Oakley’s First Trip to California

Well, we went on our first vacation as a family!  We went home to California to visit everyone and celebrate my Mother in law’s 60th birthday at a beach house in San Diego.  Oakley had the best time meeting everyone, going to the zoo, and hanging out at the beach.  She was a champ. It was such a busy, fun week for a 10 month old but she was awesome.  Her naps were few and far between but she rarely fussed or cried.  If she was tired, she rallied so she wouldn’t have to miss whatever was going on. I was a little nervous before we left to fly with her and just bring her along for such a busy week but she was definitely the highlight of the vacation.  Here are some pictures from her first trip to California!

She slept the first flight from Fort Smith to Dallas and then stayed awake for an hour and slept for the remaining two hours of the flight from Dallas to John Wayne.

She met all of Andrew’s dad’s side of the family at Old Spaghetti Factory.  She didn’t really let anyone hold her but at least she smiled at them.

After, we went to my parent’s house and she saw her Grandpa and Grammy.  Then we headed to Seal Beach for a sleepover at my cousin’s house. The next morning my dad’s side of the family came over to my cousin’s and she met all of them including my grandpa (her great grandpa)!  It was the cutest thing I have ever witnessed in my life.  He kept saying, “She sure is a cute little booger” and played with her fingers.

From there, we went to Andrew’s mom’s house and she stayed with Memaw and Papa for the night while we went to Andrew’s best friend’s wedding, which was a blast. It was so great to see some of our friends and some friends we haven’t seen since high school.  Now they all want to come to Arkansas and meet Oakley lol.

 

The next morning we left for San Diego!  Here’s a picture of her putting her toes in the sand. It was her first time at the beach.

That night, we walked to Belmont Park and she rode the carousel with her Memaw and her cousin Scarlett, who she adored.  It’s so cute that even at 10 months old they want to be like the older ones and do whatever they do.

The next day, we went to the San Diego Zoo, which was so fun!  If you know Oakley or read this blog, you know she’s a huge animal lover.  She was sleeping when we first got there and waited in line to buy tickets but woke up once we got in the park. Perfect timing.  She got so excited to see the animals and would yell and kick her legs.  The tigers had a glass wall so she was able to get right up next to them and she went nuts.  Her favorite seemed to be the elephants or the lions though.

Look at how excited she was to be at the Zoo with her auntie Bree and auntie Allie.

After the elephants and the lions, she fell asleep and took a nap in her stroller.  We ended up leaving the zoo not too long after that.  The next day, we went to Old Town San Diego and I fell in love. It felt like we were in an old western town.  We ate at a Mexican restaurant and then went back to the house and went to the beach.

On Fourth of July, mine and Andrew’s anniversary, we went to the shops and then went to the beach.  We have been married for 3 years! It’s so crazy how time flies!  Oakley tried to eat a couple of handfuls of sand.  She was as happy and content as she could be at the beach. I held her hands so she could walk around and every time, she went right for the water.  That night, we ate pizza and went for a walk along the bay.  She loved all of the dogs but would cry whenever we left one lol. She was fine once we found another one she could pet.  After, we went inside and watched the fireworks out the window. Her eyes were huge and after every firework, she would turn around and smile with excitement like, “Did you see that?”

The next morning we left San Diego and got In n Out one last time on the way home. That must have been our second or third time getting it in less than a week since we had been home. Do you blame us?  After we got back to Tustin, we went to my parent’s house.  My friends brought their babies over and people stopped by to see Oakley throughout the day. Later that day we swam in their pool and she loved it.  She seemed to enjoy the jacuzzi too.  She met some of our friends, the neighbors, and my parent’s best friends. It was so weird to think that was my last time being in that house or swimming in that pool, but I’m glad I got pictures of Oakley in the house I grew up in.

The next morning, our flight left at 6:45 and Oakley was awake for about 45 minutes for the first flight from John Wayne to Dallas and then slept for the last two hours.  For the flight from Dallas to Fort Smith, she was awake the whole time and she was fussy.  Luckily, it was a short flight!  So, I would say she was 3-1 when it came to the plane rides lol, but she really did a great job and I couldn’t have asked for it to go any smoother than it did.  She’s a good little traveler!

Our trip seemed to go by as quick as you read this post, but we made memories we will have for a lifetime and Oakley met some really important people in our lives.  We also got to spend some quality time with family and friends, so I would say we had a great time and our trip was one we will remember forever!