San Juan Capistrano and the train April 2009

     We decided to do a day trip to San Juan Capistrano by way of the train.  First we drove, parked and took the trolley to the train station.

     Then we took the train from San Diego to the Capistrano depot.  We got out and walked around the historical district.

     Lastly, we took a bus to Doheny Bay and Elaina had fun crawling all over Neil.  In the end we took 3 forms of public transportation in one day.

April 2009 The flower fields

     We went to the flower fields in Carlsbad at the end of April.  Here I am with Elaina in the white ranunculus flowers.

     Next, Neil is carrying Elaina in the trusty green back pack.

     Elaina, my nieces Rachel, Haylee, and their exchange student from Austria enjoyed swinging on the swings.

     Elaina loves to swing.  It is the one piece of playground equipment she has a handle on.

     In April Elaina was crawling, but not walking yet.

The 50th Anniversary Mexican Cruise, April 2009

     The Ricks family did a cruise to Mexico to celebrate my parents' 50'th wedding anniversary.  On the way to the ship, my brother Ed rented a limo van and Elaina learned how to be a pole dancer.

     As you can see, Elaina was none too happy about having to don a life vest during our life vest drills.

     Here are my Mom and Dad in Puerta Vallarta, still happily married after 50 years.

     Next, we see the deck of the cruise ship, which is a total party scene.  After that is the dining room where we ate dinner every night.  It had 3 levels and was very fancy.

     Next is the view of the ocean from our room.  We had a balcony and Elaina seems to like it.

     Next is sunset on the top deck or 14th floor at the back of the ship.

     We wore Elaina out.  She fell asleep in her high chair and in the back pack.

     Next is a shot of our Royal Carribean cruise ship.  It is one of the biggest cruise ships available.

     Next we see Elaina on Lovers' Beach in Cabo San Lucas, all ready to go swimming.

     The ship steward made us little towel animals every day.  We got this picture of it before Elaina destroyed it.

     Next is Mazatlan, our 2nd port of call.  It has definitely seen better days, but the ocean and coastline were still beautiful.

     Puerta Vallarta was my favorite port of call with the mountains plunging into the sea.  Here we all went on excursions together.  In one photo, you see 9 of the male grandchildren next to a jet ski, ranging in age from 2 to 17.  In the next photo you have 6 female grandchildren ranging in age from 11 months to 15.

     My sister Kelly is the glamour girl watching as the kids go zip-lining at Carlos's Hideaway near Puerto Vallarta.

     The next picture is of a sand sculpture of the 12 apostles at the last supper in Puerta Vallarta.

     We were able to get a dress-up picture of me, Neil and Elaina.  We had 2 dinners on the boat where we were supposed to dress up in formal clothing.  The final photo is of Mom and Dad and the 6 of us 7 children who made it on the cruise.  My sister Liz and her family came the farthest.  They flew all the way from Alaska.

The Getty Villa and Point Dume - April 2009

     This is the Getty Villa near Pacific Pallisades, CA.  We especially wanted to go there after visiting Herculaneum and Pompei on our honeymoon.  Here is Elaina sitting on a mosaic.

     The Getty Villa was modeled after a villa found outside of Herculaneum. I remember going there when I was 12 with my uncle Don, a professional artist.  I will always remember the way he described the art he saw there. Because he took the time to talk to me about it, he has always been one of my favorite uncles.   The big fountain and statuary is impressive.

     After seeing the Getty, we decided to explore some more and drove through Malibu and then turned off the Hwy 1 to find Point Dume.  A secluded stretch of beach like this is a rare find in LA.

March 2009

     My friend Kyoko visited us from Japan.  Her friend from Indonesia came too and she cooked Japanese food dinner.  Here she is, having fun taking care of Elaina.

     In March, we went to Anza Borego and hiked Palm Canyon when the flowers were blooming.  Apparently the flowers don't bloom this well every year.

     Elaina's favorite bath toy is her rubber ducky.  Yes he is the one.  I am glad we have an extra deep sink because this is the easiest way to bathe her.

     The suspension bridge hike in Hill Crest.  It was a beautiful spring day and we crossed 2 bridges that day.  I really liked this old house that we saw hanging onto the side of a canyon.

     Finally, we went to Disney's California Adventure with my nephews Greg and Thomas.  They had a lot of fun and Elaina got to ride on her first ride all by her self.

February 2009

     We discovered a new place to go hiking just north of Torrey Pines.  You hike along the railroad tracks and eventually come to another beach. Here's Elaina with her daddy on that trail

     Next is Elaina in her Bloomingdale's outfit next to the Tiffany blue wall of her nursery.

     Next we see Elaina sleeping in the crawl position.  How this is comfortable I don't know, but this proves she is ready to crawl at 8 or 9 months.

    Next is Elaina and Mom getting ready for church on Valentine's Day, followed by walking on the beach near Powerhouse Park in Del Mar.  You know Elaina is just trying to figure out a way to bug Daddy.

     Then we have Elaina distracting us at choir practice at church.  Who can sing with that face looking up at you?

     A girl always needs a little more bling bling!  Here are my nieces at Disneyland celebrating Neil's niece Lauren's birthday and the fact she gets to go for free.  While Lauren was here in San Diego, we took the girls to Torrey Pines so we could hike down the beach to the cliffs.  There were a lot of people on the beach that day.

Disneyland with Leslie and Rex, January 2009

   Neil's sister Leslie and her husband Rex came down to California and we went to Disneyland with them for 2 days.  In the first picture, we our little Elaina, the cutest princess at Disneyland.  One day, she'll even be able to wear this dress!  Aunt Leslie had a fun time holding Elaina while we were there.  Elaina got Mardi Gras beads at New Orleans Square, and she still plays with them.  We got to see the Matterhorn and a little German village all in one.  Only at Disneyland!  We got annual passes, which was cheaper than buying tickets for 2 days.  I'm sure we'll be back many times before the year is over.