There's a special kind of magic in California

The three musketeers were reunited at last!

I love visiting California. It's my home away from home. I love smelling the beach air & basking in the California sunshine. There is so much food to choose from in California then there is in Arkansas. I swear every time I visit I gain 10 pounds. There is so much to love about being in Cali, but my absolute favorite part is seeing all my family. Annabell is finally old enough to remember everyone & watching her face light up when she see's her family is the greatest. 

As soon as she saw my younger brother Adrian, she ran to give him the biggest hug. After we got inside she saw her Papa, Nana, Damian & Mathayus and she was SO excited. I love that we get skype them regularly so she remembers them all instantly. They are all so cute together and for the most part act like siblings, lol. Adrian, Damian & Mathayus are Anna's uncles, she has no brothers so having a bunch of young uncles is the next best thing! Every time I visit home they all look so much older. I cannot get over how fast children grow. It wasn't until I had my own that I realized how fast life really does pass you by. I'm so glad Anna has young uncles to grow up with, even if it's over skype for the time being. 

I'm totally kicking myself because I didn't get a single photo of all 4 of the kids together!

From left to right: Adrian, Damian, Mathayus!

Adrian is the oldest of the younger siblings, he just recently turned 9 and is growing like a weed! He is so incredibly smart & has the biggest heart of any kid I know. Saying goodbye to him is always the hardest for me because he actually understands what is going on now. He knows we are going to Germany for 4 years & we don't know when we will be back to visit. But he know's as soon as I get my WoW account set back up we can runs dungeons and raids together again. :) 

Damian turned 2 not that long ago so him and Anna are close in age. He is a bundle of energy! He never stops running around and playing. He loved following Anna around and learning new things from her, mostly good things, but children all have bad habits too ;) Dami wasn't a fan of pictures, but any time Anna and Adrian were getting a picture taken he came running in to be next to them. He is seriously the cutest. Him and Anna are the best of friends.

Mathayus is the youngest of all of us, he is 7 months old. The day we left to go back to Nevada he cut his first tooth! Anna calls him her "baby Iyus". Everyone else calls him DF for Daddy's Fatty because he eats so much food! I can't believe he can eat so much, lol. Anytime he saw any of us with food he instantly started drooling and getting excited knowing we would share some with him. Mathayus LOVED Dan. I mean LOVED him. Any time he heard Dan's voice or saw him in the room he wasn't happy until he was in Dan's arms. The couple times Mathayus was grumpy from teething all Dan had to do was pick him up and all was right in the world again. I can't wait to see how he reacts to seeing Dan on skype! 

Aaron, Marisa & Abby :)

I'm sad that I didn't many pictures with Aaron and Abby. Aaron is my younger brother & Abby is bascially like a sister to me. They are the parents of my beautiful niece Adalene. I'm so proud of the both of them, they have gone through so much together but still end up on top of things. They are raising a daughter together now and always striving to make their lives better than they already are. I'm so glad we got to see them before we left for Germany. Annabell loves both of them so much!

Marisa is my one and only sister, there is never enough time to spend with her. I'm glad that we keep in touch by texting/facetiming when we can. I'm proud of the young woman she is becoming. I love that she is following her dreams and doesn't let anyone bring her down. Her and Annabell are adorable together, I hope that one day we all live closer so that she and I can take Anna and Adalene out and spoil them together like all Auntie's should!

My beautiful niece Adalene! Annabell and her are so cute together, I love that they are cousins so close in age!

Jessica and I have been friends since high-school, I love that we are still great friends!

Sure, Jess and I probably get on each other's nerves constantly, but she is one of the only people who actually WANTS to be in Anna's life when she doesn't have too. She has always gone above and beyond to make sure she see's us every time we visit & she has been there for me whenever I've needed her. I love how much she loves Anna and how much Anna absolutely adores her. She is now "Auntie Jess", so Annabell now has two aunt's named Jessica. Every time we are together my dad constantly calls us sisters, so we might as well make it official! I'm so glad we got to see her  a few times before leaving, but I know we will keep in touch and facetime constantly! Thank's for always being a great friend, we already miss you!

From left to right: Anna's Great Nana (My grandma), Anna's Great Papa My grandpa) & Anna's Great Grandma (Dan's grandma)!

 I'm so happy that Anna got to see most of her Great's during our visit to California! I love how excited they get when they all see Annabell. It's so crazy to me that my Nana & Papa held me as a baby, and Dan's Grandma held him as a baby and now they get to watch our daughter grow up. I'm forever grateful that Anna's get's to grow up and know all of them because not many children get the chance to know their Great Grandparents. We love them all so much and miss them already! Once we get back Annabell is going to be 7 years old and we will all have to get before and after photos. 

My beautiful mother loves her grand daughters so much!

 My mom and I have literally been through hell and back, our relationship is so much stronger because of it though. You never really know how much you love your parents until you have a child of your own. When I looked at my daughter for the first time after she was born it was like a huge negative weight just lifted from my shoulders. I finally understood that no matter how awful I was as a child or the hurtful things I said to my mother, she loved me no matter what and that love would never go away. That love is indescribable. Seeing my mom with both of her grand-daughters was probably the happiest I've ever seen her. I'm so glad that I was able to take some photos for her to hold onto for the next few years, atleast until the three of them all get together for another photo. It's not forever though, just a short while.

Annabell and I love you Mom, thank you for always being there for us. 

Last but not least, my parents!

We spent one amazing week staying with my parents and my little brothers. I already miss them all so much. Annabell had the time of her life playing with my little brothers the entire time while Dan helped my Dad with a few of his major projects that he needed help with. I got to spend some quality time with my step-mom, I love that no matter how long we go without talking we can still pick up right where we left off.  My parents took us all to the Rain forest Cafe before we had to leave, Anna STILL talks about the Mama Elephant and Baby Elephant. They also took Anna to the beach for the first time, she was terrifed of the waves, lol. Papa and Dan built the "castle". It was the jungle gym my dad got for all the kids for the backyard, but Anna calls it the castle. I can't wait to get to Germany so we can show Anna some real castles! I love how much Anna's loves her Nana and Papa, they are amazing grandparents to our daughter. I seriously couldn't have asked for better grandparents for Annabell.

I'm sad we only got a week with all of my family, but I'm incredibly grateful that we were able to make this trip home happen. We plan on making Anna a scrapbook with everyone's pictures and names so Anna will still know who everyone is throughout the next 4 years. 

We love and miss everyone already!