Hakone Gardens

We have had a wonderful 13 days in California so far!  Dan flew back to Reno last Monday, April 4th, and the kids and I stuck around to hang out some more (Annie is off track, so we might as well!) 

Things We’ve Done a Lot of Since We’ve Been Here

- Swimming in Grandma and Grandpa’s pool (well, spa, really).  Seriously, the kids swam 2 days for a combined 12 hours in the water.  They could swim all day.  And they do. 

- Watched Tangled.  Grandma bought the DVD last Tuesday, and since then they have watched the movie 8 times.  And I’m not exaggerating.  We pretty much know it by heart now.

- Went to Fresh Choice.  3 times.  And each time the kids got at least 3 ice cream cones. 

- Shopping.  At Valley Fair Mall.  We made 3 mall trips throughout the week and I still didn’t hit up all the stores I wanted to.  That mall is HUGE.  And very awesome.  Let’s just say, I was successful:)

- Lots and lots of good cousin time.  Complete with a sleepover last night.  Annie and Scotty crashed at around 10, and at 11:30 pm I finally made the 3 little girls go to sleep.  They were going strong trying to sneak Barbies into their bed.

- Meeting up with friends, watching movies with the fam, going out to dinner, and even playing a game of Ticket to Ride with just my mom, dad, and Michael.  It’s been so fun.

 

Last Tuesday we took the kids to Hakone Gardens here in Saratoga.  It was free day for Saratoga residents, so we thought we would go check it out.  I’ve been there once before, a very long time ago, but Steph and Katherine had never been, and we definitely all agreed that my grandparents’ backyard is much better:)  We would never actually pay the admission fee, but it was something different for the kids and they had fun walking around.  Here are some pictures from the day:

Cousins: Halle Cole, Anson Hulme (actually my cousin:), Leah, Annie, Scott Rich, Emily Rich

Well, it’s late, and I better go to bed.  We’re actually off to Disneyland in the morning!  In about 6 hours to be exact.  So why am I still up blogging?  That’s a good question.  Good night.  And stay tuned for Disney pictures!