California Reunion

It was great to go back and visit California. The drive from Arizona was a bit frustrating. There were multiple accidents going over Pacheco Pass, which was frustrating because traffic was backed up quite a bit and alternative routes weren't available (trust us, we tried). The first thing we did when we arrived to Morgan Hill in the evening was go to Nordstrom Park. The kids were getting really antsy and needed to run around a bit. Soon after we got there, BJ & Shannon and Nana & Papa met up with us and we soaked in the cool Morgan Hill evening and nostalgic smell. We stayed with Bruce & Evie Galbraith (Tiff's parents), which was so wonderful in so many ways. It was great to catch up with them and be able to be back in Morgan Hill.

For the 4th of July, we went to the morning parade in Morgan Hill (Watkins tradition), met up with Peter and Doris Gates for lunch in Pleasanton, and went to the Atheys for a BBQ in the evening. We stayed with the Atheys Saturday night, which was awesome! It was great to reconnect with old friends, and we hope our CA friends/family come and visit us in Maine sometime.

On Sunday, we went to church in Morgan Hill. It was great to see old friends and familiar faces. It was a tough call to decide where to go to church. Our old ward in Livermore started at 1:00, but I didn't want to wait until 1:00 to attend. So we decided to go to Morgan Hill. There were a lot of people we wish we could have seen in Livermore, but feel fortunate we connected with those we saw.

Now, for the main event. We were so excited to go camping with family. Ty and Tiff booked a group site at New Brighton State Beach in the beginning of the year, and planned the entire reunion. They did a great job planning everything. Some of my top memories:

1. Two or three skunks invading camp at night
2. Finn being constantly dirty.
3. Madie being chased by the crazy waves.
4. Body surfing some crazy waves with Ty and Kylie.
5. Kylie's snarky comments ;)
6. Lexi took such good care of baby Nella. 
7. Sadie carrying around her notebooks. 
8. Sam always made the baby's laugh and smile. 
9. Brodi was so brave to play Piano during the recital!
10. I loved watching Hannah walk around in her own little world.
11. Taking priceless slow-motion iPhone videos of Claire making bubbles. 
12. Ethan commanding the trenches to protect the sand fort from the waves. 
13. I loved holding Emily and getting such warm hugs from her. 
14. Nella and Chase 'playing' with each other in the pack-and-play
15. Walking the redwood grove in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. 
16. Going to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. 
17. Nella's smiles. 

Finn and Nella playing at the splash pad in Livermore, one of our favorite places to cool off.

Lily and Finn playing together at the Atheys.

Madie climbing some rocks at Lovers Point in Monterey.

Nana holding Nella at Lovers Point, Monterey.

Mal and Madie riding Al at Bruce & Evie's home.

This pretty much sums up Finn's hygiene for the week...even got a little finger in the nose on this photo.

After trying to build a shelter to protect against the waves, we opted to invite them in with a private swimming pool.

It was a very exciting moment when the water poured in.

Nella and I.

I loved watching the kids (especially Finn) help with chores. At one point, Finn was scooping poop, hoisted the shovel in the air, and the poop dropped all around him. I'm pretty sure some of it landed on him even...

Tractor ride?? Oh yeah, Finn was in heaven.

Trampoline jumping with Brodi.

The girls all got to ride the horse.

All the kids at the 4th of July parade.

Climbing redwood stumps at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.

Madie latches onto Aunt Tiffany like nobody's business.

Beach time is a good time.

Ethan was commanding the trenches, but there were times when Madie was commanding Ethan!

Chase giving his A game!

Stopping at the Livermore library.

We got to meet up with Livermore friends one more time before we headed out to Utah.

Nothing is worse than being in the middle of the Nevada desert, miles away from a gas station, and Finn saying "I have to go potty." We marked some territory on the side of the road.

The Trip: Arizona

Mike's parents and siblings hold a reunion every other year. The siblings take turns planning, and this year it was Tyler and Tiffany's turn. They chose to go camping near a beach in Santa Cruz. Hallelujah! Cool ocean breezes, gorgeous views, and, hey! Camping! I love camping! 

The only downside was that we were, well, camping. Camping with 3 kids requires more gear than just "minimal," and we were flying across the country, so we really didn't want to have to fly all of that gear out. We talked about driving out, and maybe someday we'll do that, but it'd be better if the kids were older. So, we flew into Phoenix and Mike's parents offered us use of their SUV (they took their smaller car), a tent, blankets, a cooler, a pack-n-play--all the things that make camping with the kids a delight instead of a nightmare. We were only in Mesa for a couple of nights, but while we were there we had fun spending time with Nana and Papa. They were the ONLY grandchildren in town while we were there. That never happens! And although we were all anxious to see the rest of the family, we did enjoy some five-on-two time. 

Finn watching Jake and the Neverland Pirates on the plane.

Baby did a great job. This is from the first leg of the trip, Portland to Baltimore. 

We took the kids to see the new Gilbert LDS Temple. Finn loved the fountains.

And Mike and I got to actually attend the temple. It's hard here in Maine because Boston's temple is 5 hours away, so even if we only do one thing, it's an all-day event for whoever babysits. We'll get there though, don't worry. It just won't be at the same time for a while.

Nana and Papa have a "cold tank" (hot tub filled with unheated water--although it did reach like, 89 degrees or something, sitting in the sun). That was a really big hit--I mean really big. Madie kept asking about "the tank" when we got there. It was her own name for it, and at the time we didn't know what she was talking about until she finally said, "You know! The tank with the water! The cold water!"

Touring the USS Albacore

The USS Albacore was a test sub built in Portsmouth, NH. It was taken back there as the first ship to be preserved on land--the ships left in the harbors deteriorate and are difficult to maintain. This was the best $7/head I've ever spent--not to mention kids under 12 are free!

When we first walked in, Madie and Finn must have had a little claustrophobia. The rooms are, of course, tight. We entered right in some sleeping quarters. The kids immediately wanted out. I said, "Well, it's a one-way ship, so we've got to keep going now." Technically this was true, but we were right next to the door with no one behind us (we got there as they opened--it was raining). The point is, they kept going, reluctantly. 

Eventually they calmed down some, and once we were finished, they asked to do it again, so I nursed the baby in the gift shop then we went back and did it again!

Sorry the pictures are a little fuzzy. I was taking them while holding the baby the whole time.

Madie and Finn try out the beds. They thought it was kind of cool, but couldn't believe men as big as Dad slept in these! 

Madie in the ship's office.

There were lots of bathrooms, but some were just showers. The kids thought this one with the red light was hilarious. They kept opening it and saying, "RED LIGHT!" I showed the kids one that looked like just a mirror and a shower head, but then I showed them that a toilet and sink pop out of the walls. For some reason, that was a lot less impressive than this red-lighted shower.

A picture Madie took of me and Petya in a bed. This was my attempt to get them to try it out.

Madie giving orders.

Finn in one of the door ways. It's pretty impressive to think of how quickly they needed to be able to move through these little hatches. Each door weighs about 700 lbs and is water-tight.

Family Fun Night

Each year, the MDI BioLab (which is about a 3 minute drive away from our house) hosts a Family Fun Night. It's free and open to the public, obviously, since Mike doesn't work there and we still go! 

They have a small shark tank and a touch tank with all sorts of crustaceans and mollusks in it. That's always a hit. You know, I don't know for certain how long this event has been going on, but I vaguely remember going to it one year as a kid. I remember standing in what seemed like a huge line for the touch tank (which now doesn't make any sense because it's a big tank and there's never a line there--ah well, my childhood memories sometimes seem more like dreams) behind a girl with the sharpest Achilles tendons I've ever seen. 

So, pictures? Here you go: 

I guess the sun was in her eyes, but here is Madie wearing a "worm hat." 

The different labs put up booths all around the courtyard and you can go around to find out what they study and how. Most of them have microscopes set up so you can see the tiny creatures they use in detail. They have some sort of craft or game and sometimes prizes. A friend of ours runs a lab there using worms to study genetics. His interns put together a sort of treasure hunt for the kids to learn a little about it, and at the end they could choose a treasure. We scored two free tickets to Reel Pizza! So we saw Minions last night for Family Night.

Finn saw a kid at the touch tank with a worm hat and turned to me and said, "I want a worm hat." That was the first booth he went to. They handed me one for him and it wouldn't fit over his head, so his is custom. Yeah, that's right. We're elitists here. No pin-heads allowed.

I always thought sea urchins stung, and I guess some of them do, but according to the young man behind this booth, not in North America. I have lived on islands for 13 years of my 28 and I never knew this. I also had never noticed their little tube feet coming out, but these were performing beautifully. Neither of the kids would hold one. (Madie is holding a sand dollar.)

Finn-man Turns 3

Mr. Finnegan turned 3 this month! We know, we know--we're late. It was like 5 weeks ago. We're were having some technical difficulties with out pictures. 

Finn has been looking forward to his birthday for months. Somehow, back in January, he got it into his head he wanted a firetruck cake. (You don't have to, but you're welcome to read "somehow" as "Madie put this idea in his head.") Since then it has become a favorite activity of the kids to look at pictures of cakes and talk about what they want for their birthday. Madie likes to suggest things like, "A Spiderman cake, Finn? That would be fun!" or "You really like baseball. How about a baseball cake?" I felt like I could make the firetruck cake in a loaf pan, so I kept slicing my hand across my neck and making eyes at Madie whenever she would do that. Alas, she has yet to figure out that social cue. But in the end, I won out. The kid loves fire trucks. We saw a man in his uniform at the grocery store one mid-morning and when I told Finn he was a fireman, he was enamored the rest of the trip. He ended up in the checkout next to us, but got out before we did and Finn was sad he didn't get a chance to talk to him.

A smile for the birthday boy, love Baby P.

We started out the day with opening presents. We even fit it in before Mike went to work.

His very own camping chair from Nana and Papa!

A bright yellow umbrella from Grammy and Grampy. They also sent him a camo raincoat! They are still big hits.

Bubbles.

And the piece de resistance: a tricycle. He loves being able to ride around on his own.

No I didn't use dye. I know. Lame. But ya know what, Finn nor I cared very much at all.

I had finished--or I thought I had finished--frosting the front, top, and side I would have facing him and told him to come take a look. He looked at it and said, "What is it?" I said, "It's a fire truck!"

"Where are the wheels?"

"That's what these are down here, it's just the plate it's on makes it so you can't see the rest of them."

"Where's the ladder?" 

"Oh, I didn't put a ladder on it."

"It's not a firetruck." 

"Okay, I think I can put a ladder on it, Buddy. Hang on."

I piped a ladder along the side and THEN it was a firetruck. He was so excited about that ladder he kept pointing it out to Madie and Mike from the times they got home until he blew out the candles. So maybe it's the ladder he loves? Or the combo? Note taken.

All-in-all, it was a pretty awesome birthday.

Business trip to Portsmouth, NH

IWhen I'm scheduling conferences and trainings to attend, I usually try to aim for the ones out west to reconnect with family or friends. This year, I'm keeping it local. We did a trip to Rochester, NY in 2013 that Mal remarked was one of her favorite vacations. They went to museums every day (while I was working), saw some church history things, and we played at night. Then the last day we went to Niagara Falls. It was a great trip. 

This years was only a two day trip down to Portsmouth, NH. This is a really cool port town. We actually first discovered it on our way back from Rochester in 2013. We stopped by to check it out and happened upon a huge outdoor fair. It was quite the event. This time was a little bit more subdued. It rained nearly the entire time, which put quite a damper on our beach ideas. It's such a pedestrian-friendly town as well, so it's too bad it rained so much. We still made the most of it. Mal and the kids toured a submarine, and we ate at a few fun restaurants. We stayed on the club level of the Sheraton, and were probably the only family eating at the club lounge. It was a great time, despite the weather.

Frozen yogurt was a hit! Finn discovered pistachio flavored yogurt, and Madie kept it cool with her sprinkles. 

We tried Moxy for food one night. It was good, but also one of those expensively priced, small-portioned-serving restaurants that force you to make a pizza run an hour later. Luckily, we had the club lounge and pigged out one won-tons and meat balls.

It is a beautiful little town with a lot of character.

Madie has been such a good big sister to Nella. 

And she is becoming a street performer with her climbing antics.