Christmas day seemed to go by WAY to quick. It was one of those days where you just move from one event to the next without even thinking. Of course our kids did not wake up early and we had to wake them up...why does it happen like that??? We got them up and celebrated with just our little family. Carson was so excited from the minute he got up. His stocking was right by his bed so he knew Santa had been there. He went through the stocking and got more and more excited. He wouldn't wait to see what Santa brought for him since he told Santa he just wanted a surprise. We held him off until we could get Bailey downstairs and ready. He was a little concerned that her stocking was not in her bed like his was, but I had to explain it might be a little dangerous to have it in Bailey's bed because she is so little. Carson was definitely excited to see that Santa brought him a little flex track! I am not sure who loved it more though, Carson or Bailey. Bailey didn't really care that Santa brought her a little shopping cart, she just wanted to play with the cars. All I can say is they were happy and that is all that mattered. We moved through gifts quickly, but still tried to let the kids play with their stuff. While they played I finished packing all the last minute things and then we were out the door to listen to my parents speak in church. I took Carson to church and Chill stayed home so Bailey could nap. Church was going a little long so after dad spoke we ran out the door, changed our clothes, and were off to the airport. I tell you it was a fast day.
Yes I will admit I was a little stressed (me, holidays, traveling etc does that to me) Once we were at the airport I was able to take a deep breath and I was so excited to be spending a week with not only Chill's family, but with Chill!! I don't know that we have been on a single vacation our married life where he was able to stay the ENTIRE time! It was absolutely wonderful! Seriously I kept thinking that something was weird, and then I realized it was just the fact that Chill was there every morning and everyday and every night to help with the kids! That made the vacation that much more enjoyable. The kids did great on the flight! Carson loves to fly and he was such a good boy. Bailey was tired but we made it through. We landed in Long Beach which is the smallest, cutest little airport. We rented a big old 12 passenger van (which turned out to be super nice and a fabulous was to travel) and we were off to San Clemente where we would spend the next 5 days. When we got to the condo we were all starving but NOTHING was open because it was Christmas. We finally found a Jack in the Box, we ate, and we were all happy!!
Day One we spent at the beach. We decided we should take advantage of the beautiful weather and see the beach. Chill and Carson went for a little swim. I opted not to because the water was FREEZING. It didn't seem to even phase Carson. We took a nice long walk down the beach to the Pier and really just took it easy. We also did some grocery shopping so we would have food for the week. It truly felt like we were on a vacation...nice and relaxing.
Day Two we spent at Knotts Berry Farm. All I can say was it was insanely busy. I would say over half our day was spent standing in line for the rides. Carson went on two rides and after that he was spent. I thought for sure he would want to go on more, but nope, he was done. We stayed the entire day and the kids did so dang well cruising around in the stroller. Chill's parents were so awesome and watched the kids most of the time and let Chill and I go on some rides. I think we went on 3 rides but we had to stand in line for almost 2 hours for each of them. CRAZY!!! Although it was busy and we did a lot of waiting, it was a lot of fun. The kids just loved spending time with Grandma and Grandpa so they were happy.
Day Three we went on a Whale Watching Boat. This was by far one of the high lights of the trip. I just think big animals like whales are amazing. We saw a ton of dolphins which Carson was excited about and we actually say two great big whales. I honestly can't remember what kind they were and I didn't get any good pictures, but they were cool. The kids wanted to spend most of their time down in the cabin where they could eat food and hang out on the tables. As for me, I spent much of my time on deck with the fresh air to keep me from getting sea sick! It was so fun and I would definitely do it again! After the whale watching everyone was able to eat Fish and Chips for lunch which they had been waiting for (I on the other hand went for a nice ham sandwich!) We headed to the beach to play and watch the sun go down. The kids would have played all night on the beach if they could!
Day Four, our last full day, we spent at the beach. The boys really wanted to rent boogie boards and play in the water so that is what we did. It was a good choice because the kids LOVE the beach so everyone was happy. We just relaxed and enjoyed every minute of it. I was sad because I knew that was the last day and I was just loving being together as a family, but we had to come back to reality sooner or later!
Day Five and it was time to go home. We stopped and did a little shopping and took the scenic route to the airport. We had such a great time and Chill and I decided we would love to have a condo in California someday. Now I'm not sure that will ever happen, but we can dream right??
