Santa Barbara

About a month ago, Gabriela called Claire and Natalie and informed them (without any prepping or discussion with me) that she would be visiting them in March.  Then the letter exchange started. Letters to and from both girls making all sorts of plans for how they would spend this visit - all the cooking, bike riding, swimming, and fun they would have. How could we not go visit? 

Our trip down took us a little longer than we expected. Even with the car packed full of snacks, drinks, books on CD, other books, and games planned for the road, kids just seem wired to ask "ARE WE THERE YET???" way too many times.  

Easton was an awesome traveler for most of the ride. But toward the end, he was just finished.  At one point, we stopped right after his nap, I nursed and changed him, we played a little and he was the biggest giggle pants baby ever. Until we got back on the road. He screamed. He was just done traveling. Unfortunately, we weren't there yet.  But he was happy as a clam after arriving.

 I wish I had taken more photos.  The girls were all just happy to have fun playing in the house together. But there was a trip to the park, a visit with the Horton boys who Gabriela adores, a popcorn eating and movie watching day in the rain, a trip to the bowling alley, and then off to another park and a ride on the carousel at the beach.

 Gabriela didn't want to have anything to do with me on the visit.  Sometimes, she'd even ask me to leave the room so she could have special time with her cousins.  She slept in bed with Claire and Natalie.  They helped her go potty in the middle of the night, helped fix her breakfast, and kept her completely entertained.  I think they were all in heaven.

Gabriela, amazingly, did not completely break down when we said goodbye.  She waved, said we'd write letters, and totally kept it together.  SEVEN hours later, when we were nearly home, she said she was done driving and ready to get in the bed.  But then the tears came pouring down, and she was clear to say she wanted to go to Claire's bed, not ours. 

In fact, several days later she was a complete and utter sobbing wreck. She missed her cousins so much. She wanted to talk to them and visit them.  Once she stopped crying, we called Auntie Adie, but as soon as she heard her auntie's voice, Gabriela broke down again. She finally started feeling better after we painted and drew pictures and wrote letters for her cousins.

It's so heartbreaking and sweet at the same time how much they love each other.  She is already talking about when we will visit next.  And I think we might need to take the train then too.