August 17-22, 2011: We are soooo LA :)

Well at least we were again temporarily! We had an amazing trip back to LA...saw tons of friends, went to the beach and Disneyland, attended a fabulous wedding and made so many wonderful memories. But to make all this happen we did have to travel...2 flights+2 rental cars+friends' condo+hotel+3 suitcases+2 carry-ons+1 stroller+2 car seats+2 kids=well you get the picture :) But we made it (with Bryn strapped to my chest, Nick wrangling Liam and luggage and help from some kind fellow passengers). So many of our friends came together to help make our stay more comfortable by giving us a place to stay, a pack n play, bumbo seat, extra stroller, beach toys and gate for the stairs. Could not have done this without the Ferences, Costas, Nolens, and Jotas!

The flights themselves weren't too bad, but they def didn't sleep. Liam watched Cars, bounced on his seat and talked A LOT. Bryn took a cat nap, was passed back and forth between us a million times and went up and down the aisle with Nick A LOT.

We were a little worried about Liam using the potty at 38000 ft but he was great and had no accidents the whole week! It was Nick who ended up with the wet pants on the flight...because Bryn dumped his entire cup of water in his lap...he's such a good sport :)
Our full-size rental couldn't fit all our junk so our luggage was delicately placed in the passenger seat while I squeezed between the babies...
As soon as we landed in LA, we literally threw our suitcases down and ran to the beach!! We were so excited and LOVED being back in the sand and waves...well at least those of us who have lived by the beach...our Texas baby was not as impressed and didn't like when her hands or feet touched that new sand texture. Don't worry, we'll get her hooked too!

Here are my boys on the path down to Manhattan beach...
We had a fun day playing in the sand and surf, tossing our baby in the air, and getting some fun beach family pics!
For Liam's big birthday present we took him to Disneyland! It wasn't his exact birthday, but the day after so that's pretty close. Our 3 year old had the best time and is still talking about all the rides and characters he saw!

Carousel!
Dumbo!
Pinocchio...this one did not go as well...now I know why the line was so short :)
Tea Cups!
Small World!
Liam loved Toon Town and seeing all the character's houses. The highlight of his day was seeing Mickey Mouse's Club House...and meeting Mickey himself!
Quick flashback...Here is Liam at the 2 times he has been to Disney sitting in the same car. First visit was 8/17/09, second visit 8/18/11...
And now enjoying it with his baby sister!
Train Ride!
Dinosaurs on the train ride...Mickey and dinosaurs?? This is def Liam's happiest place on earth :)
Can't wait to take them back as they get older because I know they will love it more and more each time they go...
Nick and I went to the rehearsal dinner while Liam and Bryn stayed in our "California home" as Liam called it with Drew and Liz. Daddy and his girl in some of my favorite pictures...
The rehearsal dinner was at Danny's parents' house up in the Hollywood Hills...amazing view and such a great night catching up with Vandy friends.

We also took the kids to Douglas Park in Santa Monica. This is the park that we used to take Liam to at least 3 times a week as it was very close to our apartment. There is a playground and a duck pond. Just looking around there reminded me of the Cali lifestyle that I loved...playing outside daily because of the wonderful weather, all the kids barefoot with their hair down, no shoes on...We definetely both miss that laid-back life style a lot. It was so bittersweet to be back there as it almost felt like we never left...
And of course we had to take a quick look at our last apartment in Santa Monica, which was also Liam's first home. Yes that little door at the very back of the 2nd floor is where we lived...and we paid more than our mortgage in TX to rent that little patch of 800 sq ft :)
We didn't have time to go down to Santa Monica beach but we did hang out on the cliffs overlooking the beach. Nick and I used to love to walk down here...it's such a beautiful view...
Because of the nice weather, a lot of homeless people sleep in this park..apparently so does our Brynnie :)
The pier in the distance...
Our wonderful friends Drew and Liz (and our gracious hosts for 3 nights) threw a party for all our friends so we could all catch up...
Meeting Blair...
Playing with Michael...
Playing with Michael, Matteo (not pictured), and Max...
Legos with Madison and Natalie...
Hey we had some adult friends come over too :)
In fact our (child-less) adult friends were getting so rowdy and loud that Byrn decided to wake up and come back out to party at 11:30pm...
We had such a wonderful night and are so lucky to have such a wonderful LA family. They were our friends when Nick and I were dating, married, and then after having Liam. It was cool for them to see Liam as a 'big' kid and meet our Bryn. It was fun to remember our life out there and how different it is from our life here. We love CA and hope to take many more trips back!

We moved to the Four Seasons Westlake for the wedding. Danny (Nick's college soccer teammate) was getting married and we were so excited to be a part of it! We thought it would be more convenient to have the kids at the hotel as well and Liam def enjoyed that very much. They gave him a monkey when we checked in which he promptly named Dunstin. Dunstin also wrote Liam a welcome message and left him a cookie and juice which made his day!
The hotel was soooo accommodating...gave us a crib, high chair, fridge, microwave, bed rails on Liam's bed and baby proofed the whole room.
Hmm...looks like the only bed not taken is the crib!
Danny and Lisa's wedding was outdoors in the amazing LA weather (the high that week was 84 in LA and 107 in Dallas!)
Nick looked pretty cute in his tux :)
I tried to snap a couple of pics of all the Vandy alums...Such a fun wedding, that we were able to enjoy sans kids thanks to the Jota babysitters.
Yes traveling with 2 was stressful, but so worth it! We had a great time and look forward to many return trips! Now it's back to school (Liam's first week in the primary class wearing his uniform) and back to work for us. If we could just get a break from this heat...I'm so ready for Fall!