In July, we got to spend a week in Newport Beach, California, with my family. Poor Bryson was sick the whole time we were gone, but we still made lots of fun memories. The first day there we went to Sea World. Grandpa and Eleyna were a cute pair-they chased seagulls, saw lots of fish and went to the Shamu show and did the "Shamu splash". (We did all of that too.) This picture was taken at the tide pools with an obliging starfish.
Eleyna
LOVED the beach! Grandma and Grandpa loved watching Eleyna at the beach. :)
The girls!
Eleyna had a blast playing in the sand with the toys her daddy bought her. (Since we don't really have any beaches here in Utah I'm not sure if Bry really thought that one through. Still, I think it is very cute he wanted her to have sand toys to play with at the beach.)
Hunter spent most of his time at the beach under the umbrella in the shade, looking handsome. It was a
workout pushing him through the sand in his wheelchair! Good thing my biceps are so huge-not!
There were several pools at the hotel we stayed at. We made good use of them.
One night we went to grab some take-out for dinner. We sat outside of the restaurant to wait for our food. Eleyna kept running away from us in to the restaurant and playing peek-a-boo around the door. She's so cute and fun!
There was a pond with enormous goldfish at our hotel and Eleyna was in love with it. She is totally fascinated by fish. Grandpa and her walked down there a couple of times to say hi to the fishies.
We had such a great time on this vacation. I feel so lucky to have parents who are willing and able to make trips like this happen. Hunter was a trooper and was the only one who didn't get sick on the trip or in the weeks that followed. (A tender mercy indeed.) Family is the best.
see pictures of animals,
and even meet a friendly lizard. Hunter was the only one brave enough to actually touch it (with some help from mom).
We saw lions and tigers and bears, oh my!
On our visit to Thanksgiving Point's Farm Country the kids got to go on a pony ride. It was a little scary at first but by the end Rowen didn't want to get off.
Eleyna didn't want to touch the saddle for some reason so I had my hands full making sure she stayed on the pony during her ride.
Sarah and I just talked while the boys did the dirty work of fishing. It was so fun.
We almost gave up hope of catching anything. Then, right before we left, Jonny got a bite! Yea!
It seems to appear when she is concentrating on something.
I'm so glad we have her to make us laugh!
and got Hunter to smile despite his illness.
Basically since the dawn of time, the Rassmussens (that's Bry's mom's side of the family) have held their yearly family reunions on Grandma and Grandpa's potato farm just outside of Rexburg. Summertime visits to the farm make up some of Bryson's favorite memories from childhood. A few weeks ago we packed up the kids (again!) and drove up there to spend the weekend with the Rassmussen clan. It is always nice to visit with family you don't get to see very often, but the unanticipated highlight was watching Eleyna go hog-wild with happiness. There was neverending open space to play, rocks and sticks to pick up, motorcycles and dune buggies to ride, tractors and tricycles to climb on, and on and on and on. Plus, two of Bry's cousins have kids almost exactly Eleyna's age to play with. She did not want to come home to our boring house! It was pretty chilly up there for August so Hunter had to hang in the house with me most of the time. Hunter and Grandpa Rassmussen are special friends and they fell asleep together on the couch one night. So precious.
Eleyna LOVED the beach! Grandma and Grandpa loved watching Eleyna at the beach. :)
The girls!
Eleyna had a blast playing in the sand with the toys her daddy bought her. (Since we don't really have any beaches here in Utah I'm not sure if Bry really thought that one through. Still, I think it is very cute he wanted her to have sand toys to play with at the beach.)
Hunter spent most of his time at the beach under the umbrella in the shade, looking handsome. It was a workout pushing him through the sand in his wheelchair! Good thing my biceps are so huge-not!
There were several pools at the hotel we stayed at. We made good use of them.
One night we went to grab some take-out for dinner. We sat outside of the restaurant to wait for our food. Eleyna kept running away from us in to the restaurant and playing peek-a-boo around the door. She's so cute and fun!
There was a pond with enormous goldfish at our hotel and Eleyna was in love with it. She is totally fascinated by fish. Grandpa and her walked down there a couple of times to say hi to the fishies.
We had such a great time on this vacation. I feel so lucky to have parents who are willing and able to make trips like this happen. Hunter was a trooper and was the only one who didn't get sick on the trip or in the weeks that followed. (A tender mercy indeed.) Family is the best.
