The first week was casual and relaxing, with just my mom and deka, and our family. When we were not chatting indoors, we were at the pool (usually just baka and the kids--somehow she even got James to go into the pool, which he absolutely refuses at home--but with baka he wouldn't come out!) or at the table tennis and pool tables. Nikolas and Sonja got pretty good at table tennis, actually!
We made two special trips to the San Diego area, one to the San Diego Zoo, and the other to the LEGOLAND. Both were huge successes! Nothing overwhelming like our Disney World in FL, both manageable for a day, and both with lots of interesting things and rides for all ages, and basically no lines. Not to mention the weather :) Breathing the fresh ocean air, not feeling the humidity.... it was like air massage.
Nikolas was thrilled to see his favorite animal, cheetah. We also had a close encounter with a tiger who was resting on the opposite side of a glass wall. James loved riding in the open bus with which we started our tour. He kept up with the rest of us (ok, we rented a stroller for him, which was a great idea) and stayed interested until the very end.
The drive to San Diego was worth mentioning, too! We drove over the mountains that separate Palm Springs and the desert areas from the ocean. The views were stunning as we climbed the windy two-way road through rocks barely dotted with cacti. The pictures don't do it justice. The kids loved it, and this gave them inspiration for new paisaje ideas.
LEGOLAND was exciting for the kids more for the rides and 3D movies (they scared James but the other three kids went back 3-4 times for the same movie) than for the actual LEGOs. Of course, Nikolas and Michael both tried to get me to buy them a couple of Lego sets each, which I told them to remember until Christmas (they were not too happy with that), but the rides preoccupied them more anyway. Only James played with Legos a bit at the end, while he waited with me and baka for the rest to see the 3D movie again (and again), and while we sat by a big Lego sculpture that was available to kids to touch up, he took maybe 3 pieces and asked me to help him make a 'pushka'. And he brought it with him. During all our travels, move from one vacation house to another in Palm Springs, plane rides, he still has that same set today. At least I have one kid who can meticulously keep track of his stuff--the rest can't even find their pajamas before bedtime!
After the first week, we moved to a villa where the rest of the family joined us: Sanja and Sonja with their families, Marko, Goca, and for one very special lunch we had more local family over: teta Rada with family, Shana with hers, teta Radojka, Lela and Mica, Mira and Julio.
The kids had so much going on at the house that they barely needed to talk to me and Robb: pool and mini-golf outside, arcade and a card game table inside, movies on TV, playing with cousins..... they all go along so well that we noticed at one point that no one every complained about anyone else, they all paired up with their favorite (age-appropriate) cousin, and had a wonderful time playing and enjoying themselves. James, at his 3 years of age, was so independent that it was amazing to see... he played with Braden like they were best friends for a long time--they would even collapse on the couch and fall asleep.
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| Deko with his daughters (and niece Goca), granddaughters, and grandchildren (and a few in-laws!) |
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| Deko with all his great-grandchildren! |
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| Mama with her daughters, and their families. |
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