Fun with Family

Yesterday we left Anaheim to drive north toward Merced, CA. I have NEVER in my life seen traffic as bad as the traffic in Los Angeles. Holy Cow!!! 6 Lanes across, bumper to bumper barely moving...poor JT must have been so stressed!!

After we got through the traffic (finally!) we stopped at Carl's Jr. (Which is the same thing as Hardee's in the South!) JT was making fun of me because my burger was so huge! It was good! :)

The drive between Los Angeles and Merced was mostly barren. There were these really gorgeous golden hills though. And there were LOTS and LOTS of farms!!

CJ enjoyed watching Cars for the 50 millionth time this trip while yet again rocking his Big Texan Cowboy hat!

When we arrived at JT's cousin's house, CJ went swimming with his cousin KB who is 4 months younger. The two were so cute together. Of course CJ wanted the "ball, ball, ball" and KB wanted the "ba, ba, ba" too. So CJ threw it to her and hit her in the head.
We had a bit of a rough night with CJ last night. He did NOT want to go to bed. I think it must have been all the excitement of staying at a house with 4 more people than he has grown accustomed to on this trip (just Mama & Dada). He freaked out, would NOT sleep in the pack n' play, so he tossed and turned with JT and me all night long. And I do mean looooonnnnnggggg... So needless to say we were all a little more tired than usual this morning! JT's cousin suggested that we drive up/over? (I need to look at a map!) to Monterey for the day because it would be much cooler and there were lots of things to do! So we loaded up the cars and hit the road! CJ took a short morning nap on the way there (and so did I!).
The drive there was very pretty and there were more golden hills, this time "sprinkled" with dark green trees!
When we got there, there was a nice chill in the air, so everyone in the group that had not just recently moved from Michigan bundled up! I love this picture of the cousins pushing their babies! :)
We had a nice beach front lunch, and then stopped to play in the sand a little!! KB is still trying to find her footing, especially in the sand!
CJ knew immediately what he wanted to do: pick up large handfuls of sand and take a shower in it!!
Monterey is really well known for their amazing aquarium, so we decided to take the kiddos there!! Their interactions are so adorable!!
This room in the aquarium was really neat. It was circular, and all the fish were swimming in the same direction around top of the room (except for a couple of "special fish"). CJ was mesmerized!!
The whole time we were walking around the aquarium, CJ kept saying "Memo, Memo" (Nemo), and he did try a couple of times to take his shoes off...but I managed to stop him! Yay! Score CJ 547, Mama/Dada 1.
In the picture below he is saying the "Hi! Fishhhhh! Hi!!"
They even had an outdoor viewing area to see the bay. It was such a pretty day!!
There was a seal sunbathing with some birds onlooking.

KB & CJ getting to know each other better by holding hands! SOOOO cute!! CJ then took her little hand and held it to his face like he was snuggling it.
Posing with the babies! CJ took another good nap on the ride home, and so did I. Poor JT, he is really getting the rotten end of the deal by always driving! Sorry honey!

JT's cousin has three dogs, a cat, some goats, a sheep and a cow. CJ is LOVING all the animals!! Here he is petting Penny the Kitty "ooooowww" (Meow).

And this dog Mana is SOOO sweet and good with him!! Even when his petting is closer to hitting...she is so patient and just keeps licking him!! CJ has actually thrown 2 distinctive fits since we've been here, when it is time to come inside because he wants to see the "woof, woof"s!!
Tonight KB & CJ took a bath together, and it was adorable!! They played with the toys and then after they were both clean, CJ leaned over to give KB a kiss! Shortly after the baths he also head-butted her. This age is challenging, you never know which personality you are going to get!!

We are having a great time visiting with JT's family and are so appreciative of the home cooked meals and the free place to stay for a few days! Looking forward to more fun tomorrow, and hoping for a better night's sleep tonight!