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"Tell me what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" -- Mary Oliver

308--California: Santa Cruz Family Vacation @ CherieSpotting     Aug 02 2005 - 09:48 PST cherie writes: Favorite conversation stumbled upon at our family vacation: Sophie (age 4): Let’s jump in the pool! Ellie (age 6): We have to wait for the adults before we can go in. Sophie: Why? I can swim. Ellie: Haven’t you ever drowned? Sophie: No, have you? Ellie: No, but my brother Tanner drowned 3 times! My parents, sisters, nieces and nephews gathered in Santa Cruz, California for a family vacation. We camped at a KOA campground and spent the week golfing, not-catching squirrels, splashing in the pool, playing in the park, and riding bikes. We topped the week off by making our bellies fat and our wallets thin at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Luckily, the only fights we got into were with foam noodles. Considering there was only one trip to the emergency room, this family vacation was a huge success! Four of the five sisters were able to come which meant we had 2 parents, 4 sisters (& spouses), and 8 kids together for a week of fun-filled craziness. The 8 kids were all under 6-years-old. Ellie-6, Sophie-4, Tanner-4, Grace-4, Kylie-2, Chloe-2, Sam-1, and the newest addition Stella-0 are all cousins. Click on each picture to see it full size. read comments (0) | write comment| views: 4345    | rated: 0.0    printer-friendly version   Hands up! Cherie and niece Sophie on the roller-coaster at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. The whole gang together at the Boardwalk! *Photo by Greg. Greg and Cherie at the Boardwalk. *Photo by Dad. Why don't cars have 3 steering wheels? *Photo by Dad. Ellie gets a removable tattoo. Sophie is next! Grace prefers the cotton candy. Sam and Ellie ride the little whales. She's having a whale of a good time! The roller-coaster. *Photo by Greg. This is crazy! Let's do it again! *Photo by Greg. A screamin' good time was had by all! *Photo by Greg. Gone fishin'. Are you sure that boat is big enough for 4 women? Tanner and Sam. Sophie at the helm of the S.S. Cotton Candy. A quick wave to the adoring fans. It looks like the ladies are in the lead in the final stretch. Is anyone in the mood for a corndog? Joanne and Stella. *Photo by Dad. Riding on the dragon. *Photo by Dad. Yes, there is a 4-year-old named Sophie inside that cage. But don't worry, she's with her dad (Mike.) *Photo by Dad. We pause for a moment at the top of the log ride before we plunge into the water below. *Photo by Greg. There we go! There's no turning back now. *Photo by Greg. Prepare to get wet! *Photo by Greg. Greg and Cherie make a splash on the log ride. *Photo by Dad. Julie, Justin, Grace and Stella. *Photo by Dad. Cherie gets the lame idea to rent "banana bikes." Don't be fooled by the smiles. Every kid is on the verge of tears because they can't figure out how to ride the difficult banana-bikes. Is this a 3-seater? *Photo by Dad. Sam's feet don't touch! *Photo by Dad. Dad and Gracie. After a few minutes, Ellie rides like a pro. She's only 4, but Sophie can keep up with anyone. Nap time. Anyone want a messy treat? *Photo by Dad. Stephanie, Mike, Sophie and Sam. *Photo by Dad. Stella. *Photo by Joanne. Joanne and Chloe. *Photo by Dad. Michelle, Mac & the 4 kids. *Photo by Dad. Cherie and Ellie. *Photo by Dad. A father teaches his daughter how to catch a squirrel. There's a squirrel. *Photo by Dad. Don't get Gracie! *Photo by Dad. The squirrel hunters. Looks like Sophie caught something...her cousin! Why do I have the feeling that someone is going to get wet? *Photo by Dad. Let's go swimming. *Photo by Dad. Sam has her bikini on. *Photo by Dad. Twins ready to jump! *Photo by Dad. Michelle and Chloe. *Photo by Dad. Cherie and Ellie. *Photo by Dad. Mike and his two girls. *Photo by Dad. Dad and Chloe. *Photo by Joanne. Cousins at play. *Photo by Dad. The twins: Kylie and Chloe. *Photo by Dad. Tanner helps me assemble my tent. *Photo by Dad. Ellie and Sophie prepare to play golf. *Photo by Dad. Sophie is a serious as you can get with a plastic golf club. It's all in the backswing. My parents and Mac follow Sophie's example and head to Spy Glass to hit a round of golf. *Photo by Joanne. Joanne ready to tee off at Spy Glass. *Photo by Dad. Are you kidding me with all those sand traps? *Photo by Dad. Mac on the edge. *Photo by Dad. Dad and Mac. *Photo by Joanne. Back at camp, it's time to eat dinner. *Photo by Dad. Kylie with her baby. Sophie and the noodle do a dance. Cherie gets attacked! *Photo by Dad. Then Dad gets a noodle-beating. *Photo by Joanne. Daddies on duty. *Photo by Dad. Mike and Sam. *Photo by Dad. Dad and Cherie make breakfast. *Photo by Joanne. Let's bury Sophie! Hold on Sam! Sam finds that swinging on her own is safer than swinging with her dad. Kylie and Justin. Michelle and Chloe. Julie and Stella. Stella. Future BMX stars. Tanner the tough guy. Now give me an angry pout. Perfect! Riding bikes these days is serious business. Here comes Ellie. Stephanie, Sophie, Joanne and Sam. Justin and Stella.