Leaving on a Jet Plane

We just got back from a long weekend in San Jose, CA visiting with Denise, Flo and Eli! Tyler and Sydney turned out to be very good little travelers and handled the 3hr 40min without causing too much of a scene. It was actually worse going through security with all our gear!

The California weather was beautiful -- high 80's and plenty of sunshine. A pleasant contrast to the 60's and rain showers we left behind.

When we last saw Eli in person he was about the same age as Tyler and Sydney -- so we were very excited to see how he has grown and to introduce him to his new cousins. In this photo, Tyler and Sydney proudly display their Thing 1 & Thing 2 outfits as they meet Eli for the first time.

We had a very nice visit over the next 5 days. We enjoyed Vietnamese waffles and iced coffee from a local Vietnamese bakery (a couple times). I'm not exactly sure what the special ingredient in the waffles was but it made them extra yummy.

Eli was great with Sydney and Tyler. Other than being generally curious, he made an effort to share all his toys with them and made them feel right at home.

The visit really went by very quickly -- we did manage to venture out to Santa Cruz on Sunday to see the coast before we left. It was a beautiful drive through some wooded country on Hwy 17 just south of San Jose. We took the kids to the beach and had them experience the ocean for the first time -- letting them wiggle their toes in the sand and the surf.

We had a great time and thank Denise, Flo and Eli for having us!