Newport Beach & Lunch with Richel

While we were at Legoland my cousin Stacy and her family came to visit! Jonathan was so sweet with Parker and helped him put together his new Lego sets. Jon and Justine are both in college and are beyond brilliant. They are the nicest family and do so many things together- I really admire them.

That weekend we were able to have lunch at my friend, Richel's new house and see her cute baby boy, Elliot! Last time I saw Richel was over the summer and she was big and pregnant! She's expecting AGAIN if you can believe it! She and her husband have created such a beautiful home and it was so fun catching up and spending time with her! I also got to see her mom briefly which was such a treat! I hadn't seen Cindy for SO long and now that I'm a mom to a 5 year old I'm remembering all the things Cindy did for us when we were Parker's age. She was and is such a fabulous mom. I remember tea parties and play dates and sleep overs and dolls and so much more that Cindy facilitated for us little girls. She's the best!

Since my cousins were staying at my parents house we (shamelessly) asked our friend Courtney and Brandon if we could stay at there cozy little beach house in Newport for the weekend. They were at home in Vegas for the holidays so it worked out perfectly and we really appreciated their generosity  We had the BEST time at this quaint cottage!

The first thing we did after arriving was walk the 20 second walk over to the beach and watched the sunset!

We ordered a pizza using the Domino's app (blew our minds) and then cruised around Balboa Island for an after dinner activity/dessert. We let Parker play a few games at the Arcade, too!

We had to get frozen bananas and Balboa bars! We walked all the way to the end of the Newport Beach Pier and enjoyed both the stars and the sand!

On Sunday morning we got doughnuts from this super yummy bakery and ate breakfast on the life guard tower. Then we threw the Frisbee around for a while and enjoyed the bright morning before heading off to church.

And this was our ride while we were in California! Tanner was a little skeptical about the Ford Focus but it was a 2013 and actually really nice! She treated us well and we were able to live free and get around town when we needed to! Thanks Mom and Dad!

Thanks Courtney and Brandon for making our weekend in Newport so special and unforgettable! We sure are spoiled!