Our first day in Sacramento. We flew in at lunch time to a light rain. Granmmie and Paka were both there to greet us - a welcome sight after 4 1/2 hours with two very active girls. We had a smooth flight that arrived on schedule. Jared took us all the way to the gate. We were all sad to leave Daddy but excited for the trip ahead. Daddy had his own paper chain to count down the days until we got back. And 3 cheers for Skype!
The flight was fine. Busy. Busy. Busy. Two airlines seats for the three of us was hardly enough. But we made do thanks to the lady in front of us who didn't mind losing a few hairs when Cana grabbed the seat back in front of her. (Sorry). And our seatmate was perfect - a woman who had just finished a cross country bike race and was so tired she could sleep through anything. What a great match!
So we arrived to a light rain and a brief car ride home for something to eat and then Grandma showed the girls how she set up Barbie Paradise on the back deck. They had a couple of hours to play before the rain started again. Rain in July - weird.
From left to right, new chairs from Paka for the girls to do activities at the table. (I know, it was a little optimistic. Maybe next year). The table was from Papa's house and covered with one of Grandma's many plastic table cloths. I think she bought them in bulk just for our trip.
The pink tent made its debut last trip but was moved outside and was a big hit yet again. It was also a great place to store toys at night.
Then, the Barbie house saved from when I was a little girl. I remember this as a very cool house but the house has developed some structural problems. The columns kept falling down. The girls enjoyed crawling through the house rather than playing barbies. By the end of our trip Adley had nicknamed it the Barbie church (possibly because of the peaked roof when it closes up).
And the wooden doll house that was made by my great grandfather, Grandpa Schulz in the early 1980's. The house came unfinished but with lots of detail including window boxes on the windows, staircase, attic ladder and individual shingles on the roof. I don't remember playing with dolls in the house but I do remember spending long hours planning the decor, painting it white, shopping for "wallpaper," "flooring." My mom and I covered the stairs in red velvet, several of the walls in floral paper and had plans for a "hardwood" flooring look for most of the house before we stopped. There is a full stock of furniture for it as well. I love watching my girls rearrange the rooms. The best part is the house is two-sided so two can play at a time.
Once the rains started we moved inside. Adley went exploring at Grandma's house and quickly found lots of breakables. Quick-thinking Grandma diverted attention to a space free of delicate items.
A shower play house. Why not?
We play hard and sleep hard. Grandma bought a new inflatable mattress with a raised lip for Cana to sleep on since she is now too big to sleep in the pack n' play. She loved it and slept very well - as long as Grandma put the girls to bed.
Adley slept very well on the bed that she is used to. Again, going to sleep just fine - for Grandma.
