We’re off to the last destination of our long trip—Southern California! We had a nice visit in Oregon with my mom for a week & then with Erick’s family for a week. In Oregon, we visited with several of Mom’s friends so she could show off her grandson. We went to Enchanted Forest the other day to show Joshua the miniature theme park where I went growing up. Joshua got to go on his first roller coaster, Ice Mountain. It was a small version of Disneyland’s matterhorn ride. My friend Joy’s daughter Jaiven wanted to ride it but no one else wanted to, so I told her that Josh & I would go with her. Josh sat in my lap with Jaiven in front of us. After the first fast downhill & turns, Joshua ended up backward, hugging me. He enjoyed the rest of the ride once we were in each others’ arms. I guess we’ll wait awhile before going on any more roller coasters for awhile. We even got to meet Roger Tofte, the man who created Enchanted Forest years ago & still works there today (he even used to work for my dad a long time ago!). Later that week, we went to Portland to see my step-brother Rocky & his family. I hadn’t seen him in many years so it was nice to get to catch up finally. Rocky has a 7-year-old son, Cody, & a beautiful wife, Melissa. They recently bought a house & are renovating it themselves. Joshua had a blast playing with Cody & their chihuahua—so much fun that he would laugh until he cried, & then laugh again until he fell down from laughing so much. I swear, we’re really going to have to get him a pet one day.

On the 6th, I rented a car so Joshua & I could drive up to Seattle to spend some time with Erick’s folks since they hadn’t seen Josh since last year (they flew up early for the baptism). We had a great time exploring Seattle together. We went to a children’s museum & Joshua played so hard that he fell asleep as soon as we drove away (despite Grandpa’s valiant efforts to keep him awake until we got home so he could take a long nap in the crib rather than a short nap in the car). On the 10th, both sides of our family joined us at Ft. Lewis for Joshua’s baptism. It was probably one of the priest’s more interesting baptisms—Joshua spent most of it walking around, shaking the box with the candle, picking his nose, & climbing on the pews. But he’s now officially Catholic. At least until he decides otherwise. After the baptism, all 16 of us went out to dinner. Erick’s youngest cousins had a great time “babysitting” while we ate. Both Erick & I got to eat our own meals without having to feed a toddler in between bites. 12-year-old Kristyn did a good job feeding him & the little ones Bailey & Dawson tried to help out & play with him as well. Joshua was sure enjoying all the attention! On Mother’s Day, we went to Erick’s aunt’s home to join them for breakfast (which, knowing their family, was eaten around noon). Then, as odd as it sounds, we decided to go to a hunting store with the kids. Cabela’s is a large hunting/outdoor sporting goods store that has an animal display (like a zoo, only the animals are dead & stuffed) & aquarium (only the fish aren’t the typical tropical variety, they’re what local fisherman would catch). There was even a little shooting gallery & restaurant inside that the kids enjoyed. At the end of the day, we took Erick to his hotel to check in so he could start his next rotation. The following day, his parents joined us & Bailey at the zoo in Tacoma. We had a nice time & then went back to Bailey’s house so the kids could play with all the toys. I think that their playroom would be Joshua’s idea of heaven at this point in his life. He had such a good time there that it was hard to drag him away when it was time to leave!

Yesterday, we drove back down to my dad’s so I could have a day to pack all of our stuff & prepare for our drive to California. The weather forecast is looking promising. We plan to make the drive down in 3 days so we’ll have plenty of stops for Joshua to get out & play (it’s usually a 2-day drive).