Ventura

We got back from Florida on Wednesday, March 9. The following day, I headed up to Ventura with the girls to visit Dee and Shan (new baby Gunnar arrived in February) while Courtney was also visiting from D.C. I had hoped to do laundry, unpack, and repack Wednesday afternoon/evening so I'd be ready to leave right after a doctor's appointment Thursday morning. I wasn't as productive Wednesday as I'd hoped, so we didn't leave for Ventura until Thursday afternoon. That meant we hit some traffic. We also very nearly missed getting into a car accident. My biggest complaint about Big Blue is the brakes. You have to hit them hard and for a long time to stop that giant mobile. On the freeway, the traffic in front of us suddenly stopped. I slammed on the brakes but didn't slam them quite as hard as I could have because while I didn't want to rear-end the people in front of us, I also didn't want to get rear-ended. There was some brake-squealing and some swerving, and I became 100% confident that we were going to hit the car(s) in front of us and have a big accident. Miraculously, that didn't happen, and I was so grateful.

We arrived just in time for a delicious taco dinner. (Really possibly the best homemade tacos.) Ever was a little shy at first, but before we knew it she and Betsy were playing dress-up and acting like long-lost best friends. While Betsy is certainly bigger, her position in the foreground of this picture makes her look like a giant compared to Ever:

Betsy skipped a school activity Friday morning, so she had all day with Ever. It was rainy (hooray for rain!), and we were very lazy and just hung out in our jammies all day. Well, the girls hung out in princess dresses while Coco and I hung out in our jammies.

Shandra had an appointment, so Court and I were in charge of the girls for a while. Mostly Court and I just sat and talked while Betsy pulled out various activities from their craft corner, and she and Ever entertained themselves. It was lovely.

After crafting, there occurred some funny little game involving the carrying around of their chairs. I couldn't get a good picture because of all the movement, but it was cute: 

Meanwhile, Wrenzy showed Coco her silly new scrunch-face smile:

And Gunnar stretched it out:

We enjoyed pizza for dinner, and then the big people watched a show after the little people went to bed. We did that every night, and every night I couldn't stay awake. We never managed to get the little people to bed very early, and I was always so tired.

Dee and Cwon went on a doughnut run Saturday morning:

We went out past Ojai to do a little one-mile hike to a waterfall. Perfect weather and a lovely spot. 

Ever posed by the waterfall while Coco adjusted her camera settings. Someday Ever will grow into these shoes Jim bought for her:

Betsy is my favorite in this kiddie group shot. She looks like the victim of a really bad Botox job/eyebrow lift:

Cuties:

The waterfall:

After the kids posed, it was family photo time:

Ever stood in for Dustin:

We hung out near the waterfall for a while and let the kids explore. I tried not to hover or worry too much about Ever's falling and getting hurt. It's hard.

Tristan scaled this slippery, steep hill:

Ever had to follow:

Eventually she got stuck and started crying, and Coco went to rescue her. Rather than come down, she wanted Coco to help her go higher. 

The walk takes you through a campground that I'd really like to stay at sometime:

As we headed back toward Ojai, we went through this lovely little area with hills and lots of green. We pulled off to photocize, but I don't think we were really able to capture it:

Once in Ojai, we drove around for a while looking for a parking spot and then went to a really fun park and let the big kids have at it. During the walk to the park, Wrenzo tried to escape from Coco:

Gunnar and Wren relaxed in their strollers:

Ever spent almost the whole time we were at the park on this giant spinning thing:

Deetrix and Courtney went to pick us up some highly-recommended burgers from a deli in the back of a grocery store. They were HUGE:

Tristan did his best:

While we rounded up the bigger kids to head home, we kept Wrenzo happy by giving her a water bottle. How mischievous does she look in the first pic?:

Back to the car we went:

While we were lingering by the Deetrixes' car, Dee said he saw the actor who played the friend in 500 Days of Summer. Dee said the guy was wearing a jean jacket, was with a tall, blonde girlfriend, and had just gone into the store on the corner - if Coco and I wanted to keep an eye out for him as we walked to our car. Sure enough, the actor and his lady friend were conversing just outside the door of a boutique at the end of that block as Coco and I went by with the girls. I tried to get a decent look without appearing to stare. It was this guy from Criminal Minds (I don't know how Dee remembers him from 500 Days of Summer):

Coco was looking in the same direction, so I assumed she was also trying to stare discreetly. After we passed, I said something about how it was the Criminal Minds guy. Turns out Coco hadn't heard Christian's description of him, didn't realize who he was, and wasn't looking at him. She was upset about missing him, so I loaded up the car while she went back to get a quick looksy. It's been a long time since my L.A. days of celeb sightings, so it was kind of fun.

Back at the ranch, Tristan played with Wren before bed. She loved it. They reminded me of Brad Pitt in Legends of the Fall, when he becomes a bear man:

I had planned to head back to Oceanside straightaway Sunday morning to avoid traffic. Predictably, however, it took me a while to get packed and out. Ever, Betsy, and Tristan rode on their scooters outside while I packed up. Ever hit a lip in the sidewalk and took a tumble, getting a couple decent scrapes in the process. Betsy shared her Frozen Band-Aids, so Ever recovered pretty quickly. We said our goodbyes and headed out. 

The drive home was relatively uneventful. I thought I should stop and see my friend Peta-Gay (from law school) in L.A. since we drove right by her place, but I didn't coordinate with her early enough. She returned my call right after we'd gotten back on the road following a pit stop off her freeway exit. I ended up just catching up with her by phone as I drove. Next time I'll have to coordinate better so I can see her. 

'Twas lovely to see everyone. I'd love to get up there again before long to see the Deetrixes and maybe camp at that sweet campground near Ojai.

P.S. Inspired by Winnie the Pooh, Wren has become "Bear," while Ever remains my "Goose." I constantly call Wren "Bear," "Bear-Bear," "Pooh Bear," "Sweet Bear," etc. It was really confusing when we were in Ventura because Betsy has always been "Betsy Bear" and other such nicknames. I was concerned that the Deetrixes were annoyed I had stolen their name, but it's really all Winnie's fault.