A week ago, we set off for a mini getaway in California to see our beloved Grandma Diggy and Aunt Suezy who live in Sacramento and Aunt Cindy who flew in from Texas. We had the most amazing time! There is never enough time, of course, but we made the most of what we had. We stopped in Redding for the night on our way down Friday and had some fun in the pool. We swam for three days in a row, and Britt was in heaven. He and Brady had several races, and Britt was thrilled to win them all! His flip turns give him the advantage over his dad, but they were tight races. Brailey and I laughed the entire time watching them. 
After swimming, we went next door to Marie Callender's for "pies and fries." Brady ordered a chicken pot pie, and it was supposed to be a mini, but they were out, so they brought him a large, which we all helped him eat. He wasn't exactly happy about not being able to put pepper on his food, but he was a trooper and let us nibble away with him. We also helped him with his cheesecake. We had already eaten our own pies (chocolate for the kiddos and apple for me). Poor Brady! His reaction made it fun.
Saturday morning we arrived in Sacramento where we got to see Brady's oldest sister Aunt Cindy. She spoiled us all with her delicious cooking! She made us her famous tacos and earthquake cake for lunch, and it was seriously yummy. If we lived near her, we would be over to her house for every meal of the day!
Grandma Diggy still had her rollers in when we got there. She couldn't believe how tall Britt was!
After our scrumptious lunch, we headed south to our hotel in Galt. They had an indoor pool. At first, I was kind of bummed that is wasn't outdoor, but it was 111 this day, and the pool was so warm inside it was like being in a bath. It felt great! We spent a long time playing in this pool and it was fun to watch Britt enjoy himself so thoroughly. Brady dunked him a million times, and he still thought he could get his dad - he never did. His dad still has the upper hand on him. 
This was a common site. Britt would do handstands for Brailey and then she would judge them. She was a tough judge! She wanted pointed toes and straight legs.
Aunt Suezy joined us in the pool for a while. She brought gifts for the kiddos - a gorgeous fringe jacket for Brailey and a super cool knife for Britt. While everyone was showering off the the pool chlorine, Brady said to Britt, "That's a bad ass knife Aunt Suezy got you." Suezy thought he said she had a "fat ass," and she said, "I know I've got a fat ass, but I worked hard for it!" Brady thought that was so funny! We all had a great laugh over that one. Even the other people in the pool got a kick out of it!
Aunt Cindy and Diana came down to Galt to our room and Aunt Cindy spoiled us even more with her incredible chips and dip (it is seriously to die for - I couldn't stop eating it!) and then she made Brailey her favorite strawberry dip that she loves. Cindy first made it for her when Brailey and Diana went to Texas, and Brailey was thrilled! Aunt Cindy loves to take care of people. She made her King Ranch casserole for Diana and she even brought that down and heated it up in the microwave for her. Talk about spoiled! Aunt Cindy takes perfect care of everyone, and we all loved it! We also had the most delicious pizza I can remember eating in years. So yummy!
We had a big time visiting. Aunt Suezy is more fun than words can say! She told us so many hilarious stories. She and I have a lot in common in the way we we tell stories - we both get a little side-tracked and we like to tell every detail. The next morning, the kids said, "You really are a lot like Aunt Suezy, Mom." That is a great compliment to me - I love Suezy more than words. And Aunt Cindy and Grandma Diggy, too! It was so special to be with them.
We always knew where Brailey was - she never let Aunt Cindy out of her sight for even a second! She loves her aunt so much and spent every minute with her.
And Britt said he would only to to California if he could see Aunt Suezy. He gets the biggest kick out of her! It was great that they could each see their "favorite" aunts and also for Aunt Cindy to meet Britt, or Britty as he is known around Aunt Suezy. She started called him "Britty" when she first met him, and now we all do. Suezy is the only one who could have given him that nickname.
The next day, we headed back to Diana's apartment to see her dear friend Mary. Mary has been to our house a few times when the kids were much younger, and we have seen her on a couple trips we made to Sacramento. She and Diana are best friends, and both are aging and have health issues. Despite her ailments, Mary has a positive outlook on life and it was truly special to see her. We love Mary! She was very happy to see how much the kids have grown. They walked her upstairs as we left, and they said, "She feels like one of our grandmothers!"
And then the real fun began - we headed to Raging Waters for a day at the water park! Getting Grandma Diggy there was a bit of a trick, as she is not doing very well physically, but she made the long journey to our cabana. I rented us a cabana on the Lazy River, and it was the most perfect spot in the park! It was nice and cool and we were given VIP treatment - who doesn't love VIP treatement? Brady was very patient on the walk there with his mom. It is hard for him to walk this slowly, but he did it and got her to the cabana in one piece. If you could have seen how far of a walk it was, you would be as amazed as we all were.
Lots of fun pictures from the lazy river! Aunt Cindy and Brailey spent almost every second in it.
Britt is such a cutie pie, isn't he?
Aunt Suezy waving at us up on the bridge and with her cute bandana on below. She was such a hoot and saved the day at the end - stay tuned for that part of the story.
Suezy was so sweet to take these pictures with my camera - otherwise, I wouldn't have any pictures of myself in the lazy river. I am grateful for her thoughtfulness. She is full of goodness, this woman. She and Aunt Cindy both are amazing human beings. Much like their brothers, Brady and Boone. And speaking of Uncle Boone, thank God for him! He wasn't able to come with us due to a high school reunion, family in town and weddings, but he took perfect care of our horses and dog.
It was super hot this day, but the water in the lazy river was cold, and our cabana was nice and cool. It didn't feel nearly as hot as it actually was.
This was a little ride that Britt and Aunt Suezy went on. Britt is in the picture above and Suezy is the in the one below. I took these from the cabana, so they aren't too close up, but you can see everyone below them in the lazy river watching them go. It was a hoot! The drop is about 30 feet, so it is quite a slide to drop off of.
These two - never apart.
Here is a fun picture of everyone in our cabana. We all munched on a small lunch, and then Brady and Britt went on the big slide. It was humongous!
Aunt Suezy took a siesta.
And then Grandma Diggy made it into the lazy river! People were cheering her on, because it was quite an ordeal to get her in. She made it the entire way around the loop. Incredible!
Fun family pictures after all the activity. What a great day!
And this is where Suezy saved the day. We had no idea how we were going to get Grandma Diggy back to the car. It was an uphill hike. She was out of energy. We had her walker, but we needed a wheelchair. So Suezy asked our Cabana Girl if they had a golf cart or something, and they didn't, but they did have EMTs on hand to escort her out. And so they brought the wheelchair down and wheeled her all the way to the car! Thanks to Aunt Suezy's good thinking, we got her out of there easily. It was nothing short of a miracle, to tell the truth. Diana made it through the day, but it was a lot for her to endure and she was exhausted. Having fun is tiring when you are healthy. But at least she was able to be there with us, and we have the memories and pictures to prove it. 
California bears! We took a few fun shots at the entrance on our way out.
My bestie and I - I love him more every day. I am so blessed to be his wife and I thank God every day he is mine. I admit I love kissing him!
And one last shot of Britt and the CALIFORNIA sign. This trip was for him as much as anyone. Brailey had an amazing summer riding her horses, but Britt didn't get to do anything terribly exciting. He was more than happy we went on this trip and he thanked us several times for taking him. He had more fun than anyone, and we all had a blast, so that's really saying something. Cali was good to us!
We had an extremely long drive on the way home due to a wreck on the freeway, but our alternate route took us by one of my stores that is in Yuba City, so we got to stop there and talk to the sales girls about their Montana Silversmiths, and then we also stopped in Medford at the Boot Barn and I met those girls, as well. We may have found some cute clothes at both stores... It is a habit I must break immediately! But back to our trip, it was super special and a great way to wrap up our summer. Family is everything! 
