The Cluff Family

To split up our time in Arizona without daddy, I decided to visit my sister and brother in Los Angeles. I was a little nervous about driving from Mesa to LA alone with my two kids but we made it! That first day we arrived, we went grocery shopping and got settled and ordered pizza. We went to a park that was close to Jaclyn's apartment and let the kids run around since they were in the car for five hours that day. They had the coolest swing there that had bars in front that looked like a roller coaster seat.

The next day we headed to the Beach in Malibu. I didn't bring my camera because I was nervous about the sand ruining my camera and now I regret it. At first it was 60 degrees and foggy but a couple hours into being there it started to clear up and become warm. Chloe loved chasing the waves and building sand castles with Uncle Andrew and William loved eating the sand. It was a good day. Oh except for the fact that we all got burnt to a crisp afterwards. The clouds deceived me. That night we just ate spaghetti and Jaclyn's studio apartment and then Andrew and I took the kids for walk around the cutest neighborhood. The kids and I can only take so much time inside her tiny space. There is a water canal that has ducks in it that Chloe loved. Every time we stepped out of her apartment she would ask to look at the ducks.

The next day we spent the day at the planetarium at the observatory. It was a really hot muggy day but Chloe was amazed by the show we went to inside the planetarium. She sat there and soaked up the stars and planets while William fussed and occasionally breast fed in the dark room. We had to snap a picture in front of the Hollywood sign and of LA. That night we were all exhausted from the hot sun that we stayed inside and ordered Chinese food. The kids went to bed early and Jaclyn and I watched a chick flick before nodding off ourselves. Jaclyn got a taste of how exhausting babies and toddlers can be. I loved seeing her and Andrew and can't wait for our trip in the fall when it is just siblings and no babies. We will actually be able to sleep in past six in the morning. After three wonderful days spent in sunny California, the kids and I headed back to Mesa where the 110 degree weather was waiting for us.

 Chloe finally had her first hair cut at 31/2 years old. During the process, I couldn't help but think how old she looked. She definitely is growing up at lightning speed. She was excited and was showing everyone her new hair cut for a couple of days. Melanie (Kristine's sister) cut her hair and has a salon in her house. She was nice and made Chloe feel really comfortable. She even sprayed some glitter in her hair at the end! We just evened it up and she looked adorable! I'm sure this a first of many hair cuts in her future.

ALL SMILES!

I love her beautiful curls!

Papa Cluff retired from being a fireman for 35 years! The whole Cluff family gathered together to celebrate his retirement. He was the last fireman to retire that was in his class. We are all so proud of him. I couldn't help but become teary eyed as I watched him open gifts and receive congratulations from many friends and family. We are so lucky to have him as our Papa and he is definitely a hero in our eyes. I am grateful that I was able to snap some pictures of Chloe and William with him in front of the fire truck.

There was a huge party at the fire station (on his last day of work) where friends and family came to celebrate. The following week the Cluff family went up to Show low, AZ. The whole family (all 35 of us) stayed at a beautiful cabin up in the mountains. It was a perfect way to celebrate his retirement. Unfortunately our family was sick and we even took William to the ER. He had croup and was having a really hard time breathing that we wanted to take precautions. He got his steroid shot and recovered quickly. We loved being able to spend time with family and visit, play games, and eat yummy food! It was sad to leave especially after being in Arizona for almost a month! Hopefully the next time we make it down will be for Christmas. We love you Papa! You have served Mesa well and we are so proud of you.