Adventures in Cali

This past week we were very fortunate to have Trav's mom visit. We had a blast and were very sad to see her go. Since we had such a filled week with her I am going to make 2 posts. This week and last week. :)

The first day we played with Grandma we took Ethan to Story Time in Lancaster. We got to play a lot and read a story about the ocean. Ethan got to make a starfish and had tons of fun playing. That same night I was able to go to a Relief Society activity while the rest of the family hung out. It was a great night out and was one of the best Relief Society activities I have ever been to. We learned about water color painting and book writing. It was very fun.

On Thursday we hit the beach at Santa Monica. Gramma took Ethan on his first carnival ride and all four of us (Tina, Eth, Josh, and me) rode on the Carousel. We shared an absolutely amazing fruit cup and played in the sand. We also went to the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. It was great and they even had touch tanks so Ethan got to touch some star fish and sea cucumbers. We got a lot of sun and had a lot of fun!

Friday we met Travis on base for lunch and then went to the airplane museum. There were some really cool planes. We also went to a baseball game and In'n'Out Burger. It was a very nice evening out. The burgers were fabulous as well as the shakes and the game was good too. Ethan played on the bouncy toys for the first hour and by 9 was very worn out. Both of the kids fell asleep during the fireworks and stayed asleep 'til we put them in the car. We were amazed they slept through the noise.

Saturday was a day for adventure. We saw the Hollywood sign and ventured down Hollywood Boulevard. We even saw someone famous. We were not sure who it was but everyone was taking pictures. We have decieed to go back but without the kids. They were a little restless. We stopped at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory to validate our parking pass and got a Snickers Caramel Apple. It was delicious. We then meandered down to Santa Monica Beach again (you'd think we liked it there, ;) ). We played on the beach and ate a picnic lunch then headed back towards Palmdale. On our way we stopped off at the LA temple and took some pictures. It was right off Santa Monica Boulevard so it wasn't too hard to find. That night Tina let Trav and I go out for a date and we went and played arcade games and saw The Last Song. It was a wonderful day.

A little funny side note to end the week: When we told Ethan that Gramma was coming he got excited and said "Michael". Poor Gramma got called "Michael" the entire time she was here. For some reason "Michael" = Gramma. We tried all week but failed. "Michael" is probly the word he knows best in his vocabulary. :)