San Diego

Whew!  We made it home from San Diego and it was bittersweet.  I was glad to see Mikey and of course Grady was too, but I missed Katie and Anna Cross as soon as they drove away from the airport!  We were gone for 22 days which didn't seem like a long time to me when I booked the trip, but when you're away from your house for that long, it does seem like a long time.  But I am so thankful that I was able to go and spend so many days with them.  And I'm thankful that they let me!  I know it's hard to have a houseguest! 
While we were there, we went to the San Diego Zoo, the Wild Animal Park, the beach (Coronado and Mission Beach), Balboa Park, Old Towne, La Jolla, Belmont Park, Kate Sessions Park, Cabrillo National Monument, Los Angeles/Hollywood, and "Let's Make A Deal".  I also experienced my first earthquake on the same day we arrived!  California is beautiful... I think it's so cool that one state has beaches, mountains, deserts, and snow.  It's so amazing. 

Anna Cross and Grady had a lot of fun together, even though Grady is a little dominant and definitely has the only child syndrome going on!  Anna Cross is just so sweet and has the cutest little voice ever.  Every morning, when Grady would wake up (he'd wake up first most of the time), we'd walk out of our room and he'd say "Shhhh"... but as soon as AC woke up, he would RUN to her door and they would both just squeal when they saw each other.  They also loved to wrestle around on the floor and dance... so fun to watch!

Anna Cross also had her first birthday party while we were there, so we enjoyed celebrating with her.  They splashed in the pool and loved the slip and slide, too.  Samantha made the cutest cake and several matching cupcakes.  Anna Cross dug right in!

Of course no trip is complete without some kind of "emergency".  I noticed some small bumps on Grady's hiney about a week after we were there and since he's had MRSA before, I worried that's what it was.  I had decided to wait until the next day to take him to urgent care, but later that afternoon, I saw a HUGE blister/ulcer on his tongue.  I took him to the doctor and he gave him a prescription for MRSA, said the ulcer was just viral, and gave me a prescription for a topical ointment for that.  The next day, I saw a blister on his foot and one on his hand, so I assumed it was actually Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease.  I took him back and the doctor confirmed it and said there was nothing to do for it.  So 2 copays and 2 prescriptions later, we were stuck riding it out!  He really didn't seem too bothered by the blisters, but the ulcers complicated meal time and he was drooling all over the place!  Luckily, they cleared up within a few days.  What a mess!

The Sunday before I left, Katie and I went to LA to go to Let's Make a Deal.  We didn't get to be a contestant, but it was still really interesting to see the TV production process and see Wayne Brady in person.  Beau kept the kids for us (super dad!) and everyone was in one piece when we got home and having a blast!  Thanks Beau!

There are just too many details to share since I was gone so long!  We just really had a great time and it was a great way to end my summer vacation.  I go back to work in two weeks.  Thank you, Katie and Beau, for having us and being such great hosts!  I can't wait to see you again soon!!!

Here are tons of pics... we took over 1000, so it was a process to weed through them all!

We've arrived!

Katie's House

The seals at La Jolla

La Jolla

Grady checking AC's diaper!

Hugs!

Anna Cross's First Birthday Cake (by Samantha!)

Balboa Park

Coronado

A few from Old Towne:

Belmont Park:

Kate Sessions Park:

A few from Cabrillo National Monument:

Wrestling!

Balboa Park Rose Garden (Anna Cross's First Birthday portraits were taken here, so we tagged along and got some of our own!)

Let's Make A Deal!

Having Fun: