Veterans Day Away from LA

We had a three-day weekend to celebrate Veterans Day and my parents invited us to Sacramento to adventure with them. They got home from Hawaii the day before we showed up and you'd think they'd want some time to unwind from their trip but no, they're seriously super-parents and somehow even better grandparents and were so excited that we accepted their offer. 

Unfortunately James had to stay back in LA to work, but Meghan and Hunter hopped in the car with us after school on Thursday and we made it back to Sac in record time and with no stops. We rolled in at 8 pm which was plenty of time to eat my parents delicious dinner leftovers, snag some freshly-baked cookies and make a mess of their perfectly clean retired home! I just love being home, love, love, LOVE being home, and this time was no different.

I showed up at my parents door only to see that my Dad and I were matchy-matchy from head to toe (black tee and jeans). We are already selfie pros so why not pull out the camera within seconds of being home?! I love him and how he is so deliberate about making time for and giving attention to the ones he loves.

One of the funniest stories of the trip came the first morning we were there when Pepa poured himself a giant bowl of Reese's cereal for breakfast. Talmage asked if he could have some, and Pepa pulled out a little bowl that fit maybe twenty pieces of cereal. T was cracking up and pretending to be mad when Everett walked in and also asked for a bowl of cereal. You should have seen the shocked and disgusted and frankly hilarious look on Everett's face when Pepa pulled out the teeniest little bowl and put maybe 3 pieces of cereal inside it! Evie was like, "WHAT? Dats all da ceweal I get? Dats cwazy! It's wike thwee pieces!" and we all laughed soooo hard. The next day T was randomly in the kitchen laughing and when Mema asked him why he told her that he was still thinking about Pepa and the cereal!

My parents and I were trying to figure out what to do with our Friday and ended up at the bowling alley for my kids first venture into bowling. It was so much fun and for a half second I thought I wanted to follow my Noni's footsteps and join a bowling league!

My Dad couldn't bowl because he has a bum shoulder so he sat on the sidelines and cheered us on. I have a feeling that he would have whooped us had he been in the game, so it probably worked to our advantage.

My level of obsession with my Mama is off the charts. I LOVE being with her, having her attention and feeling of her love. She is the greatest and I try and try to be more like her.

It was so fun to watch my littlest turkey and her siblings play in my parents expansive yard. Honestly their backyard is what dreams are made of.

All babies flock to Mema at all times, but especially when it's bedtime and she comes to the couch bearing books. She added a new one to the mix this year--Llama Llama Gram and Grampa and it was so cute.

I won't say we came to Sacramento for the donuts, but we kind of came to Sacramento for the donuts! Apple cider donuts, that is, in Apple Hill. We usually stick to caramel apples at High Hill Ranch but this year we hopped from farm to farm and tried a treat or played a game at every place along the way. Our first stop was Rainbow Orchard for donuts that were every bit as good as how my parents explained. Crispy on the outside and smooth as butter on the inside with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar on the outside. Oooh, I could go for another one of those right now!

The next farm found our kids mining for gems and fossils. You CANNOT believe how excited they were over this! Last time we did this Quinn was so not interested but this time she was ALL over panning with her brothers. It was darling.

Cora was being super shy with Meghan's sister Caitlyn and it was so cute. She wanted her attention at all times but if Caitlyn got too close or gave her too much attention, she'd give this coy smile.

Pepa is the greatest grandpa I could imagine for my boys. He plays with them, teases them and teaches them (somewhat) naughty things that make them laugh, but he also shows them how family loves each other and gives them an example of how to be a well-rounded, happy and successful man.

They may raise the prices every single year but that doesn't keep us (eh-hem, Mema) from buying pony rides for the kids. It's tradition! Quinn loved her pony ride so much it makes me want to buy the chica one of her own. She was smiling and waving and even though the ride-time was more than generous she begged us to let her go on another time (next year, baby girl!) I can't believe that it was just a few years ago that Talmage was riding this horse. My feelings were so tender at that time and I was so confused about why T was so sure his sister wanted to come when obstacles kept being stacked in our way. Well, perspective is a beautiful thing and now to see his little sister on this horse was so special. (T's story here)

Who wants a normal caramel apple when you can have a worms and dirt one?! And do you see Pepa hiding in the background?!

Date night with my Dad-man for Jimboy's tacos (the most delicious greasy tacos in existence) and the adult session of stake conference--woot woot! My Mom was a saint and stayed home to feed my babies and put them all to bed and it was so fun to get out.

At the last minute Chase flew up to Sacramento on Saturday morning and then drove home with Meg, the kids and I on Sunday. I'm pretty sure he made the trip because he was afraid I was going to give his wife blood clots for not stopping on our road trip (wink wink) but we loved having him whatever the reason!

The ride home took a good 90 minutes longer than the way there thanks to multiple potty and gas breaks and by the end we were all ready to be out of the car, but I'd say for having 8 of us in my van for almost 8 hours we totally rocked it. This was just such a great weekend. I was afraid it would feel way too short and that it would feel like all we did was drive there to drive back, but it felt like such a full, fulfilling and fun weekend spent with my family. Who knows, maybe we just started a new tradition?!