and...we're back

what an amazing trip we had. i would almost venture to say the best we've taken so far out to california. i always love going out there, and this time was no exception. i think the weather played a BIG factor in our trip. the 100 degree weather left us and we were greeted with 70 degree weather the entire time. i had to wear a sweater at night.....LOVING that!

the kids did amazingly well on our road trip. i wasn't sure how they would handle being in the car that long but with every movie you could imagine and a bag full of colors and books, they did great. we did "break the law" during part of our drive and push the seats down so they could lay down and relax. they sleep very well in the car when it's like that so we do it. of course by the last two hours of the trip everyone is ready to get there, so it's a little rough, but overall i have no complaints, except that every time i go, i always want to stay longer.

we packed our six days full of things to do and everyone loved every minute!

-on friday, the girls went to beverly hills and shopped on melrose. shopping on melrose is my FAVORITE part. great shops, great scenery, love it.

-the boys played golf and went to a red sox pub. as far as i know, they enjoyed themselves!

-saturday we went to the beach and were pleasantly surprised by getting to spend the entire day in an amazing beach house. my sister's boyfriend was house-sitting and was kind enough to let us use the house as our hang-out spot for the day. so we took a walk down venice beach (oh so much to see) and then grilled at the beach house later that night. the kids LOVED the beach!

-sunday we went to an angels game which was a lot of fun. i'm not a huge baseball fan but i do love watching the games at the stadium. i think if i got to do that more often, i'd be more of a fan. we had lots of fun and later that night went back to the beach house for more grilling! i've got to get me one of those!

-monday we spent the day in santa monica where's there's more fun shopping and the pier. the kids enjoyed that too, they got to ride a couple of rides and play a game. another of my favorites....pretty much go there every time we're in town.

-tuesday we took our time getting ready then headed out to meet lil sis downtown where she works. b stayed at her apt with the kiddos and nicki (my cousin) and i rode the bus to meet her for lunch and a little more shopping. i love riding the bus. it's a very interesting experience and very hassle free! after lunch and a few shops we met b and the kids and headed to the tarpits. jake thought this was pretty cool but insisted they did NOT find bones in the tar, only in sand. it took quite a bit convincing for him to believe us. our last stop on tuesday was hollywood. the chinese theater, the stars on hollywood blvd., i was excited to see michael jackson's star which i'd seen before but of course means a little more now that he's gone. there was a huge line waiting to get pics with his star, i snuck in from behind and captured a few. it was cool.

-wednesday we headed home. i'm always sad to go. yes i shed a few tears and even jake didn't want to leave....we'll be back soon. more sooner than later i hope.

thank you sis and jeff for the greatest summer vacation! the kids had a blast and so did we! can't wait to see you again!

pics coming soon!