Our Beach Vacation

We just got back from a week in hea-ven!!! Jason's side of the family met up in Oceanside, CA for 7 days in a beach house. We loaded up for the long drive...

...thank goodness we had 3 great travelers this time around.

The box lid / travel tray worked its miracles once again!

At our lunch stop we scored these rad glasses.

Let the festivities begin!

Here is the fabulous place we got to stay in...

See how close it is to the sand?

This was the view from the back patio.

Speaking of that back door, being that it was right off the beach,

the screen was pretty grimey.

Of course all day long the kids would smoosh their faces

against the screen

and beg to go play outside.

Everytime, they would come away looking like this:

On the first day, we had a cool view of what we called

"The Pirate Ship"

Here's the close up.

Too bad it was a really hazy day

plus I don't have an awesome camera

or any skills to go with it...

The first night we celebrated Grandma's birthday.

and of course played outside.

You see, when you take a "beach" trip in October,

the stores are no longer selling traditional sand shovels and buckets.

So instead we bought garden trowels and paint mixing buckets.

White trash or resourceful?

You be the judge.

Oh boy was it fun to play on the beach!

On day 2 our family had plans to go to Legoland.

We got drizzled on the WHOLE time,

but we made the most of it

and found most all the rides they hadn't shut down

due to weather :(

So many cute picture spots of amazing things

built entirely out of Legos.

The big boys especially loved this chance to drive little cars.

This is NOT your Disneyland attraction

where you're kept on a track.

They had a gas and brake pedal

and traffic signs to obey.

They could choose to go wherever they wanted!

Cooper's on a fake car here, but we'll just go ahead

and include it cuz he smiled so cute for me.

No great story to go with it, but possibly

my most favorite picture of the trip!

Day 3 was deemed GIRLS DAY

where the women got away and all the men had to babysit.

(Then we traded and gave them a "Guys Day" later on)

The ladies and I had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory,

some mall shopping,

and finished it off with pedicures!

Day 4 was going to be Sea World,

but we wanted to avoid another rainy day at a park,

so we hung around the beach and put it off.

(Bummer.... just another day lying around the beach.)

The cool flying dragon kite

that Jason flew

(it was SO windy!)

see the dragon way up there?

Grandma and Cooper doing some bubbles

It was so windy, all you had to do

was yank the bubble wand out of the tube

and VROOOM! All the bubbles were halfway

across the beach!

All the kids buried Tucker...

...and then stabbed him through.

Day 5 - Sea World!

They have a great deal going right now where kids get in for $5.00,

so Grandma and Grandpa joined us with cousin Bekah

and gave 8-mo. pregnant Lindsey a little day of rest.

We definitely avoided the rain alright!

Instead we sat in all these shows

toasting under the sun!

Dolphins!

Sea lions!

(Isn't he gorgeous?)

The Shark Encounter

was seriously cool.

When it came to the big ones,

you walk through a tube and they swim all around you.

Freaky!

And right above you!

Probably my favorite animal attraction

was the Manta Rays

They were HA-UGE!

Much bigger than the ones at the local zoo

that I've touched before.

Still just as squishy and slimey though!

The best part is buying the little plate of fish chunks,

holding it under them,

and feeling them vacuum-suck it right out of your hand.

EWWWWwwwwwwww

Check out that big evil eyeball looking right at me

(just under Tucker's elbow)

They only have a couple of rides

but Jason was sure to get on them!

This photo could practically be on their website!

My little Tucker (missing an entire row of front teeth)

in Shamu heaven.

Day 6 was Guys Day

I don't have many pics because

we just hung around and took it easy.

That night, however,

Grandma and Grandpa so graciously stayed home

with all the sleeping kiddos

while the 3 younger couples went out for treats.

At the end of that big long pier

there is an old fashioned diner-type joint

and they sell AMAZING shakes and malts.

So we walked out there and carb-loaded.

With pictures on the pier on the way back, of course.

All in all, one of the BEST vacations ever!!!

Many hugs to my wonderful family who are such fun to be around

and HUGE thanks to my in-laws

for providing the MOST amazing week!!!

*** sigh ***