Summer Road Trip 2019 (Part 2)

After our fun time in Utah, we got back in the car to head to Grandma's and Grandpa's house in San Diego. It was our last hurrah in Poway before they moved to Escondido. The kids were not excited about more time in the car, especially when we hit stupid L.A. traffic. But we managed to keep them entertained, and I myself was entertained by this bumper sticker I saw, which says, "Proud parent of a great kid that is sometimes an a$$hole and that's okay." The other bumper stickers were not my favorite, but that one made me chuckle. I really relate.

One of our first activities with the family was the San Diego Zoo. Being 8 months pregnant, I couldn't handle all of the walking with my bad hips, so Daniel, Dad, and Maren took turns pushing me in a wheelchair. I tried to sneak a candid photo of Maren pushing me up a hill, but she caught on and smiled in time. Also, I have no idea what I was doing with my face.

A lot of my photos from our zoo day are kind of bad quality, which is sad, but you get the idea of the fun that was had. The kids loved watching the fish in this exhibit, which had a larger animal in it (a polar bear?) that we couldn't see.

And Aubrey felt very at home among the gorilla statues, which isn't surprising. She's my little monkey girl!

Cousin Asher was super cute with all of the littler kids, especially Bennet and Carter. Here he is talking to Carter about the gorilla. Carter, of course, was more interested in the waterfall, but whatever. It's still so cute!

For her part, Aubrey enjoyed riding on Grandpa's shoulders...

... pretending to be a seal...

... and taking a skyride with Grandma.

At one point, we separated into two different groups--the big kids and the little kids. The little kid group was done a bit before the big kid group, so we waited at the exit listening to a band play fun music. Carter was particularly funny about it. He really wanted to hear the music, but then it was too loud when he got there, so he ran back.

And then the kids had an important meeting around the fire hydrant. Obviously.

When some of the adults went to get the cars, everyone else took a well-deserved rest under some palm trees.

And then we went out to dinner, where Grandma got to enjoy her only two (for the time being) granddaughters.

It was late by the time we were done, and Miss Aubrey fell asleep on Grandma's lap.

So Grandpa carried her to the car. It soon became clear that she had woken up at some point on the way to the car and was pretending to sleep. Stinker.

San Diego adventure #2 was the beach, which we all went to without the grandparents. The littles enjoyed playing in the sand together.

Then Bennett found a toy car, and he and Carter had a blast putting it on the sand, watching the waves take it away, and then chasing after it.

Aubrey and Carter had fun splashing in the waves together. This video cuts out at the end because I ran to make sure Aubrey was okay, haha.

In addition to the beach, there was also some pool swimming. We had to say a proper goodbye to the pool!

Aubrey got to show off her awesome swimming skills.

And occasionally we had some down time.

It was so fun to see Carter and Bennett play together on this trip. They really bonded in a way they hadn't before. Yay for cousin friends!

This is a game Bennett and Carter played over and over again. They thought it was hilarious!

And just in general, they played really well together.

And Daniel got some photos of Aubrey loving on Riley.

Down time never lasted long, as is the way when you have 11 kids under one roof, so you've got to find things to keep them busy! And the trampoline park is always a group favorite. My favorite moment was when Aubrey decided to join the big-kid dodgeball game and held her own like a champ! It's possible they were taking it easy on her, but I was still proud she got in the middle of it.

The little kids (except Carter) also had fun being thrown into the foam pit by Daniel.

While we were in San Diego, I had my 32nd birthday. It was fun to be with family, and not just because I got two cakes.

After eating at a yummy Argentine restaurant, my family surprised me with tickets to the Hugh Jackman concert! I LOVE him. Loooove. So needless to say, I was very excited.

And he was awesome! Because duh. He made me laugh out loud and swoon, and I wished he'd never stop singing. And that's saying something, considering it was a billion degrees in there and I was really pregnant.

I especially loved it when he sang Les Miserables songs...

... and Greatest Showman songs.

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One of our last hurrahs was going to the Wild Animal Park (sorry, I can't call it the Safari Park... old habits, you know).

It's always fun to get up-close and personal with the animals.

We got to go into a special enclosure for the kangaroos, but they were being lazy in the shade. Aubrey still liked them though.

And this time it was Carter who got a ride from Grandpa.

When it was time to wash all the WAP dirt, sweat, and sunscreen off of the kiddos, the four littlest got to have a communal bubble bath. Riley pooped a little bit after this photo was taken, and I'm happy to report that both of my kids had already gotten out.

When Carter got out, he got some good Grandpa snuggles. D'awww.

And then it was time to head back home. The kids were REALLY not excited about road tripping at this point. And since my parents were moving just after that, they gave us a bunch of things, including a TV (pictured here between the kids) to take back in our car.

Aubrey again found ways to entertain herself.

And Carter... well, he dealt with it, haha.

Summer Road Trip 2019! (Part 1)

We've driven to Karen and Colt's house a number of times now, and every time I take a couple photos of our kids sleeping in the car and that's it. I don't take any cousin photos. I don't document the fun things we did. And then I'm mad at myself! So this time, I photographed nearly everything. I may have gone a little too in far the other direction, but I'm okay with that.

So let's begin with the obligatory sleeping-in-the-car photos. Neither kid slept very long in the car, but we decided to take what we could get. Carter is particularly cute because he is holding his new police car toy.

And Aubrey is particularly cute because she's cuddling her mer-bear, Baby Rosie.

On our first full day in Hurricane, we visited the very cool river park. The adults sat in the shade and talked, while the kids had a blast splashing in the cool water. 

I'm so sad that this photo of Aubrey is blurry! But I had to include it anyway since it's so cute.

Another family let Carter borrow their water gun for awhile, and he was so pumped. I mean, check out this face.

Aubrey had a bit of a hard time when Emma's friends showed up and divided her attention (though she worked past it eventually), so she came and sat with the adults for awhile. She helped feed Karen's friend's baby, and I got so excited to see her as a big sister to our baby soon. She's going to love it!

When we got home from the river park, we decorated patriotic sugar cookies. And when I say "we," I mean everyone else, because I fell asleep on the couch and missed it. Hours spent out in the heat + pregnancy = tired Michelle.

The next day was the 4th of July, and we got to participate in the Stratton tradition of walking to the nearby grocery store for morning doughnuts. Carter had a hard time eating as he walked home, so he finished up at the house. I love his face! And, of course, his outfit is very appropriate.

Aubrey wore her American pride outfit too. Here she is posing for a photo with Emma, who had just gotten her hair done. I think Karen had said, "Smile!" This is what we got. Silly girl.

Then Aubrey let Karen do her hair, too. She kept saying I never do that for her, but she neglected to mention it's because she rarely asks and then takes it out whenever I do take the time. Oh well. Cute cousins!

On the afternoon of the 4th, we went to Colt's parents' house to swim in their pool. I hadn't planned to get in, but it looked so nice! And it was. Before I got in though, I had to document the moment.

Carter utterly refused to go down the slide by himself, so Daniel got creative. He ended up not liking that either though.

Colt's mom kindly brought us some delicious watermelon to eat while we swam. If this photo isn't the total embodiment of summer, I don't know what is.

Oh, and on a side note, everyone had a slice of watermelon and moved on, but Carter sat on that step there and ate at least six slices before he decided he was done. He just kept standing up, walking over to the tray of watermelon, dumping his eaten rind in a pile, picking up a new one, and heading back to his little spot to eat it. Over and over again. It was hilarious.

Anyway, after swimming we returned to the house for a little rest before the festivities began. I sneaked in some photos with my favorite boy. He had been having a really hard time and was super grumpy (more on that later), so it was nice to see him happy.

Also, related much? I think we look so much alike in this next photo. Maybe it's just that we both look tired, haha.

While I continued to rest, the kids showed Emma how to play Daddy playground. 

And then we had dinner followed by s'mores.

Carter was a big fan, especially of the marshmallows.

Aubrey just ate graham crackers and chocolate, but she enjoyed roasting the marshmallows for other people.

And then, as we waited for the fireworks to start (it doesn't get dark until 9:00 there), the kids had a spontaneous dance party. Obviously.

Once it was sufficiently dark outside, we headed to the front yard to wait for the town fireworks to start. Colt and Karen had a bunch of their own fireworks for us while we waited, including sparklers. They were a big hit with our kids.

Then Colt started setting off bigger fireworks, and that's when things went downhill (for Carter, anyway). The first one was all fine and dandy with its shooting lights until it started to make loud popping noises. At that point, Carter covered both ears and ran toward the house screaming and crying. We tried a second one, but that one was also very loud and poppy. 

Carter started shouting, "Don't do that again, Uncle Colt!" and ran into the house. We figured we'd go back and get him again when the town fireworks started. Unfortunately, he came out a minute later, just as Colt lit another one in the street. He screamed, "I told you not to do that again, Uncle Colt!" with his hands over his ears. He was super upset, and it was actually kind of funny (and sad, of course). 

Daniel finally took him in to go to bed, which meant he missed the town fireworks. I was really sad about that, but he may have hated that too, for all I know. When Daniel tucked him in, Carter kept saying, "Daddy, Uncle Colt lit the street on fire," and "Daddy, Uncle Colt's not supposed to do that." Then, just as Daniel was leaving the room, Carter said, "Dad, can I ask you a question? Is Uncle Colt supposed to do that?" Hahaha. I really wish I could have heard it all myself.

The next morning, Daniel interviewed Carter about the whole ordeal. It was pretty cute. I especially like the part when he says that not even Mommy can make it better. Awww...

Afterwards, we headed to breakfast at a local place, where they serve humongous pancakes, even for kids.

We had a funny experience there when a 9-year-old kid approached our table and mumbled something so quietly as to be incomprehensible. It seemed like he was maybe trying to sell something, so Daniel just curtly said, "No, thanks." The kid looked a little dejected and walked away. Then, when Carter had a meltdown a little later, the boy came back and presented him with a balloon sword. Turns out the kid makes balloon animals and was offering to make some for our kids when Daniel offhandedly dismissed him.

We all felt so guilty that we asked the kid what he charged (which was 25 cents per animal) and then asked him to make things for Aubrey and Emma. Then, of course, we made merciless fun of Daniel for being a crusher of children's dreams. Good times.

After breakfast, Colt took us to see his company's pit, where they have tons of cool machines and piles of building materials. The kids liked watching one particular machine (don't ask me what it's called) that picked up huge piles of dirt and rocks and then separated the two into different piles. 

Best of all, Colt let the kids take turns riding with him in this cool machine! Aubrey went first, because Carter was freaking out. (He had gotten dirt in his Croc-style shoes the second he got out of the car, and he just could not get over it.)

And then, much to our surprise and (my) serious dismay, Carter refused to take a turn himself. He threw a fit, so we went home. I thought for sure that he'd be all over riding in a big digger truck. But he wasn't. Once again, more on his extreme grumpiness later...

When we got home, we did some more hanging around the house to avoid the heat. Aubrey played with Nora, and they were ridiculously cute together.

The next day, everyone but me took a little hike. Carter apparently complained the whole time, and Aubrey was her usual rock-scrambling self.

After the hike, we all met back up to visit the dinosaur park. There's a really cool splash pad area, and I really enjoyed getting my own feet wet.

Before we headed back home, we had to ride the train. Here the kids are standing in line.

And here's Carter waving to everyone and everything as he goes by. He did this the whole time. It was so adorable.

Back at the house, the kids snuggled and watched some shows.

We were pretty lazy Sunday, which makes sense, but I did get this cute photo of the kids in their Sunday clothes. Aubrey even let Karen curl her hair!

Our last day in Utah was Monday. We took the kids to a splash pad while Emma went to a summer camp in the morning, and then in the afternoon Karen busted out the water balloons and slip 'n' slide. The balloons pretty much bounced off of everyone, probably because the kids couldn't throw them hard enough. But they still loved it!

Once all the little balloon pieces were picked up, Aubrey asked Karen to pour some of the extra water over her head.

And then Carter followed suit.

The slip 'n' slide was also a big hit, though neither one of the kids really did it right. But who cares? Fun was had.

That's all for photos and videos of our time in Utah, but I do have to explain what happened that night. We finally got an answer as to why Carter had been having such a rough time. And then we felt awful. After Carter put himself to bed two nights in a row (at 6:15 and 5:30, respectively), we started to listen more to Karen, who had wondered a few times if Carter might have an ear infection. I figured he couldn't because he hadn't been sick and it didn't seem to hurt him to lie down. But we finally had Karen's very nice doctor friend, who lives just down the street, come check out Carter's ears as he slept. Karen was spot on; Carter had a double ear infection. And we had tortured him for a week, not getting him the medicine he needed and being super impatient with him. Parenting fail.

Long story short, we got him medicine a couple hours later and gave him the first dose in his sleep. He was already a lot better the next day. Poor, sweet boy.

Anyway, on to the California leg of our trip!