Our Christmas Trip to California

Okay, so I am finally getting around to blogging about our Christmas break. We were invited to spend the holiday with Alec's maternal grandparents, Becky and Jay (aka, "B and J"--which gave Abigail quite a bit of concern before we got there, because she couldn't remember which one was "B", and which one was "J.").

We jumped at the chance for a visit, and I'm so glad we did. Alec drove down with the two older kids, and I flew down with the baby. It was super nice! Being in California was a lovely break from the norm, and Alec's grandparents were so nice to constantly dote over the kids. Not only did we get to spend time with B and J, we were able to see Alec's parents, too (they live about an hour from B and J)!

I really felt like our family was enriched from having spent time in the home of Alec's grandparents. After 80 some odd years of life, I suppose you have a nice perspective on what's important. When the kids would throw a fit or refuse to eat something, B and Jay would say something tongue and cheek, like, "My! We're only used to perfect children!" It always made me feel relieved that we weren't annoying anyone, and that my kids were just being normal. B and J are wonderful people, and were so gracious to invite us into their home over the holidays.

While in Southern California we were able to enjoy some activities we wouldn't normally enjoy in December in Utah.

Like play on the front lawn after church...

go for walks...

walk by pretty pink flowers....
play in the wood chips at the park (a favorite pastime of Owen's)...

go down the slide....

run in the leaves (without a jacket or sweater)....

and hunt for sticks....

Plus we got to play at Grammy and Pop's house with all their cool retro toys...

read stories with Grammy....

be silly with cousins....

and hang out with Dad in the middle of the day!

Thanks for having us, B and Jay!!