some waves. He loved it until he lost it once and then didn't want anything to do with it after that. He mostly stayed in the sand playing with cousins digging and building forts.
This is how we found Sam the majority of the trip. He had so much sand in his diaper it was crazy. I just had to learn that it is not going to kill him and it is okay! He was as happy as could be just playing and running free. He needed close watching because he is fearless - he would crawl out to the water without hesitation.
The facial expression says it all!
Carter and Brigham playing in the water and digging in the sand. For being fair skinned and all we all came out alright, no major sunburns! :)
One of the days we had a free-day so we took the kids to Scripps Aquarium. It was small but fun. We went with the Nye family, the Hassler family and the Zach West family. My favorite part were the Seahorses! Carter loved looking in the tide pool and petting the star fish. I love aquariums or anything like it! It is fun to see things that you don't get to see everyday. Not sure everyone else had as much fun as we did, but it was worth it.
Carter loves little toys. He has one with him at all times. Of course he couldn't have the picture without his ninja being in it!
Here are the cousins in the shark mouth! It is always fun to be with family and watch the kids play together. One thing I realized on this trip was that watching my kids play and have fun is one of the greatest joys in my life. It is so rewarding to be a parent.
So much more went on during the week that I do not have pictures of. Every night one of the Rossell siblings took charge on the dinner/activity. The theme was The Rossell Reunion Ticket to Ride. Every night we stopped at a different stop for some fun. I know I am missing a tons of things, but this is going strictly off my memory.Sunday= First stop Italy (Grandma Gege took charge)! We had amazing lasagna and salad. We mostly just spent the night visiting and catching up with everyone!
Monday= (Todd Rossell and Kim Berry families)! Everyone enjoyed sloppy joes and yummy salad with retro jello cups and cake! Then we played a fun game of memory. Grandma dressed in a sweet dress with all sorts of stuff attached and we had to remember everything we saw.
Tuesday= Date night out! We ate at the Clam Jumper. It was a nice place to eat and catered to everyone.
Wednesday= Mexico (Renee West clan)! We had cafe rio style salad with all the fixins. After dinner we played Minute to Win it group style and then had a birthday party for Craig Rossell. Topped off with a pinata of course! It was a great night and turned out to be a lot of fun.
Thursday= Free day
Friday=(Craig Rossell)! We had grill chicken and grilled corn on the cob on the beach. I wasn't feeling well this night so I stayed in , but everyone else enjoyed a testimony meeting together and said our goodbyes. We ended up going into triage this night. I was just feeling really crampy and was hesitant to drive home feeling this way. It was more for a piece of mind. Things ended up fine and we were able to drive home without incident.
It was a great reunion. I give credit to Krista for getting everything put together and the whole West clan for making everything work!!
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