We had a nice Christmas in California this year to visit Chris' dad and stepmom. We almost missed our plane getting there (several people in front of us were trying to get to Denver during their snowstorm), and had and eventful plane ride - but we made it afterall. Ava is Chris' dad's first grandchild so it was nice for us to be able to spend Christmas together.
They live in Vallejo which is near the bay area. We spent a day in San Francisco's Union Square and then went to Pier 39. We ate at MY diner, a 50's style place, and went to a cool store called Hannspree, pic below.
What a cool little frog seat. Ava, of course thought it was fun to sit on him.
At Pier 39, they have a huge two-level carousel. Ava absolutely loved riding on it, saying "Whee" almost the entire time, then pleading for more rides. We were going to ride it again but went instead to see the famous sea lions before it became too dark. We taught Ava the sound for a sea lion and listened to it for the rest of the trip...that was funny!
Christmas morning was fun. Ava had a TON of presents to open. I think she got a little overwhelmed. She figured out how to do it and got the hang of it, although she wanted to open and play with each present right away. That was hard to understand. Ava took the loot in the Little Mermaid category - mermaid blanket, sleeping bag, tea set, cd player, purse set, dinnerware, cups, then a mermaid tent from my parents, a mermaid chair from Aunt Gina, a mermaid dress, and yesterday, cousin William gave her a Flounder pillow. I'm probably leaving something out but you can see it was lots of MERMAID stuff! She loved every bit of it.
Christmas Eve we went to Chris' stepmom (Jenny's) parents' house for Crab - Chris loved that. Then, we had a nice Christmas dinner at their (Will & Bonnie)'s house. We had a nice time. This is our best shot at a Christmas family picture. OH well. :)
Chris' dad helps head security at the C&H Sugar Refinery in Crockett. On our last day, we went to visit him at work. PIC: Chris, Ava, Chris's sister, Liz, and their dad, Glenn. Ava loved the Culligan water station - we kept having to get her refills and replacing the little cone-shaped paper cups. She thought it was the greatest thing ever.
Grandpa George let Ava put on his safety glasses and we found a hat to complete her look.
We had a nice visit in CA and enjoyed meeting back with some of my family back in KS. -Other than the hassles of airports and air travel: lost Chris' luggage on the way there and then lost Ava's box of presents and her carseat on the way back. All of the items were delivered shortly after being lost - they had to give us a "loaner" carseat so we could get back home, then delivered hers later.
3 comments:
These pictures are sooo cute! Christmas with kids is definitely the best. Traveling is totally a pain, but it's always worth it once you're with family.
I think Lydia will be really envious of Ava's Little Mermaid Christmas. Lydia is obsessed with the Little Mermaid!! Adorable pictures! You aren't looking pregnant yet either!
How fun! Pier 39 is where Christopher first rode a merry-go-round, too. It's such a great place.
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