Seal Beach, Day 2, Sharks Don't Frolic

Today was a beach day. We had a relaxing morning and headed for the water. David and the kids got right to boogie boarding.




Noah started off with the salami. Seriously, it's 9:30 in the morning. Whatevs.


They were catching some good waves.




My husband is a big kid.


Noah did a shadow karate dance with sticks. He was pretty amusing.


Now, last weekend, we had a movie marathon of Jaws, Jaws 2, Jaw 3 and Jaws the Revenge. My kids aren't scared and we actually kind of laugh at how fake it looks. But, it may not have been the best choice of movies before a beach vacation. So, when we saw a fin, we all freaked for a second.

The girls took notice.



Luckily, it was just dolphins. They went back and forth from the pier for well over an hour. Very fun to watch. We saw a surfer get out and she stopped to watch them. We were chatting and she verified, yes, they were just dolphins. Sharks don't frolic. She's got a point.

The boats that are all out there are so cool to watch. Apparently, there is some sort of dock strike, so all these boats are just piled up with cargo and no where to unload.

My girl looking cute.


Then, it was like 1:00 and this crazy fog moved in across the beach. We had never seen anything like that. Yes, there is fog sometimes in the morning. But, this moved in like our dust storms do in Arizona.


And before long, it looked like this. The pier is on the left, but you can't see it or any boats.


That's Ben in the water.


Now, he's the little speck on the far right.



And then, the fog moved out.


Then, all of us went in the water and boogie boarded for an hour or more. It was so fun!

It was a great beach day. We are all exhausted and ready for a good nights sleep. Tomorrow is Knott's Berry Farm!

Seal Beach, Vacation, Day 1

Travel days are always a little ho hum. It really isn't a long drive. It took about 6 1/2 hours and that was with 2 stops for the restroom and one fill up with gas. On the way, we passed a group of bicyclists. We knew one of the guys. He's the little brother of our friend. Last year on Valentines Day, he was in a skiing accident and is paralyzed from the chest down. He's biking with his friends using a handcycle all the way to Mexico! They are delivering some supplies and Gods word to kids in Mexico. Did I mention he is on a handbike? For 240 miles! Makes me feel a little lazy really. Can you imagine how your biceps would feel. Oh my....

I digress. We gained an hour coming here. So, the fact that we lose one hour tonight in my first ever Daylight Savings Time, is really an even wash. But, not really. Whatevs.

We got the car unloaded and everyone was hungry. I was like, grab a snack and let's go! The beach is waiting. And it never disappoints!




Noah wasn't quite as brave as the older kids.


But, he still has fun.


The water is a little cool, maybe 60 degrees. Not too bad, though, but Noah needed a little warm up time with Dad.


These three were diehards. I think they were just numb at this point.




I mean could life be any better. No, I think not.


Silly boy.


I'm not sure what Ben was doing, but him and the beach are like peas and carrots.


The girls having some blanket time.


A little soccer.


Then, while we ordered pizza, they all went swimming and in the hot tub. PERFECT!




Then, the boys went down to their man cave. Ben had made a sign for it weeks ago. He was very excited about the video games and the eating of pizza.


Day 1 was a complete success. Tomorrow is a sleep in, relax, beach day.

Invention Fair

Today was the invention fair at school. Participation was optional. Noah's class made a bunch of new animals. Noah and his classmate made this spider turtle. 

Ben and his BFF Andrew made this cloning machine. They did awesome and I'm proud of Ben for even wanting to do it. 

Ben was bummed he didn't win a first place ribbon, but there were like 15 inventions for third grade. And how can anyone compete against Swiffer slippers? 

Tomorrow is half day and we leave for Cali first thing Saturday. I can't wait to sit on the beach. It's been 6 months since my toes were in the sand and that's about my max. I start getting cranky if I don't let my spirit align with the ocean at least every 6 months. Seriously, I start getting in a funk and I just need some ocean air. It's the perfect remedy for everything. 

Umbrellas, Ammonia and DST

I asked the boys to refill my water for me last night and they came back with it filled up with an umbrella. How sweet is that?

I finally took Noah to the doctor today. His cough seemed to turn the last few days and he's been running a fever for awhile. And he has a slight case of pneumonia or as noah says, "I have ammonia". he's on an antibiotic. 

So, the thing that I'll get to do Saturday night in California is daylight savings time. I've never done it. I thought it was great since I'd get an extra hour of sleep. But, my aunt and cousin told me that I lose an hour. What?  That freakin stinks. Seriously an hour of my life that I'll never get back. Like ever. I'm mad. 

Before I Get "The Call"

I know "the call" is coming from my Dad, Suzy, my Mom and David's Mom. What's going on? Why hasn't Gina blogged? I already heard from Aunt Linda. My loyal followers. This is for you. :)

I got sick...again. Like it's been 10 days, and I'm just starting to feel better. Ugh, these colds are killing me. I finally started looking into some herbal stuff. I took Mullein root to help my lungs since I seem to get bronchitis now after colds. And Aunt Paula gave me oil of oregano. Between those two, I finally turned a corner.

We had a nice, but short, visit with David's Aunt and Uncle and cousin Amy. It was great to see them. We didn't really do anything. The weather was not great. We just hung out and visited and then they were gone. And I didn't snap pictures. I did take this one of the Big Foot hat they brought Noah. And there is a blurry Aunt Paula in the background.

Speaking of the little monster, he was sick too for the last 5 days with a bad fever and cough. He's finally on the mend, I think. But, last week, he learned how to really swing. He kind of got it before, but he really got it now. Go little man!

Ben was sick too somewhere in there. It's been a hard winter for us. Last winter, we didn't catch anything. We are making up for it this year.

But, I don't care, because in 4 sleeps we will be here again with our friends.

Beautiful Seal Beach, California. We are doing Universal and Knott's Berry Farm, but mainly just hanging out on the beach. And that sounds pretty darn perfect right about now.

Oh, and I get to experience something on Saturday night, that I never in all of my 41 years have ever gotten to do. NEVER! Actually, once I realized it was happening and what it meant, I'm a little mad. Any guesses?

Nine

First, here's a pic of Ben and his best buddy Andrew at Dairy Queen yesterday. They've been best buds since Kindergarten.

Ben has been celebrating his birthday for days. A card came from Grammie and Grampie from Florida on Thursday. I told Ben we should wait to open it. He wasn't having any of it. Aunt Pam sent him a gift that he opened early too.


I waited to put out his presents until after he went to bed. I knew if he saw them yesterday, he'd want to open them. I was still sleeping when he woke up, but David said he just stood there and stared at them for awhile this morning. I got smart and hid the card that Grannie sent him and the present that our friends, the Suttons, brought for him. So, he opened those. We are lucky to have so many thoughtful people in our lives. Plus, when Papa and Grandma Suzy come shopping, they take him to buy something. That's always fun!




He opened the gifts we got him. Everything is Minecraft and Lego. Noah is loving Ben's birthday because it's really gifts for both of them since they share and play together.










And Emily even enjoys all the stuff. She helps Ben put together the Lego sets, and plays transformers with Noah.


We always make the day about their favorite things to do and eat.

For Ben, that meant starting the day with a pound of bacon.


Then, it was off for 3 hours at the pool, which I don't have any pictures of. Then, Ben spent the afternoon playing in his room, which is one of his favorite things.

He also wanted monkey bread. Nothing but healthy stuff around here today.


David actually mowed our lawn today. It's been so warm for the past month that it is almost green. Crazy! We've never mowed our lawn in February, normally, it's April. The kids played outside for a bit.


Oh yeah, for lunch, Ben requested chicken lettuce wraps. At least it was something healthy. Then, we had pasta for dinner and finished off the night with homemade chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate ice cream.




Ben took his wish very seriously!


I think he had a great birthday. He deserves it. He really is a very special kid.

Table

Here are pictures of our new table. We told the kids were were all switching spots, which we do about once a year. Well, I always get a spot closest to the cooking area since I'm usually up and down 10 times during a meal. Emily was not happy about switching and ended up in the same spot I think. David wants the head of the table. It's been Ben's spot for a year, so someone else needs to have the head hancho chair.

My kitchen is a mess.  Stuff is everywhere. That's kind of how weekends roll around here and then I put it all together again on Monday.

The seats are firm and comfy and will be so easy to clean.

I like that the backs have an x and so do the chairs at the island.

I love the top. The wood is so pretty.

Here's our old table for reference. It's not much different. But, it's different in all the right spots.

The new table is STURDY! It's nice to have such a solid table that doesn't wiggle if you bump it. We also hate, hate, hate the microfiber. We also love that it has 8 chairs, so when company comes we have some extra room and a leaf for the table. We just cleaned up the old table, so it looks pretty good. It didn't look that good in our dining room.

So, in the past 7 days, our living room has had quiet a few changes. It went from a spider dome, to a sofa, to a table. Next weekend, we are doing nothing! Meanwhile, we could supply an entire recycling plant with all the boxes on the side of our house.

Let's hope this table goes soon! I just got it on Craigslist.