California Adventure

Not long ago, my parents surprised me with the news that they were going to fly Elizabeth and me out to California for one last visit. I had been despairing that, with the coming of the triplets, I'd never see my beloved So Cal again, let alone my new nephew and my parents' new house. And of course, by seeing So Cal again, I meant eating In n Out. So I was thrilled when they told me the news and prayed that I'd be feeling better by then. And I was! Here's a few pictures from our wonderful week.

Elizabeth got to run through the sprinklers for the first time in her life.

I got to visit Dawn, my good friend from high school. She and her family live in Long Beach, one place I'd be happy to live in someday.

The babies checking each other out.

Her son, Wesley, is only a few months younger than Elizabeth. They had a great time fighting over toys and trying to poke each others' eyes out. Things got better when we let them run around the nearby playground.

This video cracks me up. Watch how happy and giggly Wesley is, swinging away, compared to Elizabeth. She looks like she's going to toss her cookies!

Speaking of babies, we got to meet Daniel Ashton, my youngest brother's baby. I can't describe how weird it was to see my baby brother being a daddy.

Unfortunately, it rained most of the time we were there. But we tried to make the most of the sunny days.

At the beach? No way. Too cold! Playing at the playground by Grandma and Grandpa's new house.

On our last day in town, we visited the LA Zoo. We had to get a wheelchair for me so I could last the whole day. At one point, my mom had to leave so my dad pushed me in the chair, while I pushed Elizabeth in the stroller. I'm sure we were quite the sight to see. But it was worth it to see Elizabeth's reactions to all the animals.

Peering intently at the ducks.

So much to see!

Elizabeth said, "wow!" a lot. I think they were looking at these:


Friday night, my mom made a turkey dinner, since last Thanksgiving they had been in the middle of moving. The best part of these pictures is the wallpaper in the background.

Janine, Doug's girlfriend (and Daniel's mommy,) got the night off work to join us.

Daniel chilled while we all pigged out.

Mom and Dad—so mature.

Elizabeth really took to her Aunt Rebecca.

"Sisters, sisters..."

In the end, it was sad to say goodbye but good to get back to Adam. To make it all the better, when I got home, I found that he had totally taken on all the little chores I'd been wishing I could get to lately. He even fixed a leak under our kitchen sink (where he found the following growing in our recycling... Ew! Is it time to move or what?)

Why I Liked Michigan

by Elizabeth Johnson

I got to play outside in grass! And I got to jump on this big round bouncy thing.

Sticking out my bottom teeth.

I got to use my favorite word, "shy," especially with my cousin Taylor. But I wasn't too shy to pet the dog he walks.

We ate a lot of yummy food.


I got to play with my cousins.


Daddy showed me how to throw rocks into a lake.


And we got to visit Great-Grandma Paxman.

But something seemed strangely familiar...

Looks like Adam and Taylor have very limited wardrobes.

Feeding Her Majesty

Elizabeth is generally a good eater. But sometimes it takes a while to figure out what she wants.

One word she has no trouble communicating is her favorite food: CHEESE!



Not long ago, Elizabeth started asking for what sounded like "apple tea." I tried giving her applesauce, and sometimes that would work, but others she was insistent on her "apple-tee." For now, at least, she seems to accept applesauce, though she'll often just eat a little. I'm still convinced that we have yet to discover the true meaning of apple-tee.



She still loves her veggies, especially broccoli and carrots. She now will shout "mang!" when we offer mango. She's also recently discovered raisins. She eats pb&j's without pulling them apart (until the end,) and is learning to use a spoon, with considerable help. She still only drinks a little milk, but I've given up on trying to fatten her up. As long as she keeps eating those vegetables, I can't complain!