A Trip to Los Angeles . . . Without Kids!

After a long several months business-wise, Cody needed a vacation. (We both did!) So, Cody planned a last-minute Labor Day Weekend trip to Los Angeles, for just the two of us! I admit I was a bit nervous about hopping on an airplane and leaving the kids behind, but once we arrived in LA, I was able to relax. Cody and I had a fantastic time. It was the first time we'd been away like that in 5 years (since Cameron was born!), and we relished the opportunity to sleep-in, come and go as we pleased, and pretend like we had no responsibilities for the weekend. We visited some of our old stomping grounds, saw old friends, did a little shopping, and (did I mention?) sleep-in. Here are some photos from our weekend.

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First, our old stomping grounds . . . Cody's first office building - the job that brought us to LA in the first place. Our first home in LA, "The Venetian" in Venice. (Did we really live there?!?!?) Our favorite place for half-priced sushi during Happy Hour - the Canal Club. Our second home in Santa Monica. (Cody was pleased to see that the bougenvellia he rigged up 6 years ago had actually grown over the driveway to create the carport he always dreamed of!) Peet's - Cody's "if only we had one in Albuquerque" coffee shop. And, our home in Lake Balboa, plus a couple pics with our wonderful neighbors.



Next, time with friends . . . . Dinner at Rosti with Craig and Stacy, seeing friends at our still-beloved Bel Air Pres, a BBQ at the Kvinslands with the Taylors and McCarties, and some photos of the little misses - Annika, London, Ella, Mia, and Macy are all getting to be so big!



And finally, imagining we are cool at our hotel's roof-top pool. Ahhh . . . a weekend without kids.

First Week of School

Cameron enjoyed his first week of Pre-K very much. His teachers are wonderful, and we've had great reviews so far. He attends class Monday through Thursday, leaving Gordon and me four mornings to spend together! Here are a couple pictures from the first day.

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Riding the Rail Runner

This past Saturday we rode the new Rail Runner Express from a station not too far from our house to downtown Albuquerque. Our friends Patty and Trevor Clark joined us, along with their children Alexandra and Nicholas. The kids had a blast riding the train and eating Cold Stone Creamery. However, the adventure really began after we exited the train at the end of the evening. Gordon had gotten into my purse on the train, and I had retrieved all of the purse's contents except my car keys! You can imagine the hassle that ensured, but to make a long story short - the keys rode the Rail Runner for a bit, spent a couple nights locked in a safe, and finally found their way back to us on Monday morning. Here are a few pictures of our adventure!

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And he was a beautiful butterfly!

He stayed inside for more than two weeks. Then he nibbled a hole in the cocoon, pushed his way out and he was a beautiful butterfly! from The Very Hungry Caterpiller by Eric Carle




This butterfly hung around our front porch for quite a while. I was able to snap a couple photos, but Cameron shooed me inside pretty quickly so that I wouldn't scare the butterfly away!

Sea-Doos, Corvettes, and Waterslides, Oh My! (AKA: Our Trip to Michigan)

The boys and I spent five days in Michigan having lots of fun! Between taking a ride in Grandpa's Corvette, riding Aunt Carol and Uncle Dan's Sea-Doo, and taking several trips down the slide into Uncle Doug and Aunt Janet's pool, this may have been the most exciting week of Cameron's life. (And that's not to mention having dessert almost every single day!) Gordon, on the other hand, was somewhat traumatized by the dogs almost everywhere we went, although he warmed up eventually. (Well, mostly. To say that he he is tentative around animals is an understatement; he's terrified of the neighbor's cat for goodness sake!)

Anyhow, here are several photos from our trip . . .

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Traveling Boys: Cameron and Gordon read the "airplane security manual," as Cameron calls it. The other photo pretty well captures their feelings on traveling; notice the crazed look in Gordon's eyes and Cameron frothing at the mouth.


Our First Day in Michigan: Cameron takes a ride around the block in Grandpa's Corvette. Uncle Matt and Aunt Michelle, along with Great Grandma and Grandpa Simpson (or "The Great Simpsons" as Cameron dubbed them when he was about Gordon's age) come over for dinner.


Our Second Day in Michigan: Cameron and Gordon start out the day with some piano "playing," and we have a great day at Aunt Carol and Uncle Dan's house on the lake. Notice Cameron driving the Sea-Doo all by himself in some of the photos! He also had fun feeding the fish in Uncle Dan's boat house. At one point, Gordon asked Grandpa to sit on his lap, and well, you can check out the photo yourself!


Our Third Day in Michigan: Cameron helps Grandpa with a project. Cameron and Gordon play with their second cousins, Craig and Anna Halliday.


Our Fourth Day in Michigan: Lots of fun at Uncle Doug and Aunt Janet's pool.


Our Last Day in Michigan: A final trip to the lake.