California 2017

I think it might be impossible to blog about this trip!  It was the trip of all trips!  It came at the perfect time and it had everything.  There were bright sunny days, beautiful rainy ones, several beach trips (as mentioned in the last post), so much family time- grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles (mine and my kids), Oakland temple trip, primary program, children's museum, a visit to my mom's school, new relationships made and existing relationships grown (mine and my kids).

One of the scariest things i've ever done: flown alone with three kids!  the first flight was rough even after so much detailed preparation on my part, but the flight home was okay.  it was so worth it, but i won't be doing it again any time soon....unless andrew goes out of town again for a long time i guess. maybe.

We were especially grateful to have spent so much time with my sister Julia's family, the Pinedas.  We haven't had much time together over the last several years, us or the kids.  I really appreciated the days at home Julia and I spent together with the kids and the drives Lester and I ended up taking together.  

All the help with the kids from my parents and siblings was such a blessing to me.  I'm just so grateful for everything about this trip.  We hadn't been home in about a year before this and I was really needing it.

I was so happy that Eli was able to finally meet everyone!

Here are only a few of the hundreds of pictures I took:

first time meeting grandpa hanaike

eli got such great quality time with both of my grandmas!  grandma hanaike stayed with us for 2 days and a night and she and eli hung out a lot

cheering hannah up is usually a big task.  but my dad was always up to the challenge

he is a good grandpa

dad and his 5 granddaughters

eli meets grandma chandler!

he hit it off with her too!  i don't think either of my girls have been lucky enough to have this much great-grandparent time, especially so young!

looking like a grandpa with his little audience at barnes and nobles

isla decided he was the beast.  he acted like he wasn't happy about it.
but the pictures suggest otherwise

see the ocean?  that view everyday

eli and avonlea just chillin

these two avoiding eye contact at all costs.  seriously.  all costs.
in the end though they were buddies.

each grandchild has taken a turn making some special cookies with grandma and this year was hannah's turn!  walking around passing them out proudly

he rolled over!  one time.  then he was over it.  

avonlea is so much tinier than her boy cousins and fellow 2017-ers.  she's so cute and dainty.

my baby boy and my baby girl!  

visiting my mom's school!  these two soon to be kindergarteners loved seeing all they have to look forward to

i wish i had gotten more pictures because we were quite the sight.  my mom, three of her daughters, and our 7 kids.  it was so fun!

just business as usual for eli

audrey addy selfies.  i wonder how much more of these are in our future?

eli and my cousin krista!

big leilua and little leilua

eli and ross like each other a lot

i think i was about ten when we met mae and her family.
now her son is going on a mission and we have our own babies!

there was so much space on the couch, but hannah plopped herself right next to luke for who know why

so thankful we got this temple trip in!  now all three of our kids have been to the place we got married 6 years ago!

primary program.  audrey was nervous and wore a very very VERY sad face the entire time.  i got several comments on it later!  but she got up there and said her part and i was super proud of her.  we wish so bad andrew could've been there....so i broke some rules and took a little video of her at the mic!

potluck with samoan ward after the program.
eli meeting the porters- one of the other families a big part of our life, known since i was a kid

my dad walking around with my kid, visiting

and then handing him off to people!  eli got to know the meaning of the phrase "ward family" pretty quick.  because family...is everyone!

bonding with isla and lester.  i now realize that ironically i didn't get very many pictures of julia or my mom, the two people i was with the most on this trip 

our two primary girls!
  grandpa told them they each would get FIVE scoops of ice cream if they did their part.  he made good on it too!

luke audrey and addy (feet there) hiding with ice cream sandwiches

pineda outings in the city.  we each got asked if our two sets of girls were twins

bakery downtown

the children museum

i just can't get over those curls.  ever.

the boys even got some pastime at the children's museum!  (it's so fun and weird to say "the boys")

one of the workers was a great audience for audrey's impromptu puppet show.  we were all pleasantly surprised when he answered her puppet as she made it talk!  they know who to hire at these places

hannah practicing her special letter.  i was surprised and proud of how well she wrote it

i held both boys while julia went to the bathroom at one point.  eli was asleep and bear was perched on my knee.  i think it probably looked funny.  so i took a picture.

audrey loves to play with andrews measuring tape at home.  wish we had this one!

the museum is beautifully and amazingly located right on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge.  this spectacular view was the backdrop of their playing

hannah and isla found a canoe

hannah climbed through a tree!

we played hide and seek in these crazy little stick hut things.  julia says they change this display every so often.  i can't wait to see what they do next!

just crazy grandpa time

you know.  the usual.

is this not adorable?  

so adorable i had to get a close up

mr and mrs miscellaneous- ice cream place downtown with pinedas.  i was quite surprised how much i loved the ice cream i got.  i'm the kind of person that usually feels like ice cream is just ice cream.  but this sweet cream ice cream changed me.  i'm a new person.

eli meets uncle steve

and auntie kathy

i dunno know what they're talking about, but it mustve been good

i love the way she's sitting on him

by the end of the trip hannah and isla were good buddies.  one day they were being unusually quiet.  and we all know what that means. 

a hilarious memory i can't wait to tease her about someday.  (not really.  well not too much.  i'm not a mean mom.  but i will be showing her these pictures)

on our last day we went to "mini muir woods," a beautiful shady tree trail my mom discovered

mom's favorite tree

mom and evani!

eli hannah and cali

As we left for the airport the house was full of people talking and laughing and eating delicious food.  It was very hard to leave.  

But it was time to get back to Andrew who had gotten home a day earlier than us so he could come meet us at the gate after the flight.  

Like I said this trip had everything.  

Well, almost every thing....it didn't have Andrew. 

 If he had been there with us I think I physically wouldn't have been able to leave!!!!!!  

It was so worth the plane ride.  

I wouldn't recommend flying alone with three young kids to anyone, UNLESS you have something super amazing waiting for you at the other end.  Like we did- on both ends!

Hannah has been telling me she's ready to back to Grandma and Grandpa's house/Addy and Isla's house.  And today as we were driving home from errands here in Utah, Audrey said, "Mom, the ocean isn't here.  I want to go back to it."  I've been so so so so so happy to be able to tell them that we will be back to it all in just a few weeks!

Only ONE MONTH TILL WE'RE BACK FOR NEW YEARS!