The Traveling Circus: Arrival

 After a great night of pizza and pool in Fallon, we were ready for Day Three of our family vacation.  Today we would cross the border into California and finally get to see our cousins!

 Daisy and I had some selfie fun while we were getting ready for the day.

 Never one to miss out, Titus wanted to join in on the get-ready-in -the-bathroom fun.

 So he climbed up on the toilet where he could be really cute and dangerous at the same time.

"Mom, why do you take a picture of us every day in the car?"
"Because this is a road trip so most of our memories are being made in the car."

 Yay for cousins!  Yay for toys!  Yay for being out of the carseat! 

 We were all so excited when we finally got to Brian and Rachel's house.  It was a beautiful, sunny, California day.  The drive to get there was gorgeous (especially compared to the dreary desolation we had been subjected to up to this point on our road trip.)  Jeff and I kept saying, "I never knew California looked like this."

 These cousins are only a few days apart and they are the best of friends.

 These cousins are only a few months apart and they are best frienemies.

 We were lucky enough to snag this man's baseball game the night we got there. He was awesome out there on the diamond.  Levi said, "I don't know if I'll ever be as good at baseball as Davis is."

 Daisy got to enjoy Siena and the sun.

 The next morning we shipped Davis off to school after a yummy pancake breakfast.

 And then it was off to the dentist for the Circus.  Brian is a pediatric dentist and his office is phenomenal.  The kids were in awe.  So was I.

 Titus and I played peek-a-boo through the aquarium.

 The life-sized sand castle was a kid magnet.

 Heck, what's not to love about going to the dentist?

 This scene had me laughing.  "Open wide....wider..."

 We feel so thankful to Brian and his staff (who worked through their lunch!) for taking such good care of us!

 After our dental appointments we headed off to the beach, which was about a two hour drive.  As soon as we arrived at the coast, we saw these beach bums.

 We were not prepared (and it was too late in the day) for a day at the beach, but our kids were dying to see the ocean, so we walked out to the water.

 Right away they were rolling their pants up and getting in the (freezing cold) water.

 The kids found these strange squid/baby octopus.

 Titus found the sand.

 There's really nothing like the ocean.

That night we headed to the nearest town to eat at the William Tell Saloon.  There were not a lot of dining options and we were all hungry.  When we pulled up to the restaurant it became apparent that this bar and grill was more bar than grill.  I walked through the door carrying my toddler with my little ducklings following in a line behind me.  We had just walked into a bar bar.  As in wall of alcohol on one side, row of drinkers on stools and wall of mirror on the other side.  Thankfully the bartender saved our lives and asked if we were there for dinner. (No, my four kids and I are here for a few shots.) And pointed us to the dining room in the back.  After dinner it was dark and foggy.  We made our way back to the beach house and arrived just before the cousins joined us after their day of work and school.  Now it was time for the real vacation to begin.