GFR: Beach Day

This was a great day too. It was Elsie's first trip to the ocean and she loved it. I had both kids dressed in their Hawaii outfits and the cousins who surf on this beach regularly pointed out that my kids looked quite touristy. That made me laugh. I suppose the john deere hat didn't help any either.

We played hard. And perhaps the hardest working was Sara, who made five Sand Cars for Riley, Ruby, Ivar, Elsie and Toby.

These Sand Cars were awesome. And my kids sat in them forever. Ivar hardly left his once it was finished. And Elsie sat in hers, playing with the sand for almost a half an hour. Unheard of!

GFR: Disneyland

Disneyland is magic. Even at 32. I felt it. I felt it the second we got off our bus and were greeted with the Indiana Jones theme song. And then as we entered the park the music switched to the music from Up. And I was so happy.

I had really low expectations for a day at Disney with a one and two year old. It seemed like it might be a disaster waiting to happen. But it was pure joy. The kids did great, we paced ourselves well and checked in with each other regularly, "how are you doing? do we need to stop for a snack?"

A favorite moment is from that top picture. We walked up the little hill into Toon Town and Rory said, "look at how high that back drop goes." And for just a moment he really thought that blue sky was a part of the set. But no, that blue sky was just the perfect California day we were living in.

We took our time, unlike that guy running next to me. He must have forgotten his family at the entrance or something.

Before we left I read all sorts of blogs with advice on "how to do Disney with a toddler." One of them even added, "and heaven help you if you have a baby too." But it was perfect. Fantasyland has a lot of kiddy rides and Ivar was loving it. Elsie too. There is just so much to look at.

Plus, I can't really do fast rides ever since my episode of Vertigo. Even jumping on a trampoline made me horribly ill a few weeks ago, so Space Mountain wasn't even an option. Casey Junior is more my speed.

We met up with the whole family for It's a Small World, the definite highlight of our day. And then we went on Peter Pan with everyone.

Rory and I left for lunch and slowly our children began to fade away. They took turns napping, so that rides weren't an option. So we walked all over the park, people watching.

At 3:30 we could see our day was coming to an end. Both kids had hit their wall. Not bad for having been in the park by 8:15. So we went back to the hotel for naps. Below is Ivar sound asleep in a gift shop.

And thanks to Mimi and Papa, once the kids were down for the night, Rory and I got to go back to the park until midnight. We went on Star Tours, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted House and Jungle Tours. Oh, and the Tiki Room. And got to see the fireworks and fantasmic. That Walt had a good idea when he was dreaming up Disneyland.

GFR: Paddle Boards and Peaches

This was my favorite day of the reunion. Tom and Sandy graciously opened up their stunning home to us and rented paddle boards, kayaks and a boat for a day of play. The day was really laid back and perfect for good conversation with lots of family.

One of the greatest joys of a family reunion is watching others delight in your own kids. I got to see this again and again, as different people offered to watch them so that Rory and I could play a bit. It meant so much to me!

At one point, just as we were arriving, there were eight of us out on the deck eating peaches. These peaches were perfect, and super juicy. Conversations were had asking each other if this was the best peach of your life. And as we began to catch up, we each slurped our drippy peach...trying to act casual about it. We'd say things like, "so you're moving soon..." while trying to hide our slurpy sounds, quickly getting the napkin to our chins. It was a funny moment that felt similar to ordering ribs on a first date. A little awkward, but totally worth it.

(I know that's a random story. But it's a funny memory I wanted to write down...)

See what I mean about other family delighting in my kids?!!

And here are some of the ladies. It's such a great group of people. I just feel so grateful and blessed to have married into such an exceptional family.

Groves Family Reunion 2013

I remember the day in May when I was emailed the itinerary for the Groves Family Reunion. We were getting a foot of snow and I read the plans for each day with hope and excitement, believing that winter might actually end. The plans included time with Grandma and a family dinner, a day of water play at Tom and Sandy's, a day at Disneyland and a day at Huntington Beach. It meant the weather would be warm. It meant that summer had to be on its way.

If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know that I love family togetherness which makes a family reunion my favorite kind of gathering. Our last Groves Family Reunion was in 2009, so it was time to get together! (Remember these little movies Rory and Jack made?)

Since the last reunion, Ivar and Elsie have joined our family making this the first time they meet many of their extended family, including their great grandma Bernice. It was precious time together.

...one day Elsie will recognize this.

a magical vacation

It's a Small World from Becca Groves on Vimeo.

We just got back from the Groves Family Reunion out in California. It was fantastic. I love family reunions more than anything. For me, you just can't beat family togetherness. The entire Groves family is quality and it made for some awesome days together. So get ready. There will be many a picture posted here of our time together.

But I had to share this little video very first. Elsie was asleep in Rory's arms when we boarded our little boat into It's a Small World. We were worried she might wake up terrified. Instead she woke up absolutely delighted by the happy world around her. Sara and Troy were right behind us in our boat and got to watch the joy of Elsie experiencing the magic of disney for her very first time. 

We're home now and exhausted. And so sad that the reunion is over. Ivar wailed tonight as we walked in our kitchen, "I need the elevators! I want to go to the elevators!" This was his way of saying he was so sad that fun adventure in California, the swimming and playing with cousins, riding on airplanes, trains and flying elephants is over. I feel it too. It's always so hard to come off of a vacation like that.