the trip!

Ok, there is lots of pictures here so be warned. Especially because you might catch me in my swimming suit with my pasty white skin.


This is the beautiful sight I got to wake up to every morning.

sigh...i miss it already.



It was so much fun. Playing on the beach, seeing the sights, hanging out with the family, going shopping and eating tasty Mexican whenever possible. I forgot how much I LOVE guacamole.



Alli liked being outside at the beach, but any time I took her near the water she hated it. Even if I was holding her and was in the water to my ankles she would start to cry. So grandma Baldry did some good babysitting while Derek and I went swimming and boogie boarding and Derek even did some not bad surfing.

You can see, oh lets call it, her personality in these pictures.

Thus, my idea of family pictures on the beach just didn't happen.







This little guy Payson, he loved the water. He is pretty dang cute.



There was a fiesta in Santa Barbara one night we all went to. Full of Mexican food, singing and dancing and little shops. The kids loved it.

Here's grandpa Baldry dancing with Ella and Claire.



Even Alli was having fun dancing.





Alli was in love with the bunny at Mindy's house. She wasn't afraid of him at all, and kept reaching out. I had to take her away a couple times because she like him so much she kept pulling his hair.



We went to the zoo in Santa Barbara. Alli loved it. I don't know if she really knew what was going on but she was smiling and laughing the whole time. The landscaping of the zoo was just as great as the animals. There is big open picnic spaces and lots of trees and plants everywhere. It was really pretty.




After a long flight from Los Angeles to Calgary we got to meet up with cousin Lucy. They are only a week apart. This was their first meeting.



I think Lucy's legs are as long as Alli is head to toe. But Lucy is one of the few babies Alli has beat with hair, but not by much as you can see. I feel bad, I think I cursed all my kids to be bald. It all goes back to making fun of a certain bald cousin when she was a baby. Of course that cousin, you know who you are and I know you're reading this, has more hair than I'll ever have.

And if you think Alli looks tired there, imagine 4 hours later when our short 30 minute ride to Edmonton was delayed until midnight. Forget that, imagine me!