Dear Olivia,

We went to California to visit family! It was pretty dang fun! Of course it had it's highs and lows but mostly we had a grand old time! :)

When we drove out there we decided to drive through the night. But we got tired fast so we pulled over to sleep. While, in usual Livvy fashion, we hadn't been stopped more than 2 minutes when you started to cry. From the time you were tiny you will wake up the minute the car stops moving. It is so strange. So Dad tried to hold you and sleep but that didn't work. So I took over and I realized why he was struggling. So I turned "Frozen" on the portable DVD player and we watched it/snoozed together.

I think you enjoyed your time in California. It's hard visiting a bunch of old people when you are 2 but you won them over even with you all the trouble you caused! I was actually surprised how fast you warmed up to Grandma and Grandpa Stetson. We hadn't been there very long when you were calling them Grandma and Papa and letting them play and hold you! Watching you with Grandma and Grandpa Stetson is something I hold very dear to my heart. They are the closest thing I have to my Dad in a lot of ways and watching you interact with them is incredibly amazing! :)

We went swimming in our hotel pool and had such a blast! It was one of my favorite parts of the trip! It was just us 4 and we had the pool all to ourselves! We brought a little floatie thing for you and you actually like it more than I thought. You still spent quite a bit of time in your Dad's arms swimming around! You of course were more brave than I wished you would be! You had no problem jumping off into the pool to your Dad or trying to climb in with no adult help! You had a blast though and didn't want to leave!

We also went to the beach! I was so curious to see how you would react to the water. I thought you would love it or at least like it more than Bently since you are such a brave girl! But nope. You didn't like it. It scared you. It was one of the first times I heard you use the words, "I scared!" Your reaction was too cute and funny! You would come out in the water if we held you but you still didn't really want to touch it! I think part of the problem is it was pretty chilly and you get cold easily. That being said you had a blast in the sand! You enjoyed every second digging in the sand and exploring the beach! At one point your Dad and I buried your legs and you thought that was the coolest thing ever! You didn't ever want to get out! :) I can't even describe how magical our beach day was. We were there just before sunset and we just got to relax and enjoy being together! It was my favorite day of the whole entire trip!

So those are just a few highlights from our Cali trip. Next up, camping!

So Bently really wanted to go camping so camping we went! Now you didn't have any warm girl 2T clothing. At first I was worried we would have to buy you new clothing just to take camping and get dirty. But then the thinker I am realized we had Bently's 2T clothing in the closet. So yup you were boy clothing for the majority of the trip! It was a little strange to see you in Bently's clothes but it was good too. Amazing the memories clothing can bring on!

So we arrived for our very last minute one night excursion to find out we were pretty much the only people camping there. Us and an elderly couple. We chose our site and started setting up. Your brother and I spent the setting up time getting into as much trouble as possible. Mostly crawling under the tent your Dad and I were trying to set up!

We had tin foil dinners which you didn't love. :) Then we explored the lake that was right by our campsite. You loved throwing rocks in the water. A little too much actually. You kept getting your shoes and your pants wet. We only packed one pair of pants and closed toe shoes so you might have been cold the rest of the night. I'm not really sure! :)

After we went back and just hung out around the campfire. We sang songs to keep you little ones entertained. You insisted on singing all of the Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood songs a million times. That show is you recent obsession. You love all things Daniel Tiger. You also entertained yourself by tipping brother and his chair over. First it was funny, then it got annoying. Especially for poor Bently! ;) You laughed and laughed every time though! :)

That night we looked at the stars and then it was off to bed. We had planned this trip very very last minute and hadn't charged our air pump. Bently ended up on the cold hard ground and you, Dad, and I, slept on the half blown up mattress. It was pretty bad but not as awful as I thought. Every time we sleep someone where not home you have a moment sometime in the night where you wake up and cry for no reason. I mean, cry. There is no making it better. It's just waiting for you to get tired enough to stop! So we had one of those sessions which was fun! I remember being grateful that we didn't have anyone even remotely near us! :) Dad slept in the  middle and since it was only half blown up we all ended up squishing dad! But on a positive note, we were toasty warm! :)  

The next day we had breakfast and threw rocks in the lake again. Honestly for our very first camping trip just our little family, it was pretty much awesome! I spent the next week looking back over the memories with fondness! :) I'm pretty excited for next year!

Okay I think that is everything! I love you beautiful!

Love,
Mom