SO... while we were technically at Gus' parents' house on December 26th and 27th, the wedding festivities meant that we weren't actually there very much. We did open presents before the wedding on the 27th, so here are a few pictures from that. Please be sure to admire Gus' new footie pajamas (I'm so embarrassed!!!).
Anyway, I'd say our visit here REALLY began on the 28th, the day after the wedding. That morning, Gus' parents and sister disappeared with the kiddos, haha! They went to lunch at the restaurant, and then to check out the Fun Zone in Newport (Balboa? Wherever it is). They ended up going out to dinner, too. So at that point, Gus and I decided to go out to dinner and a movie, too. And I have no pictures, but I DO have this video of Maya riding the "bull shark" at the Fun Zone. haha!!! Niko rode it, too, but I don't have his video. :)
After they went to the Fun Zone, they decided to go to In-N-Out for dinner... And Gus and I decided to go to dinner and a movie. The next day we stayed close to home, for the most part, although Gus and I went to dinner and a movie (again! gotta get it in while we can!). And the NEXT day, the 30th, we got to meet some babies!
First, Gus' oldest friend, Min, happened to be in town visiting his own parents. So he and his wife came over with their one month old daughter, Emma. She was so sweet!
And then we piled into the car and drove up to Pasadena to see Mike and Steph. The last time we saw them was right after Maya was born-- I think she was literally just a few weeks old! So it had been over five years, which is crazy considering they were pretty much my closest college friends. But they had a baby girl in August, and we needed to meet her. Plus they bought a house not too long ago, and have basically gutted it and remodeled it, so we needed to check it out. The kids were very antsy and wiggly, and we probably stayed later than we should have, but it was so nice to hang out with them and meet little Ella!
The next day was New Year's Eve. We celebrated, and ALMOST made it to midnight. 11:40 was when they started to fall apart. SO CLOSE!
And the next day, we went out to lunch and then Theia, Yiayia and Papou took the kids to see a movie while Gus and I began preparing for our inevitable return to reality by buying airplane snacks and doing laundry. But once we were all back together, we ate a delicious dinner of souvlaki (Niko's favorite!) and then we got to cut the vasilopita! Magically, EACH kid happened to find a gold coin in their piece, thanks to Papou's special cutting technique. ;) They were very happy!
The next day, we did something we'd never done before-- we drove up to Pasadena to see the Rose Parade floats in person! They have them on display for two days after the parade, and you can just walk around and see them all up close. It was so cool! I took a ton of pictures, but here are a few highlights... The very first one is from the Rose Bowl, where we had to park the car. And where UCLA plays all their home football games, many of which I attended once upon a time. :)
Tired and hungry from all the walking, we went to dinner at this great little Italian place near Gus' parents' house. I had the gnocchi with vodka sauce, and it was probably the most delicious meal at a restaurant I've had in a long time. I wanted to lick the plate clean! I did take bread and soak up the extra sauce. It was SO. GOOD. I am devoting blog space to this meal, so you'd better believe me. I've actually thought about it several times since then, haha!
The rest of our evening was decidedly mundane. We bathed the kids, said goodbye to Gus' sister, packed our suitcases and laid out clothing for the morning. And that was that. We left early for the airport the next morning, but that whole adventure merits its own post. It's best that I just end this one on a happy note, haha!
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