First Trip

Grace and I had the pleasure of going to visit my best friend, Jamie and her family in San Jose, CA over the last weekend. We had so much fun! Grace warmed up to them all so fast.

Grace was especially excited to be around Jamie's two darling kids. She thought Charlie was so cool because he could do "big jumps" and play with blocks and run around. I loved watching her watch him...sometimes she would just look over at him and smile and smile. It was adorable.

One of the funniest moments came towards the end of our trip when Grace and Eliza first "found" each other on the floor. They both just stared at first...

 

 

And then decided they liked each other. Grace was super excited to be by Eliza...I had to referee a bit to make sure Grace didn't try to grab her in her exuberance.

Despite having 2 nursing children and an inquisitive toddler between us, we had some great adventures and went out to some delicious food! Jamie and Mark were so generous and kind not to mention brave to go adventuring with us.

1st adventure was the beach at Capitola, which Grace absolutely loved!! When we got out of the car and the cool sea breeze blew in her face she got so giddy. I couldn't see her smiles, but she was kicking and kicking and making her happy noises. This is a beach girl for sure!

 

 

There is something about being at the Ocean that always makes me feel hopeful and at peace. Being there with Grace was a delight. She fell asleep and we had a nice stroll around the town.

This is Grace on our Sunday walk. What a cute little acorn. We also got to go to this amazing Creche exhibit at one of the LDS wards nearby. It had nativity scenes from all over the world. I loved that and really felt lucky to have been able to see the event. It really helped me get in the Christmas Spirit seeing all the varied testaments to the birth of Christ. My 2 favorites were a Japanese kimono-wearing Madonna and Child and a Uruguay scene with the Holy Family, heads bowed to show off big sombrero-type hats. I also got to see my good friend Tyler there and that was a real treat too.

Our next big adventure was going to San Francisco. It was a frigid night, but we took a nice drive over the Golden Gate Bridge and braved the cold for a few photos. Grace wisely fell asleep and stayed in the warm car.

We ended the San Francisco visit with some delicious Chinese food and then Grace and I headed home. She was the best baby on both flights--never cried once. What a traveler. When she got home she was soooo excited to see her Daddy! We really missed him a lot on our trip. Thanks again Jame and Mark for the fantastic time and for all your kindness to us. Hopefully there will be more travels to come soon!