Me and Piper's Adventure Home! Part 2 - California Dreaming

The flight from Madison to San Jose was easy peasy after our international flight home! Again, my girl is an excellent little traveler! I hope it stays that way as she gets older and more mobile...

Camera phone pictures: First shopping cart ride, Visiting Aunt Becky, Playing with Gelly dog at AB's house! 

Gramma and Papa were all prepared for Pipers visit. There was a new carpet in the living room for her to crawl around on and plenty of new toys for her to play with! Plus my parents garden was in full bloom which, on the few sunny days we had, made for some pretty pictures!

Papa and Piper checking out the huge lily and sunflowers in the backyard, playing with Papa and her new toys

Months before Piper and I made it home to CA, I informed my brother that we were coming and encouraged him to figure out a way to come from Phoenix for a couple days. He ignored me. So I pushed my mom to bug him, I sent him and his fiancee Rachael emails, left them phone messages, etc. I was informed they were trying but their schedule was really tight. So when I arrived home and they were still telling me he probably couldn't get the days off I was cranky. I called my brother on the Friday morning and offered to pay to fly him from Phoenix to CA for any time he had off, he said he couldn't do it. I then informed him that I was going to teach Piper to say "Uncle Scotty Sucks". His response -- "As long as her first words are Uncle Scotty, that's cool". 

About 8 hours later, as Piper and I were playing in the living room, the door opened up and my brother and Rachael walked in. SURPRISE! When I had called that morning they were already halfway to Watsonville. Everyone knew they were coming and managed to keep it a secret. Well done! 

Camera Phone Pictures: Enjoying the sunshine, Sitting in Papa's new truck while Gramma shops, Saying good morning to Nalu, Papa bought Piper a Short Dog, Surprise visit from Uncle Scotty and Aunt Rachael!

My cousin Jason, his wife Shandee, and their two kids Boston and Cadence were also visiting my Uncle Tim while we were home so a family BBQ in Uncle Tim's new barn was in order. 

Piper with AB, Mandy teaching Piper to be weird, Piper with Shandee, Piper and me visiting with UTs pig and chickens, Piper and Uncle Tim

I think this is the first time in a few years I've been in Watsonville in the summer, I forgot how cold summer on the central coast is. It was warmer in Pretoria (it's winter in South Africa!) than it was in Watsonville! That's just not right! We did get a couple days with sunshine though so we took advantage of those and spent some time outside on the lawn.

Coming up...Part 3 - Piper's first Merry-go-Round ride and our last week in CA!