Our California Trip

We arrived in San Diego on New Year's Eve. It was a rough flight- Ally only slept for about a half an hour of the 8 hour ordeal so she was not a very happy camper. We had an open seat in the middle of our row, but try as we might- we couldn't get her to sleep in it our in our arms. By the time we arrived back at my parent's home, fed her and put her bed, we had no energy left. We watched the ball drop in NYC then promptly went to bed. This would become a pattern throughout the trip- I don't think we were up past 10pm once. Ally never quite adjusted to Pacific time so she was up every morning between 2:30 am and 4am. I did most of the early morning wake ups so I was pretty much zonked the entire trip. Thankfully she adjusted back to Eastern time with no trouble when we returned.
The big event of our visit was a 65th birthday party for Ann (or the 5th anniversary of her 60th birthday as it was dubbed....) on Saturday night. Due to a badly broken wrist, Ann was unable to do much to prepare for the party so Matthew and I got to pitch in and help with a lot of cooking, cleaning, errand running, etc. I finally got to make and taste Ann's famous enchiladas! Delicious! The party was a huge success and 35 people went home full & happy- didn't hurt that the Chargers pulled off a huge win over the Colts either!
We managed to find time for some shopping, a nice lunch with friends Christine & Tony, drinks with my cousin & his girlfriend, and a few long walks. We had lots of time to visit with family but it still wasn't enough for me. I was sad to leave even though I was happy to come home again. I'm already looking forward to my next visit sometime in the Spring.

Ally with her great aunt Susan & Mommy

Fascinated by Grandpa Nick's birthday balloons


Dad with his new lighter- a cool birthday gift

Ally and Daddy in the tub

Look at those big blue eyes!

Naked girl with spiked hair

Is there anything cuter than a naked baby with a full tummy?

The enchilada assembly line

A beautiful Cardiff sunset

Ally with her grandparents