This past July, we spent a wonderful week visiting my parents in Santa Barbara. We packed a ton into the week and loved spending time with Grandma and Grandpa!
I was a little worried about keeping our busy Everett happy and occupied on the plane, but thankfully he took a little cat nap and stayed busy with my giant bag of tricks I brought for him. The girls were great little travelers!
First stop, the pool! All the houses in my parent's little neighborhood share a pool but hardly anyone ever uses it, so we had it to ourselves all week!
A stop by the beach our first evening...
A visit to the Santa Barbara zoo...
Fun experience for the girls to feed the giraffes...
Giraffe tails from Grandpa!
Back to the pool...
Perfect beach day...
Outdoor dining next to the beach = built in entertainment for the kids!
Gorgeous morning for breakfast at the Boathouse at Hendry's Beach...
Favorite stop at In N Out...
While we were in California, we surprised the girls with a "big kid only" trip to Disneyland! It was the first time we had gone (since having kids) that we didn't have to think about naps, diapers, and strollers, and it was pretty amazing! We knew Everett would have way more fun hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa at their house and playing at the beach so it was a win win for everyone!
We drove over with the girls to Anaheim and spent the afternoon in Downtown Disney and playing at the hotel pool...
We drove over with the girls to Anaheim and spent the afternoon in Downtown Disney and playing at the hotel pool...
We got an early start to the park the next day and had so much fun at Disneyland with the girls! It was so fun now that they're big enough to do all the big rides. Love that they love them too!
Gotta love the Disney photographers that have you do all these funny poses! :)
The girls were very excited to meet Tinkerbell and her fairy friends...
Little drivers on Autopia...
It's a Small World is always a good break from the heat!
ToonTown...
Frontierland...
S'mores churros...
I think the longest line we waited in was to see Moana!
Gaston from Beauty and the Beast...
Ella and I got ice cream and found a spot to watch the parade while Cody and Lucy went on Splash Mountain, which she loved!
Some other favorite rides were Space Mountain and the Matterhorn, and of course the Teacups! After dinner in Downtown Disney and a ride home in the dark, the girls were beyond tired!
Still asleep after being carried into Grandma and Grandpa's house...
After getting back to Santa Barbara, we visited the Sea Center on Stearns Wharf...
We rented fun bikes to ride along the beach! Everett had the coolest ride with his stroller bike :).
Lucy, who claims she never needs to nap, clearly was worn out after all our playing!
A trip to McConnell's for ice cream...
My favorite breakfast...acai bowl and a latte :)...
We took a little boat ride on "Lil Toot" around the wharf. Always fun to be on the water and the girls loved that the captain let them take a turn driving the boat...
Date night for Cody and I at the Four Seasons Biltmore..
Visiting Grandpa at his office at the Samarkand...
One last beach day...
Our last night in Santa Barbara...
Had to include all of these because I love Everett's expressions!
Thank goodness for naps on dad on the flight home...
I'm so glad we took this trip this summer when we did, because about a month later, we learned that my parents would be moving back up to the Seattle area! Here we are in December and they've been up here for the last few weeks. While we loved getting to visit them in California, I couldn't be happier they're just a short drive away now!
