Since August 6th ...

We've been a little busy ... Our basement flooded; we purged a lot of stuff - including all our packing supplies; the Mrs. attended a funeral; the Mr. applied for jobs; Lolo flew in from California; we drove up to Minnesota; we attended a family reunion; we met the newest member of our family; went to a few favorite stores; shopped in a giant mall; played at a theme park;the Mr. applied for jobs;  the Mr. and Mrs. played softball - the Mrs. played in borrowed shoes; we saw an amazing storm; B started second grade and soccer; the Mr. applied for jobs; Little Miss signed up for ballet; B lost another tooth - he exercised forgiveness when the tooth fairy forgot to visit (she came the next night); the Mr. applied for jobs; the Mr. got a job; we celebrated 10 years of marriage in Denver; the kids spent 4 days with friends; the Mrs. uploaded 381 pictures; and the Mr. PASSED the bar ... It's been a productive month.  We feel so blessed.

It's time to amp up our productivity because, unfortunately, a house can't pack itself.  Denver, here we come!

A Lot of Pictures and a Thank You Note

Dear Mom and Dad, 

This post is just for you.  It is filled with photographs of the sights we saw and what we did on our drive back to Kansas ... Thank you for loving us and for loving our children.  They love you so much and keep talking about you.  We miss you already and have loved the time we had to spend with you.  Thank you for your generosity and kindness ... 

These are images from Nevada and the Virgin River Gorge:

We drove until we got to Cedar City, where we spent the night.  The next day, we drove through Western Utah ... So beautiful:

We also drove through Eastern Colorado (again, BEAUTIFUL):

The kids slept in the car:

At night, we stayed in hotels.  In the morning, the kids used the beds for jumping exercises:

On the way out of Denver, the Mr. saw his dream van.  It was dressed to the nines and I think he was drooling:

We drove on to Kansas:

We could tell we were close when the scenery looked like this (not quite as dramatic as Western Utah and Eastern Colorado, but lovely just the same):

We saw many "amber waves of grain" and I was grateful for the opportunity to have such a beautiful song in my head.
Mom and Dad, thank you again for everything you do ... 

Love, US

The Final Day

On our last full day, we went to Huntington Beach where an old friend met us for some playtime.  Our kids played well together.  B-Man taught their youngest some muscle man moves he learned from goodness knows where ... We just know it wasn't from us.  (Dear Miranda's:  Let's not wait so long to play again.  We miss you guys and we're so glad you're our friends.  Love, The Pea's)

After our friends left, we continued to play. B-Man joined us for some play time in the water:

Little Miss was content to watch and play in the sand: 

As for my parents, they went on a few walks, but mostly they relaxed and played with the kids:

After the beach, we headed to my aunt's home for family time, karaoke, fun and of course ...

FOOD!  (After all, we are Filipino.)

Our final day in California was relaxing, just as it ought to be.

Through Roger Rabbit's Tunnel

There is a tunnel scene in the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit and this is where that scene was filmed: 

The tunnel leads to the Griffith Park Observatory:

On one side of the Observatory, you can see this sign:

On the other, a birdseye view of downtown Los Angeles:

When I was in highschool, my friends and I came here to watch laser shows and hang out - we did it a lot. 

I love coming here and I was excited to show my own family one of my favorite haunts:

We didn't watch any shows because it was Sunday ... but we did tour the inside of the observatory. 

We learned a little about the universe and admired the painted ceiling:

In the newly remodeled basement museum, we learned what Einstein was really pointing at:

We also learned that marble floors and benches can cause a wicked goose-egg.  Poor little guy:

Luckily, we have an emergency kit in our car replete with a disposable cold pack and tylenol.  We hope our B-Man has good memories of the Observatory and not just that it made him, in his words:  "An egg head."  To which I replied, after smiling to myself:  "You have a goose egg, you are not an egg head."

Bolsa Chica State Beach

I thought about putting all the pictures in this post in collage form, but I decided against it.  After a morning of resting, we spent the evening at the beach.  My dad controlled the camera at the tail end of last night's adventure.  The rest of the time, my dear SLR sat in a backpack, ignored, because we wanted to play; sometimes, tangible evidence of fun times isn't as important as being in the moment and enjoying some family time ... Sometimes, recording everything becomes an intrusion.  So the pictures here are from the beginning and the end.  The rest of it is recorded in our memory ... 

I always knew my Mr. and I exchanged many glances, but I've never had a chance to see it from the perspective my dad had behind the lens:

Joy and another exchange:

Laughter because of the sight:

We love our family.  We don't remember if that's ever been stated.  Now it has.

These pictures speak for themselves, almost

The last picture was taken around 12:30 am.  Our kiddies were surprisingly chipper for that hour (and yes, I just used the word "chipper.")

We love this state:

Note:  Should you choose to visit this theme park and your Little Miss or Sir is wearing flip flops, take them off while they're in the umbrella stroller otherwise you might lose one and end up having to purchase an expensive replacement because if you don't, she can't ride any of the rides (no shoes, no shirt, no service, even for a two year old).

Tip:  We saved a lot of money by bringing, and carrying around, a backpack full of snacks and sandwich fixin's.

Thanks Mom and Dad!