CA summer trip 2009

We just got home from visiting my family in CA. We had so much fun and it always goes so quickly. Darby has grown so much and is still such a sweetie. I held her as much as I could and tried to memorize her sweet voice as she said "whee" all the time when she pointed her chubbalicious finger at everything she saw. My adorable nephew and Godson, Miles, was there staying with my Mom- Grandma camp! He is a bundle of energy and has such a loving heart. I enjoyed spending so much quality time with him. We played together, read together, did everything together. I enjoyed every minute.
There was time for plenty of beach time and walks, a beach bike ride to Hermosa, a visit to see our college buddy, Justin (and his awesome wife and kids!), trips to starbucks (Miles LOVED the kids hot chocolate, so it quickly became a daily ritual), a visit to the observatory, Legoland, and a weekend of great camping at Santee Lakes.
While we were camping, Miles learned to swim on his own without his swim vest. It was awesome to be there to witness him jumping in fearlessly and swimming to me while plugging his nose! Here are some videos and photos. All in all it was an awesome time. I treasure time with my family so much -probably more than anything. Living far away is a huge cross to bear but it always makes our time together so precious. Someone once told me that your family deserves your special privileged love, and I couldn't agree more. I always think of that when I get to be with them. I love you guys and can't wait to come back!