Home Sweet Home

Well...the girls and I have returned to Arizona after our 2 1/2 week long trip to California. We had a very fun time, but so much went on in that seemingly short period, I think we may need a few days rest to recover from all the excitement! The first few days in CA were spent in Upland with Gma & Gpa Leach and Auntie Em - the daytime temps were not much cooler than in AZ, but it did cool off at night so the girls and I were able to enjoy the evening breeze.

We then went down to San Diego to see Aunt Shauna, Uncle AJ, and cousin Keegan. Our arrival turned out to be perfect timing, since the girls' new baby cousin Camden decided not to wait for his scheduled inducement date and came a day earlier than his parents had planned. AK, Roo and I were able to spend one-on-one time with Keegan, which meant lots of outside playtime - in the backyard, in the sandbox, and going on walks. We also went to Sea World (thank you Shauna & AJ), where the girls enjoyed seeing penguins, sharks, manatees, and getting drenched during the dolphin show (yes, folks - for any who may have questioned it, the "soak zone" is appropriately named).

After a few days in San Diego, Doug joined us and we took the family up to Fallbrook to see Gma & Gpa Hoopes. The girls were able to get more outside playtime - in the dirt, feeding & riding on Miles (we even got Doug up on the horse for a little bit), playing in the pool, and loving on Kupua. We also attended the wedding of Doug's best friend Clint, which was absolutely beautiful and allowed us the chance to catch up with old friends.

Doug had to leave a day after the wedding, but the girls and I spent a few days in Oceanside with one of my best friends Casey, and her daughters Madison and Sonja. We enjoyed a morning at the SD Wild Animal Park, some playtime at the beach and the park, and simply hanging out with "just the girls." We then returned to Shauna's house in San Diego for a couple more days before the girls finally hit their breaking point and started saying "I want my papa, mama...I want papa. I miss papa, mama....I want to see my papa." I was also missing Doug at that point, so I decided it was finally time to leave California and return back to Arizona.
And, there you have it folks...the Reader's Digest Condensed Version of our trip. All-in-all, it was a wonderful trip and we really enjoyed getting to visit with our family and friends. I didn't take pictures of everything we did, but you can see some of our adventures in the slideshow below.

As you can see, we had a great time in California...however, it is nice to have all four of us back together again in our home sweet home...even though it means being back in hot, hot Arizona.