My Little Penroses

Oh so precious. The Penroses came and stayed with us for a couple days! It was so nice to have them; this little family holds a special place in my heart. I am a bit cheesy; I love a good love story and absolutely adore being involved in one. I've been that way as long as I can remember, and so naturally jumped at the chance to help out my "buddy" (as he always called me) Brian when he was having troubles with this absolute gem he had decided to crush on, a sweet new friend of mine named Holly. This was all way back in high school, and I didn't do much besides spew encouragement, but with only a couple minor hitches (which, in my opinion, just makes the story that much better) those two sealed the deal and got married after Brian came home from his mission. Now they have added adorable baby Blake to their lives. They lived the classic Mormon fairy tale, and I witnessed it all.

So, I was excited when they asked if they could come stay for a couple days over their spring break.

We ended up talking a lot, poor Mark. Of course conversation drifted back to high school and our happy little valley, but Brian was good enough to talk with sports with Mark too. Monday I headed out to pick up my FABULOUS sister Jamie from the airport, and then we met Holly and Brian at Disneyland. It was ridiculously crowded. Still magical, but crowded.
I think Holly and Brian only made it on a total of six . . . perhaps seven rides. That's pathetic! I felt frustrated, but then realized that they had never been before, and had no idea how much better this place could be . . . so if I would've been smart and acted like it was the best day ever, I might have fooled them. Oh well. We still had a blast, you just can't help but enjoy that atmosphere.

Blake and Mac didn't mind the crowds at all. They were thoroughly entertained, and actually really well behaved! You always have to wonder when you head out for an all-day adventure, but these troopers seemed to really enjoy themselves.
Mark showed up after school with some pizza, which we inhaled. Then through some classic husband-wife miscommunications, we ended up sending Mark into the park -- using up his free day of service pass -- and promptly leaving. It was just too crowded, battling all those people was absolutely miserable. I pointed out how frustrating it was that mere people stood between us and a good time, and Brian wisely replied that every other person there was thinking the same thing. And with that we headed home.

That night I heard a crash. I sat up thinking, "Oh PLEASE don't wake up Mac!", and only vaguely realized we were bouncing up and down on our bed. It wasn't until Mark grabbed my arm, then lept out of bed and into the closet to check on our soundly sleeping son, that I realized we had just experienced a very intense EARTHQUAKE! Mark then ran downstairs to check on Jamie, who was frozen in terror on our little pull-out bed. Mark's presence snapped her out of it and she promptly joined us upstairs. Brian then poked his head out of their room and asked if we were alright . . . and after a bit of nervous laughter we all settled down back sleep. Only one picture fell, and on the news it said it was a 4.4 that had originated in the heart of Los Angeles and had only caused minimal damage; things falling off shelves, a few cracks, but no injuries. Gads, I still think the world is going to end. And I must say, it's a darn good thing Mark is so on the ball; what's wrong with me?? The whole house is shaking and all I can think is, "Don't wake up the baby!" Gee he would have had the whole house fall on him before I realized there was danger and should go get him . . . ooo that makes me shudder. But I will do better next time. Hopefully there won't be a next time . . .

The next day we hit the beach! We decided to go a bit further than our typical beaches and went down to Laguna. It was gorgeous, and completely worth the drive.
I wish I would've taken more pictures of the scenery. Lindy let me borrow her kiddie ten and umbrella, which I bought the very next day at the store. This is fabulous! He can play/take naps while I lay out and catch some rays. Best idea ever.
The babies were great. Blake did not like the water though, whenever they would try to lower him into it, he would hold his legs up all frog-like just above the water. It was super funny. Mac got ridiculously tired part-way through, but once I got him to sleep life was peachy. And . . . can you tell who has a heavier baby? Holly is ripped!

We talked and talked, a bit too long perhaps, and then Jamie and I said farewell and returned home, all tanned and lovely.

Thanks for coming you guys, we had a blast!