Maria's Wedding/California Trip in Review

Today is the last day of our trip, and we'll be taking a redeye flight tonight from LAX back to Boston. The kids are currently with Yiayia and Pappou-- they went to see "Inside Out" (Pixar movie) and then get some lunch. And it's raining here, which is weird! Perfect time to try and catch up on blogging before we go!

Our flight out here last week was uneventful. The kids eventually fell asleep, but up until that point they were pleasant seatmates. I sat with them this time (Gus sat behind me). On tonight's flight, I get to be by myself. Yay!

Their first request the next day was to go to In N Out. So we obliged. The first time of many, this trip (I am actually sick of In N Out, which has never happened!)

Then it was time for wedding festivities... First we had the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner. It went fine, the dinner was excellent, and the kids really loved getting to hang out some more with Gus' cousin from Chicago (also named Gus, but everyone in the family calls him Bebi).

The next day was wedding day. Both kids were in the wedding, and did an awesome job! I didn't take any photos during the ceremony, but Niko took his job as ring bearer very seriously and walked down the aisle all by himself. And then Maya walked down the aisle as a flower girl, holding the hand of the much littler flower girl who couldn't walk alone. She did awesome! Even though her one hand was full holding Tatiana's hand, she still managed to bend her wrist and flick flowers out of her basket as she walked down. It was hilarious! But she took her assignment very seriously as well. And then, at the reception, we all danced and had a blast!

The next day was very quiet, because we were all tired from such a late/busy day. But the next day, we went to the beach! The waves were a little on the big side, so the kids spent more time playing in the sand, but they had a good time and the weather was perfect!

The next afternoon, we drove up to North Hollywood to visit with our koumbari/ Niko's godparents. We had seen them at the wedding, but it was nice to hang out and talk in a more relaxed environment. The kids adore them!

The next day, we drove over to Huntington Beach to visit my aunt and uncle. We hadn't seen them in way too long! But they are doing well, and the kids enjoyed playing with their dogs.

From there, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and then headed up to Grant and Melissa's house. And we swam! The kids had so much fun together... they could easily play together for days on end, but we just didn't have the time. We are really hoping they come and visit us in Massachusetts, especially now that my (our) mom and dad are there, too! We could have so much fun!!!

The next morning was pretty quiet, back at Yiayia and Pappou's house. Maya helped Yiayia cook, as always (Maya loves cooking!)

That evening, however, was a special one! We had looked into going to a Red Sox game over the summer, but the ticket prices at Fenway are pretty insane. On a whim, I looked to see who the Anaheim Angels would be playing while we were in town and, lo and behold, they were slated to play the Red Sox! How perfect is that???? And since the game was at Angel Stadium, it was much, MUCH cheaper. The kids had an awesome time and made it all the way to the end, even though the Red Sox ended up losing at the last possible moment. Boo! And the game let out at the same time that Disneyland was shooting off its nightly fireworks display next door, so we all stopped and watched that for a bit. It was a great experience-- now we HAVE to go see a game at Fenway!

Today, the kids went to see a movie, then to buy new shoes. Niko had somehow gotten the idea in his head that he reeeeeeeally wanted a pair of Skechers. I'm not sure why-- I think he thinks they help him jump higher? But he is now the proud owner of a blue and lime-green pair. Later in the afternoon, Gus' oldest friend, Min, stopped by with his wife and 8-month-old daughter, Emma. Maya wanted to steal her. SO CUTE! She has little fuzzy chicken hair. I love it!

After that, we gave the kids a long-overdue shower, ate dinner, and loaded up the car. I'm finishing up this blog post as we wait for our flight at LAX. It's been a fun week, but we are looking forward to getting home and sleeping in our own beds tomorrow night!