We spent two days at the beaches in California, and they were incredible! Actually, I should say two afternoons because after about 4 hours, we were all exhausted! We hit Laguna Beach the first day and had so much fun, but there was seaweed all over! The second day we went to Careno del Mar which was a much nicer beach and we could put up the sunshade, but the waves were much bigger and stronger!
Andy played in the water most of the time. Here, he and my brother Rusty are trying to catch a wave to body surf! Oh, how much fun those waves are!!! Looking back through my pictures to choose these has taken me back to the ocean - the sound of the waves crashing against the ground, the volleyball bouncing back and forth, that happy children's voices and the fresh air all around. It was awesome!!!
The first day we rented two boogie boards and all shared them. Andy is trying so hard to catch this wave. What an unreal feeling it is to be riding along the top of the wave! It is so fun until you crash on the sand and scrape up your knees over and over again...
JJ riding the waves! It is just so beautiful! Thank you sooooo much Grandma, Aunt Jamie and Aunt Nancy for watching our kiddos on the beach, so we could play so much in the water!!! Our beach time wouldn't have been nearly as fun without Andy and I getting to go out so far to the breaking waves!
Even Ben had a chance to ride the waves! However, twice was enough for him! This wave turned out to be a little bit bigger than we'd anticipated as Bronwyn gets swept away... :) She and Ben had a blast 'riding' the waves with their feet!
Annie and her cousin Ty enjoyed the biggest sandbox either kiddo had ever seen! They played so great together! However, I have no idea what they played because I was busy in the water! Mom? Nancy? Hayley?
I think everyone would agree that Emily's favorite part of the ocean/beach was chasing the birds. She would get just so close and the bird would hope away five feet. Then Em would work so hard to get close again - only to have the bird hop away another few feet. This kept her entertained for hours!
Nothing like a beautiful background. It I hadn't taken this picture, I wouldn't have believed the perfection of the waves!
Another beautiful scene! Roman and Ben finally found something fun to do together!
Our second day at Carona del Mar, Grandpa bought two boogie boards since there was no where to rent them. However, on the first rides (because of the strong waves and the cheaply made boards, unlike the previously rented ones), both boards broke. Poor JJ was the recipient of a nasty gash on his forehead. He spent the rest of the day in his 'family' shirt reading under the canopy with a pounding headache.
The beach was a blast! I think we all agreed we'd like to do this again. The cousins had so much fun playing with one another, and the big kids had a blast too!!!
Another evening we went to feed the koi.
Our family took the ferry to Balboa Island. Once a month the nautical museum does a storytime for children 2-5 years (of which I happen to have THREE!), and it happened to be while we were there!
We had a lot of fun walking through the museums after each child made a boat. The puzzle table was a big hit!
One afternoon we spent at the pools, with fabulous chairside service. I don't think I have ever had such a yummy $7 virgin pina colada!
The water was so cold, Emily and I only made it about 30 minutes before she was shivering and I was uncomfortable!
The big kids stayed down at the pool for another couple of hours! They found a friend to play with (I can't remember his name right now, but I'm sure any of my nieces would!) and had a great time if these smiles are to be believed!
Another morning the adults went to a session at the Newport Beach Temple while Grandpa, Aunt Jamie, and JJ watched the little ones (2-13 years). Amazingly, the woman next to me in the session had lived in Dallas and knew some of the same people!
These next few got out of order, but I am way too exhausted right now to put them back! This was on our way home, either just before or just after my maiden voyage to In-n-Out burger.
Packing up our room - JJ 'happily' posed for some pictures for us - notice the owie on his forehead. 
This was the view from our room. We slept every night with the sliding doors and windows open. It was just incredible!!!
Right before we were to leave, my children all crashed. Granted, Ben had a fever, but the other two were just exhausted. It was a great trip!!!!
Thanks Mom and Mike for all of the wonderful memories and working so hard for so many years to make it finally happen!!!
