We tried to take a one year picture of Gracie at the beach. What do you think?We were fortunate to be able to enjoy Thanksgiving in California with Kenny's family. Disneyland is some what of a tradition for most of his family and this was our first time going. We decided to drive it instead of flying (a lot cheaper with the number of kids we have and the lowering gas prices.) We left Friday November 21 when Sarah Kate got out of school (well that was the goal, but we actually left a few hours later.) Friday night we spent with Kenny's Uncle Patrick's family in Orem. We haven't seen them in a long while and I was nice to spend some time at their house and visit a little. It was a short stop because we arrived late and got up and headed out early. It was still nice to see them.
Saturday was such a fun day. (Just kidding) All we did was drive. The kids did better than I thought they would and it wasn't nearly as terrible as it could have been. We arrived in California around 7:00 and headed straight to my Uncle Todd's house. I haven't seen my Uncle Todd since Ben's first Christmas 4 years ago. Needless to say my family has changed a little. Sadly I didn't take a single picture, but it was still great to see them again and I think they enjoyed having us for the night. They have a lab named Mums and the kids thought she was great. They spent all their time throwing things and watching the dog go get them. It was a perfect thing for them after a long day in the car. We spent the night at Uncle Todd and Aunt Cheryl's and got to see my cousin Samantha and her husband David. It was a short visit, but they'll be coming to Utah for Christmas so I'll be seeing them soon.
Sunday brought the beginning of our Newbry vacation. We met my in-laws, Kenny's sister Karen and her family, and his brother Michael and his family at La Brea Tarpits. I was warned by my cousin Samantha that La Brea was boring and that the kids wouldn't like it so I wasn't real excited to go. Surprisingly, sorry Sam, we all really enjoyed it. It's a place in LA were about 25,000 years ago it was covered in tar. Animals would come and get stuck in the tar and die because they couldn't get out. That means there are tons and tons of fossils from the ice age. The kids enjoyed walking around the grounds, playing in the trees, and seeing the fake mammoths. Kenny enjoyed playing in the tar that still bubbles out of the ground, and then we all went into the small museum to watch a movie and see all the fossils. It was a really enjoyable experience.
There was a musician there that played familiar songs with the words changed to go along with the tarpits. The kids really enjoyed dancing and clapping to his songs.
Ben in a tree. The tree's there were really cool.
The kids outside La Brea hanging out in a tree. 
Looking at the fake mammoths.
Kenny playing in the tar.
The museum! Ben was terrified of the large skeletons. It took awhile, but he finally agreed to walk through the museum.
Feeding mister kitty with some help from cousin Missi.
Hannah reading one of the kids book in the museum.
Hanging from a tree. What else is there to do?
After La Brea Kenny's parents went back to Disneyland and the rest of us went to the beach. I was told to stay away from Santa Monica beaches because they were becoming famous for gangs so we drove a little farther into Malibu and found a really cool beach with sand and rocks filled with hermit crabs. The kids (and parents) had a blast finding crabs and playing in the water. It was so nice to go to the beach again even though it was only for a short time.
First arriving at the beach!
Gracie looking cute on the rocks.
Daddy and Gracie!
One of many hermit crabs
Getting brave enough to go in the not so warm water.
Maddi, Ben and Sarah playing in the ocean. (Yes the swimming suits that were in the van would have been a good idea.)
A cute picture of Sarah.
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