Trip to California, Part 2

When we arrived back at Hallie's parents' house, Landon's cousins were there and ready to play. It was so cute to watch Lily fawn over Landon and to see Landon and Emerson run like wild men all over the back yard together. 

The Easter Bunny arrived a little late, so the kiddies got to hunt for easter eggs and chocolate. Papi was very interested in making sure Landon got lots of candy! In the end, everyone's basket--er, sand pail--was full of treats. Good thing the Easter Bunny thought to give the kids pails, because they got put to good use on Saturday!

On Saturday, we took a trip up to Santa Barbara. Landon got dressed up in his finest, including his snazzy shades. Our first stop was the farmer's market, where he made quite the impression on all the ladies, who kept commenting on the cute little boy as he toddled on by. 

Argyle sweaters gave way to swimsuits in the late morning as we headed up to Hendry's Beach west of town to seek out starfish, sea shells, and other interesting sights along the ocean. This was Diamond's first encounter with the cold waters off the Pacific coast. We all enjoyed working up an appetite by walking up the beach and playing in the water with the Easter pails and shovels. Landon earned himself some rosy cheeks from hanging out in the warm California sun.


After we got back to Hallie's parents', Papa M. set up the fire pit in the backyard in the early evening and everyone excepting the littlest tykes, who had gone off to bed, toasted s'mores. Some people overcooked theirs (Who wants to eat charcoal? Yuck!), while others toasted them to golden perfection.

Sunday dawned to Emerson, Lily, and Elise heading back to Nor Cal and Landon, Mami, and Papi heading to Papi's home town to attend church. Landon sported his first bow tie. He puts his old man to shame and carries off the look very well (he must take after Papa M.). Look at those three!

Today was Landon's first time in nursery. Our baby's finally officially allowed to go to Primary! He was a total trooper and didn't seem to care that we were gone. Give him some toys and some food, and he's good to go. After church, we headed back to Mike's parents' for dinner and a visit with Landon's cousins Haydn and Lucas. Landon enjoyed playing with the cars and chasing the other boys around the dining room. Haydn's getting so big! He's a natural with his younger cousins and is full of personality.

We headed down to the park so that Mike and Landon could fly their new kites. Hallie got Mike a kite for his birthday, and he was eager to get it in the air. Southern Cal normally can get quite breezy, but the fates conspired against Mike at every turn. Each time he would take his kite out for its inaugural run, the air would go deathly calm. We did manage to get one shot of the kite airborne. Maybe it will take off for real once we get back to Detroit and take our kites down by the lake.

On Monday Mike's mom, Diamond, Hallie, Mike, and Landon went to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, where we saw the original 1215 Magna Carta, viewed as one of the most important documents in history and a cornerstone of the US Constitution, and where we walked through the former Air Force One. We had lunch at Tommy's, a California original. Mike even bought a tub of their famous chili. That stuff will stick to your ribs, give you heartburn, and cut a day off your life for each burger you eat, but what a way to go!

On Tuesday, we headed back home to Detroit. We did not take pictures of our return flight, but suffice it to say it was a long couple of legs with a squirrely 18 month old. We managed to make it home by 10 PM, and then we all slept until around 8 AM on Wednesday. Poor Mike! It was right back to the old grind, and he was on the bus by 9 to catch up on his work.