A large portion of our time in California was spent with my extended family. Only a few had seen Ethan, while almost no one had met Saoirse yet. It was so delightful to share my children with all my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. While Roman's family is scattered all through NW Montana (plus several other states, oh, and England), my relatives are further away. But I have a much smaller group for him to meet, than he has for me. (My kids are two out of 35 great-grandchildren on Roman's side of the fam.)
We stayed with my dad's parents in Livermore, California. I have spent a lot of nights there, and now my kids have too. We were all still recovering from colds during the first couple days, and Grandpa had pneumonia too. So we spent time drinking tea, watching cartoons, and chatting. Saoirse and Gigi (Great-Grandma) had wonderful chats.
On our way down to CA we stopped in Medford OR to visit my great-aunt and my dads cousins.
The house I grew up in, Brentwood CA.
I know somewhere there is a picture of me in Grandmas tub, very similar to this.
Ethan kept us all amused with his goofy ways. One morning he found a red beret that he quiet liked the look of. He quietly sneaked out (it was only around 7 am, so not everyone was up yet) to where Jillian and Hayley were sleeping to ask them, with a cheesy one-eyed smile, if he was cute. When they confirmed his cuteness, he giggled and ran back to the bathroom where Laurel was showering. He managed to open the door and wander in to play with brushes and who knows what else. Laurel - who did not have her contacts in - said all she could see was a bright red blob bobbing up and down. It was then that I realized where he was, and with a mild scolding took him back to our room to look in the mirror and laugh at his cuteness.
Baby has to take a bath in Gigi's sink.
Great-grandpa has been playing golf for years. Ethan learned a few basic techniques in the backyard, which he continues to practice, with a great variety in balls and sticks.
We also saw both my dad's sisters, and two of my cousins during our stay.
Then we spent an afternoon with my mom's brother, the firefighter with a great swimming pool.
Every house we went to had a dog. Saoirse tried kiss them, while Ethan tried to ride them.
Playing dominoes with great-grandpa (this is my mom's stepdad aka one the best firefighters ever)
Saoirse got along well with all the grandpas and uncles. This is my moms other brother.
The Anderson branch of our family tree:
back row; l-r my dad and mom, grandma and grandpa, my only cousin on that side of the family, my two uncles and one aunt.
front row: my sisters, my wee ones, and yours truly.
After a week in the Bay Area we headed up to the wedding. My mom's sister Christine is 20 years younger than her and 15 months older than me. So when we heard she was engaged we all planned to be at the wedding in TwainHarte CA. On a lovely tree farm in the Sierra Nevada Mountains she shed the name Daskam for Vigilienzone, nearly 26 years after my mom went from Daskam to Carstensen.
It was a beautiful wedding and I as so happy to be there for the event. I really missed Roman during that day. Weddings just make me wish to be close to the one whom my soul loves.
He started the evening with a cute newsboy cap. But there was a bridge over a creek and something had to be thrown in, so in the absence of pebbles the cap was the alternative.
She always looks so adorable.
My grandpa, my aunt and her groom, my mom, my uncle
The grandpa from whom my mom inherits many strong traits.
My gorgeous sister Laurel and lovely mother
With my dad, from whom I inherit so many traits, and Ethan from me.
