Day 2 of our family vacation in California

Saturday January 22^nd, 2011

Joshua Tree National Park

Saturday we woke up to a bright blue sky and great scenery of beautiful flowers and palm trees. Breakfast consisted of frozen waffles and honey nut cheerios…the boys’ favorites!

We decided to head up to Joshua Tree National Park to see the Joshua Tree, of course. It was about an hour drive from Palm Springs so we stopped and grabbed some lunch to eat in the park. On our way, we had noticed these small trees that looked like palm trees, but were half the size. I had asked Brian, what he thought those trees were and he replied…those are probably Joshua trees. My reply ….if they are, I am going to be slightly disappointed! After stopping at the visitor center to pick up a map and plan our adventures, we had opened the map and behold there was a picture of the Joshua Tree….Indeed it was the tree we had seen prior!

Upon entering the park, Brian stopped along side the road to take a picture of these GIANT ROCKS. He then proceeded to tell the boys that one day they were going to appreciate the picture he was taking of the ROCKS for a possible school project or needing it for future reference. Immediately, Joe replied, “No, Dad I will never thank you for taking a picture of rocks!”

The boys were getting hungry so we made a stop where there was another GIANT ROCK that people were climbing. We sat and ate our Subway sandwiches while watching the rock climbers…while, I stood on the look out for any wild animals to attack. I always get nervous in natural environments and I wish I didn’t so I could enjoy myself a little more. So after lunch, Joe went and climbed a rock and said, “Hey dad, look at me. I am a professional rock climber!” It just so happened that a rock climber had jogged past Joe when he made that comment and replied, “That’s AWESOME and someday you too could make $15,000 dollars a year!”

We piled in the Van again and headed to a trail, recommended by a park ranger. She said it was super family friendly….I was quite skeptical. The boys kept reassuring me that everything was going to be FINE. Come on mom, you can do it.!

We all completed the 1mile hike through the rocky trail and didn’t get eaten alive by any bobcats, cougars, or mountain goats. Before leaving the park, Brian made one more stop up to a look out point where the wind almost blew the boys right over!! They said, “That’s it were are going back to the car!”

It was another hour drive home, where the boys took a short nap. We stopped at the grocery store for some dinner items and then home to swim before it got dark. Brian had cooked up a mean hamburger with cheese, bacon and cooked onions. He is still raving about it today.

After dinner, we finished watching Beauty and the Beast as a family…Peter fell asleep on my lap and then it was time for the boys to go to bed.

The rest of the night consisted of Brian reading the newspaper from the last 2 weeks and myself documenting our family outings for ya’ll.

Brian's favorite pic of Joe...he is playing outside Brian's Aunt and Uncles house.
The 3 chumps in Brian's Aunt and Uncle's courtyard.
The view from their kitchen window....how dreamy.
On the rode to Joshua Tree National Park and approaching windmill city.
The infamous picture of the ROCKS!
Windmill City!
The Joshua Tree!
Joe posing with the Joshua Tree.
Joe and Tom on top of a giant rock.
Brain's GQ pose
The 3 Amigos on top of a rock....not sure what their thinking about???
Here they are leading the way on our family hike.
Posing with mamma bear
One of Brian's artistic pics of the park
Brian and Tom out for swim after a long day in the National Park.
Brian with Joe relaxing after a long day.
The boys looking to see where the golf ball goes.....
The boys discovered they LOVE the HOT TUB!!
Tom and Joe racing each other to the end of the pool:)

Family Trip to California

Friday January 21^st, 2011

The unthinkable….

The unthinkable happened to me this morning as I was getting the boys ready for preschool and running errands. After coming home, I was going to grab some laundry in my bathroom and happened to glance at myself in the mirror…..I paused saying to myself “you look horrible!” I then take a closer look at myself in the mirror and realized…….NO MAKEUP!! YIKES! Yes, that’s right, in all my years of wearing makeup, I have NEVER left the house without it! So yes, the UNTHINKABLE happened today!

After cleaning and packing some more, it was time to pick up the boys from preschool. It was now 12pm and Brian was to be home any minute. I knew we still had a TON of things to do…feed the boys lunch, change clothes, along with last minute packing and cleaning.

Brian’s parents showed up around 1pm, causing some chaos in the house. When grandpa Vnak comes over he always gets the boys going. By 1:30pm, everyone was changed & fed; the garbage emptied and van loaded for departure.

Jim and Diane up front, Tom, Joe and Peter in the middle and Brian and I in the back with all the luggage. We love our Honda Odyssey! Minivans are AWESOME!!

We arrived at the airport a wee bit after 2pm. The boys were shelled shocked by security and the whole ordeal of checking bags and luggage. I’m so thankful that I had talked to them prior regarding security and what it entailed. At first, Peter was reluctant to take off his shoes and coat almost to the point of crying until I bribed him by saying, “Peter, if you are a good boy and take your shoes and coat off and walk through security, I’ll let you pick out a treat from your backpack!” It was a done deal. He was sweet as pie and very good going through security, that when we collecting our items out of the bins he was trying to rummage through his back pack for a treat. “Peter, we have to get our shoes back on and get out of everyone’s way.” Peter- “No, I want my treat!”

Once we had obtained all of our possessions again and put our shoes back on, we headed to gate H3. On the way, Tom is rolling a piece of carry-on luggage. As he is pulling the luggage, he exclaims in a exhausting tone “Uh, I am SO glad we made it through security.” Brian and I both just laughed.

The next hour consisted of bathroom trips, checking out the planes and eating lots of candy!!

When it was time to board the plane, the boys were really excited!! As we were walking down the aisle, all the older folks heading to Palm Springs were drooling over the boys. “Oh my, your boys are so cute! Are they triplets? Oh twins and a bonus! They are just adorable.”

Luckily, we were seated all in one row with an extra seat! It was so cute to see the boys’ react and try to put their seatbelts on. When we took off into the air, Tom exclaimed, “We can see the whole WORLD!” Everyone around us let out a good chuckle.

After a while in the sky, the boys wanted to know how much longer until we get to Auntie Dee’s house. Our reply was always, a long time! Sticker books and watching a DVD of Thomas and Friends helped Tom and Joe pass some time, while Peter fell asleep on Brian making his buttocks go completely numb!

After we landed, we had to claim our luggage and car seat and obtain our high-class rental van- the Dodge Caravan Baby! Brian’s Aunt also had her friend’s, meet us at the Airport to give us 2 car seats, life vests for the boys, and a stroller. Peggy also drove with us to help us find Dee and Tom’s house. We are extremely grateful to them for meeting us and for letting us borrow their stuff!! THANK YOU!!

Dee’s neighbor, Joan, had gone grocery shopping for us. She bought all the boys favorites…hot dogs, blueberries, OJ with no pulp, chocolate milk, and honey nut cheerios. Once we had arrived, she called and asked to bring dessert over…Vanilla ice cream!!! The boys’ favorite! THANKS JOAN!

Since the boys didn’t get naps, it was time for pajamas and off to bed!

Brian and I sat around paralyzed after the days events, talked about what to do on Saturday and then headed to bed ourselves.

Tom and Joe investigating
Checking out the guys loading the luggage and filling the plane up with fuel.
Tom and Joe ready for take off.....and Peter below enjoying his cotton candy bubble gum.