In California

A week ago we got back from a very (very, very) needed vacation to my hometown in California. It was so fun to see Nicole interact with all my family members. She loves people and thrived with all the attention. She had smiles to spare all week long, although all the action started to wear on her by the time we reached the end of our stay.

Here's a couple pictures I managed to take during the trip.

The camera didn't come out too often, ya know.

 ^^^ Stud

 

We just had to get a 4 generation picture. For the record, neither of my grandmothers seem like great-grandmothers... and my mom definitely doesn't look like a grandma.

 

 

We took a little trip to the zoo, where I convinced Carissa to volunteer to have a bird come take a dollar bill out of her hand in the Bird Show. I only had a split second to take a picture, it happened so quickly! I managed to get one that wasn't blurry AND the bird looks like he's smiling! Bonus!

 

 

Nicole has gone swimming at the Provo Rec Center more than once, but this was her first time going in an outdoor pool. She was fine for the first couple minutes, but after the initial novelty wore off and she realized that there weren't tons of little kids splashing around to distract her, she decided she wasn't too happy about being in the pool anymore.

 

And of course, she's nomming on that lower lip of hers! *insert laughing with tears emoticon

 

Thanks to some awful Vegas traffic (thank you, EDC) we pulled into St George around 11:15 PM and definitely did not want to travel the remaining 3 1/2 hours to Provo, so we stopped there for the night. We took the opportunity to pop by the temple in the morning. Such a beautiful building.

 

 

I told Doug that I really wouldn't mind living in St George... the red rock mountains are gorgeous. It would also mean that we're closer to my family. Why is traveling so expensive??!? This is when I resent the fact that I'm unable to Apparate. Or that we don't have a fireplace to use Floo powder with. #harrypottergivesmeunrealistictravelexpectations

 

Honestly, though, the trip was SO needed. If you were to ask Doug, he could tell you how much higher my spirits were by the end of our stay. I wish we could be closer, but I don't know if I ever want to move back to California. (Hey, family, why don't you guys move here? ;)

 

Like I said in a previous post... I'm pretty sure Utah has stolen my heart.