Winter at the beach

My mom and her husband rented a house at the beach just after Christmas. We've never been to the coast in Winter and it was AMAZING!! We spent the days cozied up walking the beach, playing in the tall grass, watching the storms roll in, and sipping hot drinks while enjoying the view. We loved it and can't wait to go back again. 

The sun was a welcome sight. Storms would roll in and it would pour rain and then it would clear up again. 

It was cold but with hats and warm coats we were nice a toasty. 

Braver souls (kids) could get away with just a hoodie. 

These two had more fun than anyone else. Cousins! They each got new American Girl Dolls for Christmas and they played, and played dolls. They would occasionally go outside to play on the beach but then right back inside to the dolls. 

We loved watching this stump. As the tide came in and out the stump remained. Every kid...big kids too...climbed it. 

Grandpa loves the beach too. 

There were trails all throughout the beach grass. The kids had a blast running and playing. 

Dogs love the beach too. 

We enjoyed yummy food and fun drinks. And lots of great family time. 

Time with Nana and Bumpa was the best!!

This family loves the beach. 

Beach Time

It's a dog's life! Nobody enjoyed our beach vacation more than our dogs. Especially Rocket! It was a joy to watch him run on the beach. He ran like a race horse all day. He chased sticks and kids and stalked seagulls. He ran through he water and played with any dogs he met along the way. 

When he wasn't running full steam on the sand he was being spoiled by the kids. 

Or napping with Kali....on the furniture. Spoiled dogs!

He was so tired at night that we didn't make him go into his kennel. He slept with Moses on the couch. 

Kali got in lots of snuggle time with all the kids. 

Nothing better than lounging around with kids. 

Kali staying alert on the beach. 

My favorite pic of Rocket from the beach. He was digging and had sand all over his nose and lips. So funny!

George Turns 8

The baby of the family turned 8 this summer! 

Birthday breakfast request was waffles and bacon. Oh yummy!

Then we hit the road for a ferry ride and fun day on our favorite island. 

The weather was clear and sunny but not too hot. A perfect beach day. 

Throwing rocks and swinging sticks are some of our favorite activities. 

Making a birthday wish. 

We hiked up the hill to enjoy the beautiful views. 

Stunning magnificent views. 

Oh baby boy George. You are smart. REALLY smart. You are voracious reader. You've already read all of the 5/6th grade novels that we own. You've read several of the libraries series such as 39 clues and Kane Chronicles. You are curious about the world. You especially love science and want to know how things work. You want to hang with the big boys. I want you to be my little boy a bit longer..and you are tolerating my hugs and kisses for now. I am excited to see where your interests take you. The sky is the limit so aim high! Happy Birthday sweet George. 

Mama and Papa Relax

The best part about vacation is that it's about the only time of year I totally relax. I don't know what time/day it is...and it doesn't matter.

We get to hang out all day long with our kids, eat snacks, and take in the view.

Like I said before we work out every morning on the beach. It's so beautiful!

I love to sit on the deck no matter what the weather is doing...but of course the sunshine is the best! Pjs, sunglasses, magazines and a dog. The best!

Or I perch myself on the sand and watch the kids boogie board with Cam...and soak up some sun.

Cam's had skin cancer so he is good about covering up all of his skin. This is his fave outfit. We all tease him but seriously what can we say since we all wear pjs on the beach. 

We love to walk long walks on the beach...really it's me that loves it but Cam goes along with it.

I don't even know what this is...or when it happened on our vacation. But, there it was in the photos. This about sums up how much Cam loves vacation. 

And that's a wrap. Whew! What a fun time we had. I want to go again soon. 

Tuba's Beach Faves

The ocean speaks Tuba's language. He could sit and look at the waves all day. He loves to wade in and dance in the ocean. 

You're never too big to sit on your dad's lap and snuggle. 

Tuba didn't climb the whole dune but he did go up further than last year. He had a good run down. 

Sitting on the deck...no matter how cold or windy is a fav of Tuba. Blankets, hoodies and dogs to keep us warm. And pjs of course!

What a beautiful boy!

Here he is dancing his ocean dance and cheering the boys on as the boogie board. In case you wonder why he doesn't boogie board. He do not want to try it. Emphatically!

Other vacation faves of Tuba....slumber party style sleeping with the boys, huge fires in the fireplace and chips with every meal!

Moses Loves the Beach

Moses is all about vacation! 

One of the things he (and all the kids) LOVE is eating junk cereal. We let the kids each pick a box of horrible-sugary-processed cereal. They are thrilled...and it's really embarrassing when we go through the checkout. They eat it every morning...and sometimes at lunch. I do remember liking those cereals but that feeling has past. 

This was the first year Moses was excited about boogie boarding. We bought him his own board this year. He also got a pair of gloves to keep his hands warm.

He loves to hang out with the boys! And anything Cam is doing you will find Moses right behind him.

And he loves to climb the driftwood too. Notice his athletic shoes...at the beach. He HATES his feet being sandy. He will also wear socks and slide on shoes on the beach. 

The kids and I went on a beach walk one afternoon to look at the tide pools. Of course the kids thought the water was really warm so they walked in it up to their necks.

Moses is a great brother to all his siblings. That middle kid that gets along with both ends. 

Moses is awesome at helping me pack! He knows which items we take to the beach and he gets them all lined up in the garage ready to go. He is the BEST!!

Everyone's Favorite Things

I will break up the rest of our vacation photos into each person's favorite things.

First up is George.

He loves to run on the beach and find drift wood that he can use as a pretend gun. Small ones are pistols...all the way up to large ones that serve as rocket launchers. I'm a girl. And a mom. I don't get it. I'm just reporting the facts.

George had a great time running with the dogs...especially Rocket. He also insisted on carrying him around. I love that George is wearing his pjs on the beach in this photos. Vacation is all about relaxation. No rush to get dressed or go anywhere.

Hanging out on the deck....in pjs. George definitely takes after me. 

Going out to eat and spending time with his Papa. 

Here he is with some kind of double gun system. 

Love this sweet face. 

Hands down his fav activity was boogie boarding. He crossed over into one of the big kids. Instead of hanging out on the beach he spent all his time in the water. He's become a good swimmer and boogie boarder. 

Other activities he enjoyed were climbing drift wood at the jetty and playing board games. He played about a zillion games of Sorry with Cam and the boys. 

Cam's 46th Birthday

On the second day of our vacation it was Cam's birthday! Woot! What better place to celebrate than at our favorite place on earth!

We started our day with exercise on the beach. Cam headed out first on a run and then I went out for a brisk walk. As I was walking on the beach I notice that I was walking in Cam's footprints. Literally. Well, except that his stride is much longer than mine.

Anyway, as I was walking I started thinking of ways that I should be more like Cam. You know...ways to walk in his footsteps.

Cam is an amazing person and there are many things about him that I admire. I decided that I would spend his birthday trying to be "more like Cam".

I already had a good start on my plan since I was exercising. Cam is devoted to exercise. You see, he truly loves. He calls it his medicine. Actually he LOVES it....can't get enough of it.

After my brisk walk Cam and I lifted some weights on the beach house deck and then did our stretches.

I already told you how Cam and the kids were boogie boarding like crazy. Well, if I was going to spend my day being more like Cam then I decided I should boogie board too. I don't have a wetsuit so I borrowed Cam's. The boys were all excited for me to head out with them.

Once in the water I took direction from Mr. P and Cam. They would tell me when to catch the wave. It was SUPER fun!! I yelled and laughed just like Cam.

I got rolled once. By rolled I mean that the ocean swamped me and threw me off my board. I couldn't tell which end was up or down. I swallowed half the ocean and the other half was lodged in my nasal cavity. Whew! I stood up sputtering out the sea water. Cam laughed and said, "welcome to the club". Okay, since I was in the club now I laughed it off and headed back out...Cam style.

Boogie boarding was a blast. My Christmas list is also full of wetsuit items and a boogie board. Next year is going to be so much fun!

For Cam's birthday lunch we headed to our favorite place for fish and chips. We got to sit at our fav table too!

After lunch it's our family tradition to climb the dune. Most of the kids and Cam climb it every year....maybe even two or three times! I've never climbed to the top. But, if I was going to be more like Cam....then I would be summiting! So, off I headed. It's STEEP! I mean it....and windy....and exhausting....and STEEP. But, I persevered. And rested. And climbed. And summited!

The view was amazing! And the wind was whipping! I do not recommend putting on fresh lip gloss before climbing a sand dune in windy weather. Lesson learned. Although all that sand acted as dermabrasion and I now have no wrinkles on my lips.

The kids and Cam love to run down the dune at top speed. I reserved the "be more like Cam" and trotted down.

Back at the beach house we baked up a yummy pie for the birthday dessert. We found a nice local made organic pie! We searched for a candle and came up with one. Well, it worked.

Happy Birthday to my love! You are smart, energetic, friendly, kind, impulsive, athletic, driven and funny. And I want to be more like you!!