Beach Camping

We were miraculously able to find an available camping spot at the beach last week. The beach part was super fun but the camping part was not. Well, the kids loved it but they didn't have to do all the work. We pitched 2 tents since Liam wanted to have his own and since we needed to borrow Paul's parents tent in order to fit our huge air mattress. What is it about not being able to sleep on the ground after thirty? Anyway, the campground was filled to capacity so we had a lot of loud, drunk neighbors which led to a sleepless night. It wasn't the easiest thing we've done this summer but it was definitely a learning experience.

We made chili dogs over the fire and then S'mores of course.

We swam in the ocean, ran from the waves, made sand angels (well, Brygit did) and flew kites. I absolutely LOVE being at the beach and my favorite this summer has been San Clemente by far. Next time we will have to spring for a hotel or make it a day trip.

We took these pictures in the morning after having no sleep and my contacts refusing to stay in my eyes. I think I'm still catching up on sleep.

Let's Go Bring Back Summer!!

I can't say the word "summer" without using an Olaf voice. Thanks, Frozen.

But we are officially there! Liam flew through first grade and I can't believe it's over already and he's heading to second grade in just a few weeks. What is happening to time?! I'm a sucker for comparing photos so here is Liam on the last day of school followed by Liam on the first day of school. It's obviously been a year of tooth loss and growing pains. He is also now reading books way beyond his grade level (and enjoying them!) And I couldn't be prouder.

Another difference is that Liam really didn't want to take a picture with his wild sister even if he didn't mind a few months ago.

That little girl is heading to preschool in the Fall and I don't know what I'm going to do with myself.

In the meantime we plan on making the most of our summer and keeping cool as best we can.

A Comprehensive Post about Everything

 

 

Hello there! Liam had his first day of school today so I thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and throw a bunch of pictures from our summer out there since I completely neglected to do so the past few weeks. But first, can I just say that starting school is ROUGH. I can't be alone in that opinion, can I? I just want Liam to be at home with me all day. I mean, I don't, but I do. School was not something, as a new parent, I anticipated to cause so much stress, but, really, I've had a much harder time with this than Liam has. I have been having "first day" dreams all week. You know the ones where he forgets to wear pants or he's an hour late the first day. Then I smile all morning and make him be brave only for me to head home and burst into tears in front of the kitchen sink. I might have done better if we never got a summer break.

 

Which brings me back to our summer break. It was much too short but a ton of fun. I'll start with the Fourth of July since that is what was still on my camera card. We swam and ate with family as is tradition then watched an amazing firework show put on by the local church. We missed Paul but we had a blast.

 

And from this point forward, all pictures will be from my iphone.

 

This picture was taken on the very first day of summer when Liam had his adenoids removed and tubes put into his ears to finally drain them. He had been hard of hearing ever since an ear infection in February so it was something that had to be done and we were waiting for school to be out to do it. I really shouldn't be complaining about the first day of school because I can't even go into the trauma of watching your kid wake up from anesthesia when they don't know where they are and they are upset and hurting and the doctors won't let you in until they are calmed down. Pure torture.

 

Luckily, he healed up very quickly and we got our summer started. I made every attempt possible to keep Liam interested in reading over the summer. We attended several special events at our local library,

 

I had Liam read to me while "Superman"ing on my feet,

 

and we visited the school library to take quizzes on the books he read while Brygit pretended to be a police dispatcher.

 

We swam a lot.

 

And sun bathed.

 

We went to the movies a couple of times.

 

And to the splash pad,

 

the park

 

and a family train ride down to Olvera Street.

 

Topped off with a trip to the beach.

 

I'm sad it's over but I'm also very much looking forward to helping Liam learn everything a First Grader knows. Plus, this must mean that Fall is on its way, right? Eventually? At some point?

Our day (and night) in Balboa

One of the things I was most looking forward to this summer was the whale watching trip I had planned for us to take. I bought discounted tickets on Groupon and figured that it would be a fun day out as a family but I had no idea how much fun we would actually have. We drove down to Balboa a few hours before our tour started, got our boarding passes, then did a bunch of touristy things. We took a walk down the peninsula and watched people ride the mechanical bull shark, we got hand dipped corn dogs that rivaled Disneyland's, rented a big family sized bike and rode down the coast and back up again, then finished it off with frozen bananas and ice cream before boarding the boat.

Then we said goodbye to the beautiful California shoreline and were surprised to find that the ocean is filled with animals as soon as you leave the harbor. We saw huge pods of dolphins, seals, and even whales just a couple miles away from the shore.

But the show-stopper was this humpback whale that Liam had been hoping to catch a glimpse of. He was massive and very intimidating in our small boat. 

  I would say our trip ended there but I have to tell the rest. The boat pulled back into the harbor just as the wind picked up and lightning started to strike. The captain warned us rain was coming and to get to our cars quickly. He was right and we ended up running to the parking lot through the rain then we sat in traffic since it turns out the beaches were closed and everyone was asked to leave. We sat in traffic for 2 hours and were still in Newport Beach. So, we booked a hotel and spent the night... with no luggage. It was very chaotic but also very spontaneous and super fun for the kids. It was definitely a first for us to literally be stranded an hour from home. And, though our Groupon purchased day at the beach turned into probably the most expensive day of the summer, I wouldn't trade the memories for anything. 

Berries and Goats

 

In case you haven't noticed, I'm all about tradition. The kids and I have gone berry picking in Oak Glen every year since I was pregnant with Brygit. Sometimes Paul is able to come with us and sometimes he isn't but I always love venturing up the mountain in the heat to get a few fresh strawberries. This time around we were warned that the crop was pretty much done but we went out anyway. As it turns out, they were right.

 

The kids flocked to the goats and sheep and fed them a few pieces of hay through the fence before we went into the strawberry patch. We sifted through the entire crop while Brygit complained about being thirsty and her pinky finger hurting for some reason. We got a few baby berries then went into the spiky blackberry area where the birds were eating all the good berries and I got bit by a horse fly before heading back to the goats.

 

The goats proved to be the highlight of the trip this year. Well, them and the chocolate caramel apples we came home with.