California Part V: Camping at Doheney State Beach

June 15-19 we went camping at Doheney Sate Beach Park with Grandma, the Larsons, and the Hunts. We had a blast, and Grandma even let us take over her camping trailer for most of the week. We got spoiled, but I was extra grateful, because Hazel actually slept once we were in there!

Hazel, Drew, and Jorli playing in the trailer.

Hazel and Drew took turns pushing each other around on this thing.

All the cousins playing

Hazel's private, beach-front pool.

My friend Lindsay Norling came up from San Diego one day to visit! 

My favorite picture of Hazel and I.  Ha, ha!  We are so photogenic.

Charly taking Hazel on a walk around the campground.

Jake singing "head, shoulders, knees and toes" with Hazel.

Love this girl!

Hazel pushing her stroller around on our last morning at camp. 

California Part IV: Visiting Rob and Sara

Chris' Grandpa Dan just happened to be visiting southern California at the same time we were so Hazel got to meet him for the first time!   We drove out to Garden Grove for a day and visited Uncle Rob and Aunt Sara, Grandpa Dan, and Andrew.  Andrew's kids, Brantley and Maddox were there too so Hazel had fun playing with her cousins.  Grandpa even took a dip in the pool, fully clothed of course :) and Hazel wanted to join.

Brantley and Hazel

Grandpa Dan

Uncle Rob... Hazel wasn't too sure about this situation.

Hazel made Aunt Sara walk her through the doorway about 100 times.

Hazel and Aunt Sara.  So glad we got to see them while we were in town!! 

California Part III: Visiting Friends!

 I got to see a few friends while I was in town too!  Jess Lang and Sam (not pictured) met up with us for lunch in Temecula one day and it was soooo fun to catch up.  They are the best and cutest couple. 

6/25/15

I also got to meet up with Jennilee in San Diego!  We don't get to see each other nearly enough so it was fun to spend the day together... We went to lunch and took a trip to the beach.  Velzy was the best "big sister" and played with Hazel the whole time.  Wish we lived closer!

6/9/15

California Part II: All the In-Betweens

Jorli on the swing at Grandma's house.

Hazel went swimming with her cousins in Grandma's spa a LOT while we were visiting.

Grandma and Hazel at Newport Beach.  It was freezing that day, but we had fun.

Newport Beach.  Amy and her kids came too!! (6/4/15)

Hazel being a couch potato

Hazel basically learned how to walk while we were home.  She never got the courage to totally let go of someone's hand but she would just barely hold onto your finger and cruise around.

Drew let us borrow his toy while we were there and Hazel LOVED it.

This is Drew... passed out mid lunch.

 Rachelle and Marc let us tag along with their family to Lake Elsinore.  Rachelle took their family flyboarding for Marc's birthday and they were nice enough to let me try too!  It was pretty awesome. 

6/20/15

 

Tate and Hazel

This is me trying it out.

Sunday dinner at Rachelle and Marc's house for Marc's birthday (6/14/15)

Hazel giving grandma kisses.

Hazel pushing Grandpa Harrison's walker around.

Hazel's yoga routine

Hazel and Drew

Hazel LOVED climbing up these stairs at Grandma's house.  It was a constant battle.

Summer in California: Part I

Hazel and I flew to California on May 27th and didn't get back to Hattiesburg until July 2.  It was so fun to be home with family in the California sun (and out of the Mississippi heat and humidity).  We went swimming, camped at the beach, played with cousins almost everyday, saw Chris' aunt and uncle, visited some friends, and had a family reunion in St. George.  It was so fun, but we definitely missed Chris and wished he could have been there with us.

The first weekend we were there my dad and I took some of the kids to a Kiwanis event in Redlands, called Touch-a-Truck.  They had a bunch of big trucks (like a bus, fire truck, tractors, etc) from the city that the kids could climb around and look at.  It was crazy hot that day but we all had a good time. 

Jorli in the fire truck

A little blurry, but here's all the kids in the burb.

Hazel driving the bus.

Adios Chris

Chris got a research grant from USM and was able to go to Ecuador for 6 weeks to work on his thesis.  Hazel and I went to California while he was gone so we wouldn't be all alone in Mississippi, but we sure did miss him while he was gone.  He left on May 20th and got back July 2 (the same day that Hazel and I flew back from CA).  He had a great time down there and met a lot of really cool people but it was a long time to be away.  This was Chris' third time visiting Ecuador, so the country has a special place in his heart.  The first time he went was when he was 17, with his brother Tyler.  They were visiting their dad who was stationed down there with the Air Force for a few months. The second time he went was the first year we were married.  We went as a kind of belated honeymoon. This third time was his longest stay for sure, but his brother Tyler was able to fly down at the end to spend a few days together exploring the country they visited as kids.  I only have a few of the pictures he took on his trip, but his thesis is going to be awesome and I can't wait to see the finished product.  

Saying goodbye to daddy at the airport.  So sad to see him go.

 His research is on land use change in Otavalo using repeat photography and interviews.  He re-took some pictures that a professor took back in the 50's and its really cool to see the what the land used to look like in the 50's compared to today.  These are just some of the pictures he sent me while he was gone, but it is so beautiful down there.  

This was the hostel he stayed at in Quito for a few days when he first arrived.  Something got messed up with is reservation though, so when he got there at nearly midnight (after flying all day long) they didn't have a room or bed for him!  He ended up just sleeping on the couch in the common room for a few days before he headed up to Otavalo.

Looking down on Quito

Outside Otavalo

The hostel he stayed at in Otavalo (the same one we stayed at when we visited in 2012).

Love my handsome husband.