Glen also squeezed in three very full work days, and I did a bit of programming.
Magic Mountain
Vanessa tried out the swingset with Alan. Roger also talked us into a game of Wacky Wickets in the backyard.
We picked lemons and made lemonade. The cousins all
worked together on this project.
We had to dye Easter eggs Saturday night.
Vanessa stayed awake long enough to do one, too. She
switched time zones rapidly.
Then we made Easter baskets from paper plates and
strips of poster board. Alan made his into loop-the-loops
and envisioned hot wheels cars driving on them.
Easter Sunday we transported the whole set of baskets to
Sarah's dorm and had an egg hunt with plastic eggs. Lisa
joined us there so now we were a party of 10.
Vanessa liked finding eggs.
Before we left Sarah's dorm, the kids had to
take a turn at the pool table.
Then off to the zoo.
We took the train ride. Both Alan and Vanessa had
disquieted moments, but overall they liked it.
Roger sat in the very front row with Daddy.
Sarah helped Vanessa jump from a handy rock.
Apparently the young flamingos are grey.
In honor of the day, the Squirrel Monkeys got
plastic eggs with some sort of treat inside.
The kids, as usual, had plenty of energy left for the
playground at the zoo.
We finished off the expedition with a stroll
down State Street and dinner at a Mexican
restaurant. Very touristy!
On Monday, we decided to hike around Vasquez Rocks,
an uplifted set of rock formations that sits on
the San Andreas Fault Zone.
We all hiked up and around some of the spectacular rocks.
The car is barely visible as a small dot from this viewpoint.
Roger liked this little cave.
And then he found a window above it to peek through.
After our little hike, we had a snack under one of the
old pepper trees.
And the kids all got to climb in the tree, just as
Lisa and Sarah did many years ago, the exact same one.
This branch bounces
Even Vanessa tried her hand at climbing.
Uncle Steve and Alan draw with the markers that arrived
in the Easter baskets.
Uncle Steve made Roger's day, two days in a row, by
playing hours of ping-pong with him.
This didn't last long, but it was cute!
Tuesday night, we filled up the portable jacuzzi (aka, pool)
and let the kids get wet. Jenny was our in-pool babysitter.
We made gingies one afternoon.
I got out the campfire grill and introduced Vanessa to
marshmallows.
Roger climbed on Uncle Steve, his best buddy after all
that ping-pong.
Alan and Vanessa managed to play together in the sand.
Wendy was a bit dismayed at how sandy and wet Vanessa
got while playing in the sandbox with the hose running.
Time to say good-bye at LAX.
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