Macie spent lots of time with Ryan and Liz, and has taken quite a liking to them both.
I got jealous that she was stealing some of my attention so I had to crash their party.
We stayed long into the night and left for Pa's when Mom saw bags beginning to form underneath our eyes. We got to Pa's and went straight to bed. When we woke up in the morning Pa surprised me with a new outfit- it was a baseball uniform that said "Manager"; I thought that suited me well.
Since Mom didn't have any major plans for the day Pa and I took a trip to Home Depot all by ourselves to buy some foliage for his back yard. Mom was a little concerned, but I was on my best behavior the whole time and had a lot of fun with Pa.
That afternoon we played around in Pa's backyard, and I even got to go in the Spa (Mom made we wear a silly bag on my head so that my hair wouldn't get wet)!!!
Macie had to watch from a distance since she isn't old enough to go in by herself, but Pa kept her company so she didn't have anything to complain about.
The next morning we woke up early and went to Pa's baseball game. He is still injured (broken ribs) and can't play, but he acted as manager and led the team to victory! After the game Mom, Macie and I said goodbye to Pa, picked up Grandma Judy, and drove to the airport to pick up Dad!!!
He was SO excited to be back in San Diego with his girls, and even more excited when we told him that we were taking him straight to Sea World from the airport...
Poor Grandma is still recovering from her broken leg and had to be in a wheel chair for most of the day. Lucky for me she mustered up enough strength to stand up and take a picture with Me, Macie, and SHAMU!!!
Dad had a blast seeing all the animals shows with us, and Macie really loved watching as all the birds went by (despite mom's abhorrence for birds they are Macie's favorite- she absolutely LOVES them).
Thanks to Grandma Judy's broken leg, we got front row seats for all the shows- it was nice to be able to see without standing on a bench to look over the tall people that inevitably sit in front of me.
It felt great to be back at Sea World with my family, and couldn't have been happier to be sharing this experience with my Dad!
While walking past the flamingo exhibit I spotted a tattoo booth and had to investigate. Despite Mom's rule (that has been passed down from Pa) regarding tattoos- can't get one ever, her and Dad allowed me to get a fake one. I was told I could pick out any tattoo design and color on the board. To both Mom and Dad's surprise I didn't' choose a princess crown or heart, instead I chose a skull and crossbones. Everyone was a little baffled by my decision since I am SO obsessed with everything princess, but I redeemed myself by requesting it to be both pink and purple- my self declared two favorite colors.
I felt like such a BIG girl sitting up on the stool all by myself!
The finished product was even cooler than I had imagined and I couldn't stop showing it off to anyone that would pay attention.
Before leaving I got to stop into Elmo's world and as the characters were dancing and singing on stage I put on a little show of my own...
On the way out Grandma Judy and I posed next to the Shamu car, which I now want as SOON as I turn 16!
We spent the following day on the beach as a family and Dad and Macie enjoyed walking up and down the shore listening to the waves crash and watching as the birds flew by.
Grandma helped Macie try to walk through the sand, but her poor little legs still aren't strong enough...
They made their way down to the shore and Macie got to feel the water. It was a little cold for her liking...
I didn't mind the cold at all, I was too excited to be at the beach and am glad Grandma's leg was feeling better so that we could jump the waves together.
Dad was sure glad he decided to make the trip out to California to spend time away with his family.
All the mornings actions made us sleepy, but before going down for our naps Macie insisted upon eating- no shock to any of us.
I have to admit that Macie is one of the happiest people in the whole world!
After spending the day at the beach we drove out to Pa's to celebrate his birthday weekend with him and the family. On the 3rd we had a birthday barbecue for Pa and lots of our good friends came to celebrate with us.
I swam around with Ryan and Liz,
and even Macie tried to join in the aquatic fun (check out her stance, she is getting stronger and stronger everyday and can pretty much stand on her own.)
Later in the evening we kept Macie occupied by rolling the ball around the yard and having her chase it. Yes its a little like playing ball with Jax, but Macie doesn't seem to mind!
Even though it was Pa's birthday I got to open a couple of birthday presents of my own. Uncle Ryan and Aunt Liz got me an awesome music box and necklace, and Grandma Jean and the Umbargers got me the Ariel outfit I have been asking for.
The following day was the 4th of July so we spent time with family and friends. In the afternoon we played at Linda's house with all her grand babies and had a blast!
Not only did I get to ride bikes, eat yummy food, and go swimming, I also got to take a bath with all my buddies!!!
After a wonderful holiday weekend at Pa's we packed up the car and went to the ball field to catch a game.
When the game was over we drove down to Grandma Judy's to spend another day at the beach before Dad had to fly back home to Ohio. The paparazzi (Mom) couldn't get enough of me in my new bathing suit (a 12 month suit that Miss Elizabeth gave Macie) and kept stopping me along the way to take pictures as I walked to the Ocean.
Since I was already being photographed I decided to ham it up a bit (Mom loves it when I do that)
At the beach Macie and I played in the sand and soaked up some sun!
We stayed until Macie's stomach couldn't hold out any longer and went back to the house for lunch. Grandma still can't believe how much food Macie can eat (more than some adults- NO JOKE) .
We took extra long naps and re-chraged our batteries so that we could go back for round 2 in the afternoon! Instead of going to the ocean again we walked over to the bay to build drip castles.
The bay is a special place for Grandma Judy and I, so we took a walk down to the shore together.
Now that I am brave she pulls me around while I sit on the boogie board- can you believe how far I have come??? Next time I plan on standing, maybe even surfing...
I really do LOVE to spend time at the beach- I love the sand, the water, and the SUN!
Even Macie (who abhors being in direct sunlight) enjoyed the afternoon at the bay.
She played games with Dad and every time she had the chance showed everyone who past by how big she was getting.
Mom tried to encourage Macie to work on crawling and standing in the sand, but she was more interested in playing than doing any physical labor.
After Mom gave up and sent her over to Grandma she decided to stand up on her own (typical Macie behavior that Mom is getting used to)...
Though I can't imagine what more fun we can have, Mom assures me that our final week in California is going to be filled with lots of fun and action!!! The anticipation is killing me...
