I did quite well on the plane, after all, I am not a rookie flier you know! The flight was three hours and we had an early start so I was quite tired. As I am not a cuddler and don't like to be held much when I sleep, it was hard to fall asleep on the plane, but I managed a few minutes of shut eye on Mommy's lap. And when I awoke, I was very happy, screeching at the top of my lungs. Upon arrival at the airport, Uncle David and Auntie Jen greeted us with a video camera. It was so good to seem them. They drove us to their home of Camarillo, just north of Los Angeles, on the Pacific Coast Highway which was quite a sight. The ocean was just to our left and not far from the shore, among the surfers, we saw many dolphins jumping in the water! The ocean is so beautiful. Once in Camarillo, we got the tour of Uncle David and Auntie Jen's house. It was so big! It has five bedrooms and five bathrooms.
The day after we got there we went to Disneyland with Uncle David, Auntie Jen and Auntie Jen's sisters Nicole and Delee along with her cousin Brett. The weather was nice and warm. At least Mommy, Daddy and I thought so. I was wearing shorts and the others were wearing hoodies! Those Californians hey? If it is not 30 degrees above zero, they are cold! Disneyland was a lot of fun! There were tons of people there as it was Sunday and the lineups for the rides were very long, sometimes an hour and a half wait. I experienced my first ride ever, The Pirates of the Caribbean. I was in awe of the ride as we were in a boat in the dark and there were pirates everwhere, loud canons going off and even two drop offs in the water where we went faster.
Of course you can't go to Disneyland without buying Mickey Mouse ears. Mine even have my name on the back.
It cooled off quite a bit at night and the hoodies we were making fun of earlier sure came in handy as I had to use Auntie Jen's as a blanket. Mommy forgot to pack my warm fleece coat. She ended up buying me a Mickey Mouse hoody later on though. Here I am wrapped like a burrito. I was able to finally fall asleep now that I was nice and toasty warm!
It was a long day at Disneyland but it was well worth it. Mommy and Daddy said they are going to take me back there when I am a little bit older so I can go on the big boy rides all by myself. I can't wait!
On Monday February 19th, Auntie Jen and her sister (they're twins!) celebrated their 26th birthday with a dinner at The Outback Steakhouse. I was sleeping though so Mommy and Daddy and I had to miss it. Happy Birthday Auntie Jen! That was also the day we went to shopping to the Camarillo Premium Outlets. Mommy got to go into her favourite store, Carters. Of course I got spoiled. These days it seems she spends all of her money on me and none on herself. Daddy bought lots for himself too.
On Tuesday Mommy, Daddy and I went to Hollywood for some tourist fun. We walked along the Hollywood Walk of Fame which was neat. We saw the famous Kodak Theatre where the Oscars were being held the following Sunday. They were already setting up and security was everwhere! We also checked out the Hollywood Wax Museum and saw Tom Cruise and Drew Barrymore! Well, not really, we saw their wax figures though. Also there was the famous Chinese theatre were lots of movie premieres take place, along with the Roosevelt Hotel which seems to be a popular place for celebrities. Famous streets included Sunset Blvd and Hollywood Blvd. Mommy says she reads about lots of these places in her celebrity magazines. This is also where I met Tigger! I didn't see him at Disneyland, but go figure, he was in Hollywood!
Wednesday was an exciting day as Auntie Karen, Uncle Michael and cousins Kayla and Reece arrived. It was so good to see them as it had been a while. I loved playing with my cousins. Kayla would play peek-a-boo with me and sing me songs. She always made me smile. Karen's parents, Ralph and Marion, also came that day with them.
On Thursday, Mommy and Daddy went to a hockey game at Staples Center in L.A. They saw the Los Angeles Kings play the Vancouver Canucks. Ralph and Marion babysat me along with my cousins which was very nice of them. I had a good time.
On Friday, more people arrived. It was Auntie Karen's brother, Greg, his wife Nicole and their kids Haley and Logan. More kids to play with!
On Saturday Mommy and Daddy took me to see the ocean! We went to a beach not far from Uncle David and Auntie Jen's house. It was so big and I was in awe of the waves crashing into shore. The water was quite cold, definitely not swimming season, but I got to at least put my feet in it. I kept staring down at my feet as everytime a wave came into shore, then left, my feet would sink into the sand. My shorts were very wet.
My favourite part though was the soft white sand. I would pick it up, let the sand run through my fingers and then put some in my mouth!
I even tried to crawl in the sand. I have been trying to crawl for a while now, and thought it may be easier in the sand. Nope, I was wrong. I still couldn't do it, even in the sand. Practice makes perfect I guess!
On Saturday evening, Daddy went to another hockey game, the L.A. Kings played the Colorado Avalanche, but Mommy stayed home with Auntie Karen to look after the five kids.
And on Sunday, we had to leave bright and early to go to the airport in L.A. Our shuttle was there at 6:15 am to pick us up! I was so tired and slept a little during the ride there. We were sad to leave as we had so much fun in California. The week went by way too fast. The best part about California for me was I got to spend time with my family who I don't get to see very often. We left the sun and came home to snow. Thanks Auntie Jen and Uncle David for being such good hosts and putting up with us for a week! We hope to see you again soon.
Love Eli
