Annual Monterey Trip

We took our annual trip to Monterey in March. I was there all week for a conference and Dada and the kids joined me Thursday night. The kids were very excited about my hotel room, especially the shower that did not have a door. They played in it, jumped on the beds and finally calmed down and went to sleep. 

The next morning they played with Dada while I finished the conference. We had lunch and headed to the aquarium for a few hours before going to the Shoff's. Emmett was absolutely crazy when we got there so I put him down for a super late nap. I ended up having to wake him up close to 7:00 to eat dinner! Clara was so excited to play with Kiera and had been talking about it for weeks! Her expectations were met and they played with dolls, dressed up, and read. Liam played with Emmett and we were excited to hang out with David and Lizanne and had a great time catching up once the kids went to bed.

Mama's shoes are so fun!

The next morning all eight of us headed out for breakfast burritos before the aquarium. The kids had a blast at the aquarium. Emmett loved the penguins, fish, and the play area. Clarita really liked the scuba divers cleaning the tanks, the penguin feeding, and of course, coloring a fish. Emmett tried to color a fish but kept hitting all of the buttons and getting mad when it disappeared. I think he's still a little young. 

Apparently the aquarium was exhausting because Emmett fell asleep on the five minute drive to Trader Joe's and remained asleep while I carried him through the store. He never woke up and we ended up putting him right to bed when we got back. We all ate lunch and David and Dada went snorkeling while I attempted to take a nap with the kids. Unfortunately, Emmett woke up right as Clara and I fell asleep so I got up and played with him. Liam helped me entertain Emmett while I got dinner ready which was nice. He is really great with kids. We all went to the park before dinner and Lizanne and I tried the kids' adjustable roller blades out. They were pretty awesome! Clara rode a little toy bike all the way to and from the park! After dinner the kids played and went to bed exhausted while we hung out and drank wine.

Both kids woke up bright and early Sunday morning. Dada went for a bike ride and the kids and I went to church with the Shoffs. Clara refused to go to Sunday school but Emmett went to the nursery and only cried for a minute before getting distracted. We walked to a park (up a super steep hill) when we got back and passed Dada on his bike coming down. The kids had a great time playing and then we headed back (Emmett fell asleep), ate lunch, played a little and hit the road. It was a super fun weekend and Clarita is already asking when she can see Kiera again!

Liam reading to Emmett

Fairy princesses

Jessie

Both kids fell asleep on the way home and slept for awhile. We met los Tios at Red Robin for the annual March birthday dinners and Clarita and Bailey were so excited to see each other! They ran to each other and hugged then walked around holding hands. You'd think they hadn't seen each other for years! It was a long weekend, but full of fun!

Taking orders

Reunited!

Stealing Mama's fresas