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Last night, we got back from our annual holiday trip to Palm Springs and L.A. We ate our weight in shrimp tacos, swam in the rain, and Toby did something he’s never done before:) Here are a few photos, if you’d like to see…
In Palm Springs, we rented the same cottage that we stayed in a couple years ago for Alex’s sister’s wedding.
On Christmas Eve, all the relatives came over for wine for adults, sparkling apple juice and Trader Joe’s appetizers. My sister gave the cousins matching pajamas, which basically made all the grandparents’ heads explode.
We had grand plans to hike and take the tram up the mountain, but we ended up spending most our days swimming and hanging by the pool. (I also took along this book, which was great.)
And the kids made s’mores around the fire pit!
After that, we went to L.A. for six days to visit friends. We decided to split our stay between Silver Lake and Venice, so we could explore different parts of the city. Our first rental was bohemian and relaxing. We spent 99% of our time in this chill-out room with a hammock swing and plush blankets…
…at night the light was golden!
We took the boys to The Huntington Gardens one morning — their children’s garden had a maze, a prism tunnel, musical pebbles and a treehouse.
We also ate the most delicious food — we went to Forage and out for tacos with the kids, and at night, we met friends for dinner at Little Dom’s and Alimento (that chocolate budino!).
In Venice, we stayed in a beautiful home through Kid & Coe, which came with legos and scooters.
One morning, I walked over to General Store, which was fun to look around, but mostly, we spent our time…
… at the Santa Monica Pier! The boys begged to go every single day, so we ended up there three afternoons in a row.
And Toby rode his first grown-up rollercoaster. He was nervous at first but then went five more times:)
Finally, this is so random, but have you seen this spoof about the Whole Foods parking lot in Venice? The boys are obsessed with the guy (I don’t think they realize it’s a spoof:), and they sing it all the time at home. Here, Alex taped them doing their version in L.A…
“You know the deal with the Whole Foods parking lot… You know the deal with those little shopping carts they got.” Makes me laugh every time.
Not pictured, as always: early mornings, long flights, colds and fevers, jet lag, kid squabbles and a fender bender. :) But overall, it was such a fun trip with a welcome blast of sunshine. Hope you had a wonderful vacation and are looking forward to a happy new year. xoxoxo
P.S. Past California vacations, and city guides to L.A.
