I'll start at the beginning. Saturday morning we went to a baptism in Vegas. The baptism was for my friend Tessie's husband. It was amazing to see him make that choice and for us to know that it wasn't easy. How inspiring to see him be baptized and think that he must truly love God and want to be in His church. All the children were able to go up to the front on their knees to watch the ordinance. Kyle explained to Jonah that Grandpa baptized him when he was 8 years old. Jonah asked, "The guy that lives at Granny's house or Grandma's house?"
After the baptism we headed off to California....beach or bust. With Violet in the car, it was almost a bust. Kyle made the drive fun for the boys with surprise treats. He told them that every hour he would unveil a special treat. Kyle wins most popular parent once again. He was pulling out donuts, cupcakes, hostess pudding filled pies, and all kinds of garbage that made me cringe. Jonah was actually upset when we gave him the last treat and told him we were almost to the hotel. The boys were already talking about the drive home. Seth was convinced that Dad would have the same treats (for the drive home) but just mix them up. Seth also wondered during the drive, "Do they speak a different language in California?"
After we checked into the hotel, we went straight to the beach. I intended for it to be a small visit with timid wading and no messes. Oh well. You can't enjoy the beach without the freedom to splash and roll in the sand. How could I take that away from them? We should have stripped them down to their superhero underwear to begin with! The boys found a few treasures: starfish, crabs, shells, and seagull feathers. They were in heaven. I have to admit that feeling doesn't go away even as an adult. I love the beach! It was so fun to see all the beach houses and remember staying there as a kid with the Nielson family for two week time slots every other summer. I was a die hard beach girl and didn't mind getting slammed by the waves. Those were the days.
On Sunday we went to my brother's baby blessing (Eric and Melissa). It was a beautiful blessing and fun to see them. Baby Ella didn't make a peep the whole day...only during her blessing. She is super sweet and so is her sister Lilly.
It was a great trip!
