California - Day Three

On Wednesday, Chad's Aunt and Uncle invited all of us to enjoy a lovely afternoon at their beautiful California villa!  We had a wonderful time relaxing, talking and laughing.

When we arrived, the adults admired the beautiful home, but the kids quickly found the bocce ball court.  It was a perfect day to play!  The kids and Scott had a lot of fun seeing who could get the closest to the pallino (small target ball).  Smiles and laughter abounded!

The older boys decided to stay inside and explore the house.  This is how I found them at one point!

We visited for a while and then we enjoyed another family favorite meal - Chagetti!  It is a wonderful variation of spaghetti.

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The kids enjoyed eating at one big table together, while the adults got to eat outside on the picturesque veranda.

Once the meal was over, we gathered our chairs into a circle and engaged in wonderful conversation.  This was one of my favorite times of the day.  I loved sitting in the warm sun, listening to the stories and watching the varied facial expressions of all the aunts and uncles.

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Ashlyn wasn't feeling very well that day, so she pretty much just hung out with Chad and me.  She did have some other favorite people there though, Scott and Yvonne.

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We thought Ashlyn probably had pink eye.  Yvonne was so worried about Ashlyn that she called her neighbor, who is an optometrist, and was able to get some medicine.  Then she drove it out to the Monroe's house (at least a 30 minute drive) that night!  Thank you Yvonne!

It is always fun to see Mom and her sisters together.  We had to take the time to do a little photo shoot!  They are all such beautiful ladies!

We had such a wonderful time visiting Aunt Marcia and Uncle Jerry at their home.  It was such a lovely afternoon.  What a blessing to be with family!

Shannon Ashton Photography