Lily and I went on an adventure to Northern California, McKinleyville to be exact. We got to hang out with Ralphie...

and Emma. We had a great time at the McKinleyville homestead while my step dad and mom were in San Francisco for my step dad's hip surgery.

While the parents were away, Ralphie opened the skylight in his room (forbidden!) and the silly cat (Butterscotch) got onto the roof. If you look at this picture you might be able to see him way, way up there, far beyond the reach of that ladder.
Blurry, but that's him. Of course the cat getting on the roof and refusing to come down resulted in two very tearful kids, who were convinced that he would either die of starvation or be snatched off the roof by a hawk. I was not particularly worried about either of these scenarios as Butterscotch is at least a hefty 15 lbs.

On Day 3 of the Cat Fiasco it was about to rain. Over the phone my mom said, "You have to get that cat down."
"We've tried. We even put tuna on the skylight. He's not budging."
"Well you have to get him down!"
"Won't he come down on his own?"
No, no he would not. Luckily our kind next door neighbor came over, climbed the ladder with a huge shepherd's hook, tried to pull the cat down (unsuccessful! agonized meowing and clawing at roof!), and finally, at my suggestion, gave him a surprise push in the other direction, right off the roof. Butterscotch was saved!

Mom and Lillers, enjoying a toothbrush.

Lily keeping the patient company.

Because it had taken Lily and I a whopping 14 hours of traveling to get to my mom's house, I decided to make a quick stop in LA to see a certain brother that returned home safely from his deployment. This was when he first met Lily, his first niece!

Lily and I were lucky and got to see both of her great-grandmas this trip. This is her with my Nonna.

Chris's wife Cindy is due May 25th with their little girl. Thanks to Grandma Lisa the cousins already have a matching outfit!

Chris, my dad, Lillers.
Me (before going on a run, looking gross), Lisa, Chris, Cindy, Lily, Jamie. Jamie is Lily's youngest Auntie at 8 years old. She's a pro at feeding her baby food! We're still working with all the sibs on the fine art of changing a diaper. I have big plans for my future baby sitters...
We got to see Will, my old schoolmate's little boy. Oh he is cute, cute, cute! Even Lily couldn't resist holding his hand!

Jess, Alex, and I had a fun evening as well.

All in all, a great trip, except for being away from Timbo for two weeks.