Scott's Spring Break finally arrived on March 14th. Gosh I cannot believe he is already half way through his first semester at the U. Time is just going by so so fast these days. Of course the days right before the vacation were super hard because Scott had 3 midterms and a couple big assignments due. He was so ready for California!
So on Friday Scott worked from 8-5 and once he got home we hurried and finished packing a few last minute things and then headed out the door for the dreaded drive to California. I was so nervous about how Chloe would do on such a long a drive. I seriously asked everyone for tips on what to do to help 3 month olds in the car in case she got crazy. I honestly was dreading the drive. So we got on the road about 6 pm. We decided to split up the car ride into 2 days because it was so late and because we didn't know how Chloe would do in the car. We fed her right before we left and she was pretty fussy for about 40 minutes and then once we were past Provo she was out. We were able to listen to music and sing and talk and she just slept and slept. We took Scott's car and it was so nice for her because he has tinted windows so the backseat was like a cave it was so dark back there. I was so thankful that she did so good.
Once we got to St. George we stayed with Scott's sister Kat. She has a baby that was born a couple months before Chloe. We arrived around 10:30 so of course the baby was already down, so we quickly fed and changed Chloe and put her to sleep. I was so glad we got to split up the drive because Scott was pretty tired from a long day at work and then driving 4 hours. Plus the house we stayed at had SUCH NICE BEDS. Holy hannah we slept so good. 
On Saturday morning we got up around 7:30 and went out and hung with Kat, Burke, and their baby Kelly. Oh my goodness Kelly is so cute and so active crawling around everywhere. We woke up Chloe so that she could 'play' with Kelly a little before Kelly went down for her morning nap. Chloe just laid there and smiled at everyone and Kelly wanted to crawl on her and pet her head. It was pretty cute. I cannot wait until Chloe starts to get even more interactive. 
We finally got on the road about 9:30 and started the second half of our car ride to California. This half of the drive is 6 hours and once again I was so nervous about how Chloe would do because this time we would have the sun up so it wouldn't be that dark in the back. I did not need to worry at all though because she slept for a couple of hours and then woke up and I fed her and changed her and then she went back to sleep and by the time she woke up we only had about 40 minutes left until we were in Mission Viejo. The last 40 minutes were pretty awful because she screamed most of it and would NOT let me put a pacifier in. But all in all it was a really smooth trip. We finally made it to Scott's house around 3pm. We were so excited to finally be out the car and to be in California. Scott hadn't been home for over a year and a half so he was super excited to be home.
Once we got all settled in Scott's parents took us out to dinner to Cheesecake Factory. Oh my gosh I love that place so much, the bread they give you at the beginning is so YUM. Dinner was delicious however Chloe was just not having it. She was so fussy the whole time we were there. That is what happens when she misses her nap lol We all took turns holding her so we could all eat our food then we headed back to the house. I was pretty nervous about how Chloe was going to do sleeping at a new house mostly because she usually sleeps in her swing at home and we were going to be using a crib here. So that first night was kind of a doozy but after about 30 minutes she finally went down! Yay success.
On Sunday we went to church with Scott's parents and they were so excited to show Chloe off to everyone there. After church we headed down to San Diego to visit Michael and Jennie and their families for dinner! It was so fun for everyone to meet Chloe and to hang out and catch up with my siblings. 
I cannot believe how old all of their kids are getting. Amika loved to hold Chloe it was so adorable. Before dinner we played some basketball, looked at pictures, got a house tour, and played Scum (which by the way I stink at). It was so much fun. Michael made the most delicious hamburgers. After dinner we headed back to Scott's house and just spent a nice relaxing night in with his parents. Gosh I love vacations.
Monday we decided since we had so much driving the last two days with Chloe getting in and out of her car seat so much that we would take it easy and relax. Chloe did so good sleeping in her crib again so we got pretty good rest. We hung out around the house and just enjoyed being out in the sun in the backyard playing with Scott's dog Kuma. The weather was absolutely beautiful. Chloe loved being outside and finally being somewhere warm. 
Tuesday morning we got up early and headed down to San Clemente to go to T Street and walk the pier and the beach. It was pretty windy and cloudy and sorta cold. But it was so nice to see the beach and spend some time on the ocean front. The last time we were on this pier was when we had breakfast here the day after we got married. Who knew a year and half later we would be back with a little baby girl? After we walked the pier we decided to take Chloe down on the beach so that she could feel the sand in her toes. The sun was finally coming out so it wasn't too cold and Chloe seemed to really like feeling the sand! I can't wait to bring her back next time when she's a bit bigger so she can play in the sand. After hanging out at the beach we met up with Scott's Mom and had lunch at a place called Sharkys, it was a mexican restaurant. I got a steak fajita rice bowl and it was so yummy. Chloe was pretty worn out from the beach excursion that she slept the entire time we were there. Such a good little baby. That night after Scott's Mom got off work she watched Chloe for us so that we could go out on a date. 
We headed down to Newport to go to the Newport Beach temple. It was so nice to have some time together and to go to the temple together. We hadn't been able to do that since before Chloe was born. It was such a special experience and the temple was so beautiful. 
Wednesday afternoon we met Debbie again for lunch and this time we went to ChikFilA. It was really fun to be able to take Chloe down to her in the middle of the day and all hang out together. After lunch we headed back to the house and Scott deep cleaned his car. It needed a good cleaning so it looked so nice when he got it all done. While he was cleaning up his car I took Chloe for a walk around the neighborhood. It was a hot hot day. I am so ready for it to be warm in Salt Lake. 
Thursday we hung out around the house and then headed to a nearby park to take Chloe on a walk in her stroller. There were SOOO many lizards everywhere! They would hurry and run away as soon as the stroller got close but holy hannah they were pretty big!We took Chloe on the little bouncy bee and decided to put her into one of those baby swings. Oh my goodness she looked so tiny in it! It was so fun to swing with her. It will be even more fun when she gets stronger and bigger! Summer is going to be so fun. After the park Scott's parents decided to get a brand new tv for their living room. It was quite an adventure getting that hunky TV out of the entertainment center. Scott was pretty excited that he got to help out with getting the new TV all set up.
Afterwards Debbie & Geoff offered to watch Chloe again while Scott and I went out on a date to a movie. We went to see Cinderella. I was so excited to see that movie and Scott is such a good sport to go see all these silly movies with me. It was so fun to be able to walk around the outdoor mall before the movie. Once again it had been quite some time since we had been out to see a movie so we were so grateful for such sweet parents who watched Chloe so that we could go out. 
Friday Debbie was able to take the day off work and spend time with us. In the morning she and I went to Jo Anns Fabric and got some fabric for Chloe so that she could make her some headbands. She is so crafty. The headbands turned out so adorable. Chloe is going to be the cutest little kiddo ever. After Jo Anns we all headed down to LA to visit Geoff at his office downtown. Wow traffic was INSANE! It literally took us like 35 minutes to go 5 miles. Chloe was such a champ the whole drive. She is seriously just such a good baby. We got to the office and Geoff showed us around and introduced us to a few of his co-workers.
After meeting up with Geoff we headed down to Santa Monica. It was so fun to be apart of the night life. We headed down to the pier because it has always been on my bucket list to ride the ferris wheel on the pier. You always see people down there in movies and it has just always somewhere I have wanted to go. The pier was sooo awesome! There were sooo many people out and about.
Geoff and Debbiewatched Chloe while Scott and I went on the ferris wheel and the roller coaster. It was seriously so much fun. It was so cool to be riding rides right above the ocean! Man it was humid down there though. Chloe was so done by the time we left she was ready to go home. What a trooper. She did however LOVE looking at all the lights on the ferris wheel so I think she had a good time =)
On Saturday Scott and I got up early to head down to the beach. We headed down to Woods Cove in Laguna. This is my favorite beach. It is so beautiful and not too busy and the sand is just so nice. It is also somewhere I don't get to scared to go into the water. I have a thing with waves... and the ocean... ya i get pretty scared. The water was soooo freezing cold but it was so fun to be able to soak up the sun and swim around.
We met up with Nick and Jess at a beach down the road, Tablerock. It was really nice to catch up with them. I did not get into the water at this beach.... not after my experience here on our honeymoon when i got slammed pretty hard by the waves. Maybe one day i'll face my fear but for now I just sun tanned. Which i loved. 
After hanging out at the beach we all headed home and got washed up before dinner. We decided to celebrate Scott's birthday today because we would be driving all day on Sunday. Scott's parents took us out to Flemings for dinner. Chloe was a champ! By the time we got our salads she was asleep and stayed asleep until dessert. So it was a really enjoyable dinner. I got the salmon fillet. Oh my gosh it tasted so delicious. Scott got a HUGE steak and loved every bite of it. After dinner we headed home and ate some birthday cake and Scott opened his presents up. We decided to get everything packed that night so that we would be able to head out super early on Sunday. Once we finally got the car all packed we relaxed with his parents and just soaked in our last few hours.
On Sunday we got up at 6:30 am, fed Chloe, and said our goodbyes. We were so sad to leave California and Scott's parents. It was so nice to have all the help while we were there and being able to go out. It had been FAR TOO LONG since we had been there and we hope next time it won't be that long before we go back again! Chloe needs to see her grandparents more =)! We headed home on our 10 hour drive... Chloe did pretty good. We had to stop twice plus we stopped in St. George to see Scott's sister for a bit so we finally got home about 7:30pm at night. We were so glad to finally be home. Scott is quite a trooper to do that whole drive.... especially on his birthday. Poor guy.
Happy Birthday to my sweet husband. He is so amazing and surprises me more and more everyday! I am so grateful to have a husband who works so hard for our family. I could never be a stay at home mom if it wasn't for him working part time and going to school at the same time. I love him more and more every day and I love being his wife. Happy 25th Birthday baby I can't wait to celebrate many many more with you!
The vacation was so much fun! It was such a nice break for all of us. Thank you Debbie and Geoff for everything! We seriously had an amazing time and can't wait until next time. =)
