Sun Kissed

This morning a friend of our called and asked if we would like to head down to the beach with them.  We didn't have anything really pressing to do at home so we packed a lunch and our towels and put on our swim suits for another day at the beach.

This time we headed to a beach right near the boardwalk. Not one of our usual beaches but a very fun one!

 There was LOTS of digging in the sand. The kids found a big hole that someone had left and then expanded it.

 They found some caution tape on the beach and used it to divide up the hole so each of the kids had a bit they were working in. Molly just visited each quadrant at will. It is hard to stop a 3 year old from doing what ever they want.

Molly rolled and rolled around in the sand. She even found a few sand crabs.

 Once the wind died down the kids headed in to the waves.

 Our friends brought some boogie boards. We really should get some of our own because we had to take turns using theirs and Wow were they fun. Even the Moms got out there and rode a few waves.

 But even without a board the waves are fun!

 After putting the finishing touches on their hole they were sad to leave it for someone else to discover and use.

 But a trip to the Ice Cream parlor on the way home was certainly welcomed by these sun kissed kids.

A lovely day in the sun and waves. I have already told the kids that tomorrow we are sitting around at home and doing nothing. We will break out some board games and watch a movie or something. We have had a lot of sun the last few days and need to have a break. 

Frolicking in the Surf

My niece is visiting us for a week. My kids are thrilled to have her here.  They enjoy having her at our house but I think partly that has to do with the fun outings we then go on. Since we have a guest we have to entertain right?!

So we took her to the beach. She lives in Southern California so isn't far from the beach there but she did say the beach we went to was prettier than the ones she has near her. I guess that is quite a compliment to Santa Cruz!

 It was a little overcast and cold when we first got there. I was even wearing a sweat shirt. The chill didn't stop the kids from going into the water or digging in the sand.

 This particular beach seems to get a lot of seaweed wash up. The kids thought it was so fun to drag it into huge piles.

 Molly just had a great time climbing the rocks and playing in the sand.

 Here is the one picture to prove I was there too. That is my hand and sweatshirt covered arm taking Molly into the cold waves as they washed up onto the beach.

 So we are so glad to have a visitor. It gives us an excuse to go on excursions we always say we are going to do but never get around to actually doing.

You wouldn't think a trip to the beach was that big a deal but it isn't something we do everyday so my kids were very excited to go. 

Molly's Pinkalicious Day

Molly started her "day of all days" at Grandma's house.  And following tradition, she got to open one of her birthday gifts at breakfast.  She couldn't have been happier with what she saw in the package.

Grandma made Molly a beautiful pink princess dress. And in the box she found some pink princess shoes and a pink tiara to go with it. She glowed when she tried them all on.

The day continued like most days spent at Grandma's house. There was the walk up the street, even in the heat.

Followed by a  dip in the pool.

There were lots of good things to eat!

But most of all there were lots of cousins!

When I asked Molly what kind of cake she wanted she just said "pink". She answered the same when I asked her about the ice cream flavor as well. So she had a pink cake, inside and out. And Grandma whipped up some homemade strawberry ice cream to go with it.

I think Molly was happy with the results.

The pink dress was worn almost constantly through the entire day and through all kinds of play.

It didn't even come off when the sun went down.
By the end of the day she just couldn't keep her eyes open and fell asleep while reading one of her new books.

But even while the tired birthday girl slept the fun continued around her.  Monopoly was a the game of the evening for some of the older cousins.

Happy 3rd Birthday Princess Pinkalicious Molly!

Biking!

We have been taking lots of bike rides this Summer. Before the day really heats up we jump on our bikes and head out.

We have been taking a nice biking/running trail near our house that goes by some ponds, along a creek and weaves through a little wooded area.

At the end of about 5 miles it leads to one of our favorite parks.

Today we spent a good hour or two playing at the park.

I am surprised the kids had enough energy to play after our long ride. But they didn't want to leave. They could have stayed all day.

Molly especially loved getting to play. She doesn't actually bike but only rides in the trailer behind my bike so she was more than ready to be let out and run around for a good long time.

We even squeezed in a little time to climb some trees before heading on that long ride back home.

My kids had a great time today and plan to do this again next week too.