Road Trip-Day 10

Today Kevin, Londyn, Jade and I made another short trip to the beach. It was our last chance to enjoy the ocean before beginning our trek back to the midwest. Skylar refused to go, so she stayed home. Kevin's family headed back to Portland today, so we said our goodbyes. (Ryan and Tracy we missed you, I'm sorry you couldn't join us.) We decided to take a tour of Pepperdine and visit our friend Dillon. We knew Dillon when we lived in San Jose. Every Monday night, we would go to Lewis and Nedra's, play basketball, eat dinner and watch Everybody Loves Raymond. I usually fell asleep, that's what they tell me anyway. It was great to see him and his lovely girlfriend this afternoon. We appreciate the tour and envy their Pepperdine lifestyle! We are now back in Tehachapi. We will be staying here tonight and attending church with Karen. We will be leaving early Monday morning to head back to Broken Arrow.
Our tour guides, Dillon and Becca.

Our family at Pepperdine. (The girls were a little tired. They fell asleep in the car on the way, and I'm not sure they ever actually woke up while we were there.)

Kevin's mom Raynette and her sister Karen.

Kevin's sister Nikki, Jade and of course, Kevin.

Grandmommy, Granddaddy, and the kiddos before they head back to Portland.

Skylar and Londyn ready get on the road again.

Londyn enjoying the sand one last time.

Jade and Londyn playing in the canyon.

Another day at the beach.

Road Trip-Day 9

Londyn, Jade, and Skylar primping in aunt Karen's bathroom.

The girls showing off their matching Minnie shirts.

Londyn and Kevin braving the freezing water.

Londyn playing in the sand canyon.

Me and my beach bum.

Captain Skylar

We are now in Oxnard, CA enjoying Karen's beach house. We started out the morning going to the mall which just happens to be one of my favorite places to visit in any city, but this trip wasn't for me. When Kevin started to get dressed for Disneyland a couple of days ago, he wanted to wear shorts. At that point, one week into our vacation, he realized he hadn't packed any. He only had only packed one pair of jeans for the entire two week trip. So, day 9 of our vacation he decides to go buy a pair of shorts. We spent a few minutes at the beach that afternoon, but it was a little cold, so it was a short excursion. Kevin, Londyn and I stayed a little longer because Londyn is a complete beach bum. She LOVES the ocean! The water was freezing, but it didn't hold her back a bit. As we were walking down the beach we found a canyon in the sand. We put Londyn in and she played there for quite some time, just singing to herself and messing around in the sand. It was so cute. When we finally drug her away, we were treated to a fabulous Italian dinner and just visited for the rest of the evening. The girls loved playing with their cousin Jade.

Road Trip-Day 8

Today was day 2 at Disneyland. It's hard to believe that we spent two days there and still didn't get around to doing everything. We started the day out by waiting in a very long line to see the princesses up close and personal. While Kevin waited in line, the girls and I listened to Cinderella tell a story and wound the Maypole with Belle. It was quite a lovely experience. We spent the rest of the day running around the park riding rides. We concluded the day by riding the train around the park with two very tired girls. After leaving the park, we drove a couple of hours to Oxnard, CA where we will be staying for a couple of days. Our family riding the train around Disneyland.

Am I tall enough? I love this picture of Skylar because she is so serious about her height. Her favorite ride was Splash Mountain, and she was barely tall enough to ride. Unfortunately, Londyn did not make the cut, which was a huge disappointment to her.

Taking an ice cream break at California Adventure.

A wet hug after running through the sprinkler play area.

Me, Londyn and Pluto.

The girls and Pocahontas.

Loving on Cinderella. ( I also had a picture of Jasmine, but just realized I deleted it. I'm sure you get the idea.)

Just a fun pic at the Disneyland entrance.

Road Trip-Day 7

Meeting Mickey Mouse!

I'm not sure if Skylar is so happy in this picture because she's about to meet Mickey Mouse, or because her silly daddy is wearing purple Mickey Mouse ears.

Skylar with her cousin Jade.

The girls trying to take care of Baby Jade. This is their cousin that they rarely get to see, but love dearly.

Meeting their first Disney character, Alice in Wonderland.

Having fun spinning the tea cups!

Today was the day the we've all been waiting for. Today the girls were introduced to the Magical Kingdom. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing them having so much fun. I think they were completely overwhelmed by what all there was to do. Some of the highlights included meeting the many Disney characters and riding the rides. Our Disney experience would not be complete without the Mickey Mouse ears that you see the girls sporting above. I won't be able to post for a few days, so enjoy the Disney pics, and I'll post the rest when I can.

Road Trip-Day 6

Today we drove from San Jose to Anaheim to begin our Disneyland adventure. Most of the day was pretty uneventful. It was about a 6 hour drive, so we left around 7:00AM so we could take it easy tonight and be ready for our big day tomorrow. I really thought the driving thing was going to be horrible, but it's actually been great. The girls have been excellent travelers, so it's been quite happy and peaceful, much to my amazement. We arrived in Anaheim around 1:30 this afternoon. We took a quick swim, and then headed to Downtown Disney which is just a shopping center and restaurants outside the park. The girls were completely WOUND UP!! I love that they are so excited, and they really have no idea why. They were skipping and dancing around the whole time. Anyway, we shopped around a little and had some lemonade and pretzels. We made a few stops for pictures, so I've posted a few below. The girls dancing to the music playing around the park.

Two goofy girls!

What? Did I actually capture a sweet picture of both girls looking at the camera with no tongues out or goofy faces?

Skylar and the house she built at the Lego store.

This is Londyn working on her Lego masterpiece, however, she became very frustrated that she thought Skylar was taking all of her pieces, so she quit.

Road Trip-Day 5

Today was our last day to stay in San Jose. We started our morning out with a hearty breakfast with Rick and Rebecca. It was a delicious way to start the day. Rick rode his Harley to meet us at the restaurant. He let the girls and Kevin try it out as you'll see below. We spent the rest of the day in Monterey. We made stops at the aquarium, thanks to some church friends in Milipitas for free passes, hit the beach, roamed the wharf and strolled Cannery Row. It was a beautiful day, and we couldn't have asked for better weather. The girls loved the beach. Londyn just had to get her feet wet, and we couldn't get her out of the water. Skylar spent her time at the beach searching for shells. They would've both stayed for hours if we would have let them. Thanks again Rebecca and Rick for spending your Memorial Day weekend with us! When we got back from Monterey, we went to visit Lewis and Nedra. We didn't catch them at church Sunday because they were out of town, and we could certainly not leave town without at least saying hello. Timing worked our perfectly, so they grilled for us, and we had a lovely visit. Tomorrow we will head back down south to Anaheim for the much awaited visit to Disneyland on Wednesday.

Rick showing us his new Harley.

Kevin and the girls posing on the Harley.

I had to include this picture because Skylar was so proud of herself this morning for fixing her own hair. I accidentally deleted the back view from my camera, but it was a wadded up ponytail. It was a huge feat for her to actually be able to put the rubberband in her hair. Me trying not to be an obsessive mother and telling myself it doesn't matter what my children look like, allowed her to wear her hair like this all day. You will notice in the rest of the pictures her hair is just hanging in her face becuase her creation crumbled on the car ride.

Road Trip-Day 4

Today we attended the Milpitas Church of Christ which is the congregation we worshipped with when we lived here. It's always great to come back and see everyone. It's quite a small congregation, so when we moved here and had no family, they took care of us. One of the things we always enjoyed about this church is that after services, almost everyone went out for lunch, and today was no exception. We were welcomed with open arms, and treated to a great lunch at Macaroni Grill. (Thanks Carol and Bruce) It was a short visit, but well worth it. We love seeing everyone and catching up on what everyone is doing. I can't believe it's been five years since we moved away. After lunch, we met up with Rick and Rebecca and went to San Francisco. For as many times as I've been to the city, I've never been able to get a good picture of the bridge. Today, I remembered why. I had asked that we go to the bridge to try to take some pictures. It took us about 2 and a half hours in stop and go traffic to get to where we were going, and then when we finally arrived at our destination, the fog decided to set in. The bridge was barely even visible as you will see in the pictures below. A little disappointing, but it was a nice park, and I had never been before, so it worked out ok. Following our few attempts at a picture in front of bridge, we decided to check out the wharf. It was quite crowded and little chilly, but we enjoyed some fresh crab and clam chowder from Alioto's. It was quite delicious, and a true San Francisco experience. After we ate, we headed to Pier 39 to browse around a little, and get some Ghirardehlli chocolate. All of us on Pier 39. (The girls are mesmerized by all the things going on around them. They just don't get this much excitement in Tulsa.)

We couldn't really see the bridge today due to the fog which was a bummer. So, this is Kevin in front of a poster of the bridge representing what our pictures should have looked like. Not bad, huh?

Rebecca enjoying her fresh crab, chowder and coke on wharf. Great idea Rebecca, we all enjoyed it too!

All of us finishing up our crab and clam chowder.

Me and Skylar sharing clam chowder in a bread bowl.

Me and Rebecca

Rick, Rebecca and Angel in front of the famous invisible bridge.

I know this just looks like a random picture of the girls, but it is in fact a picture of them in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was quite cold, so Skylar thought it was pretty special to get to wear Daddy's jacket.