larsen party: Family Reunion in Fullerton, CA

*Giant post ahead...you've been warned.

We had such a fun week! We usually all stay in a cabin here in Utah for our family reunion, but this year we stayed at my folks' house in Fullerton, CA and they offered to take us to a bunch of things down there. Sadly, Jordan's family wasn't able to make it since they were moving to Texas that week. We missed you guys!

On the road again // Penny entertaining herself in the car

On the way down, we stopped in Vegas to see our cousin Erin and her family. It had been too long!

Me, Erin and Lana with our baby girls // All the kidlets: Violet, Elsa, Penny, Max, Ethan, Brooke and Kevin

The day we arrived we just relaxed at the house...

My dad with the grandkids //?Penny on my dad's lap while he's on the ham radio
*I remember doing the exact same thing with my dad when I was little...some things never change. :)

On Sunday we took a walk after dinner to our favorite Acacia Park...

Love this pic of my mom and Penny // Elsa and my dad on the slide

On Monday us girls got pedicures (one of my FAVORITE things ever) and that night we went to Medieval Times! I don't know why I enjoy this place so much, it's so cheesy and fun.

The whole crew.

Thanks for the light toys, Grandma! Penny is still playing with hers.

King Max + Queen Penny. Huzzah!

Go red and yellow! // Waiting for the show to start

All the actors, I mean, knights lined up // Violet wasn't much impressed by the show

And the next day was the main event - Disneyland! I was a bit anxious about having to take two young kids to Disneyland for the first time, but it was actually really fun! Yes, it was hot and crowded, and sometimes the kids got whiny but we brought lots of snacks and water, re-applied sunscreen every hour and they were all right. We took turns staying off rides with Violet if she was asleep in her stroller, and my parents even watched the kids so us four adults could go on Tower of Terror since the line was so short. Penny was afraid of a few of the rides when they got "too scah-wee!" or "too darrrk!" but other than that I think she enjoyed her first Disneyland experience!

It was so busy and fun all day that I only took two pics. I know, what's wrong with me?? But it was nice to just enjoy it all, and not worry about documenting every little thing.

One pic in California Adventure...

And one pic in Disneyland. But these two are good enough, right?

The kids stayed until 6:00pm or so, and then we brought them home, fed them dinner, and we got to come back with Lana and Kris for a few more hours until the park closed at midnight. It was a fun little date all to ourselves! It felt just like when Lana and I had annual passes in high school and we'd go for a few hours after our homework was done. So fun!

The next day was beach day. Penny's doesn't really enjoy cold water or getting dirty, so she wasn't a big fan. She kind of got upset each time a wave came in, I mean, really, how rude of the ocean.

But she did enjoy sitting under an umbrella playing with toys and a bucket of water. We all find our niche, you know?
I just sat and took care of Violet and read magazines. That was my niche at the beach and I liked it.

On Thursday we got to meet up with our friend, Heather! It was fun to chat and catch up, and watch our kiddos play together.

Me and Heather // Max, Violet, Harvey, Elsa, Wendy
*Penny refused to come out of the toy room for the group picture, ha

Later thay day, a quick snapshot of my high school // And lunch at my favorite Fullerton restaurant

For our last day we went to Irvine Regional Park, and there was a bunch of fun things to do there...

We rode a cute train around the park.

And took the toddlers on a pony ride, which they all LOVED. I thought Penny would be scared, but she was totally into it the whole time, waving each time she passed by us. It was so cute!

The petting zoo was next, Penny loved chasing the goats around and combing their fur.
Paul and Penny on a paddle boat to end the day.

And the next day we drove home. And that's it! You made it through the longest blog post ever!

Thanks mom and dad for such a fun week!

Source: http://larsenparty.blogspot.com/2012/09/family-reunion-in-fullerton-ca.html

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