Sunshine & Swimming in So Cal!

We all came home sun-soaked and water-logged. The kids are both more efficient in the water. Alex can now float on her back for a long amount of time and Johnny can swim underwater for awhile all by himself. Alex learned to appreciate the power of water-proof ear plugs that helped with her swimmer's ear and Johnny learned to appreciate drying off in the sun with his Dad. They both enjoyed being thrown through the air and loved relaxing in the hot tubs as well. We spent a small amount of time at the beach, the kids were scared of the waves and hated how the sand stuck to every part of their body. We cut that trip short and quickly headed back to the comforts of a nice clean, calm pool.

We did try a little fishing. You could see the fish swimming around the edge of the pond and hear them laughing at our attempts to snag one of them. Johnny was intent and surprisingly patient (except for when he wanted to attempt casting the line on his own). Alex was just glad she could see the fish, now I know why Brad has been hesitant to take them in the past.

They did a lot of staying up late and falling asleep to a movie. I'm surprised they handled sleeping in the same bed so well for the entire week since they're so used to having their own room. Separate blankets were a must and it helped that we wore them out pretty good during the day.

And of course we got to see my sweet sweet grandparents (G'pa Charles & G'ma Jane). My Aunt Janet and her kids Robbie and Gracie made the trip down to see us as well. My Mom, sisters and nephews all met us there and we got to hug and catch up with family we wish we could see more often. This was the first time they have met Johnny. The last time we saw them the kids were left in Idaho and the time before that I was pregnant with the little guy. So many good memories, wish I could create more with them more often. Love you Grandma & Grandpa!

And while we were there they helped us celebrate our little guy turning 4! His birthday was actually on Friday the 19th but we were stuck in the car most of that day. We spent his birthday evening swimming at a hotel in Nevada where he made a couple of girlfriends who ended up singing Happy Birthday to him before the swim was over.

Now we're back to the life of responsibility. Brad caught a pretty bad cough and and spent most of Father's Day in bed. The kids made sure he had his breakfast in bed with a side of Sudafed, painted him some Father's Day posters, sang him the Father's Day songs he missed in sacrament meeting and shucked peas from our garden for his Father's Day dinner. He deserved it too after countless hours underwater with the kids, thousands of miles of driving all day long, patiently enduring his cough the entire week and helping us all to relax and enjoy ourselves. My kids have THE BEST Dad, thanks Brad!