Newport Beach 2014

It felt so good to make it back to the beach this year with my whole family! Last year we didn't go and it made for a long summer so we were grateful that everything worked out for us all to go this year! We were all counting down the days until we left and somehow we are already back home and that week just flew by it was so much fun! A break down of our trip is as follows. We arrived Friday afternoon and unpacked our stuff. I did all my grocery shopping before we left so it was nice to just head down to the beach to relax once were done putting our stuff away. The Beach house we stayed in was on 45th street and was right next to the beach. It was so nice and there was plenty of room for everyone. That night Jon and I walked with our kids to a near by pizza place to get dinner and then after we put the kids down for bed and visited with the adults. Bailey was so excited to have a sleep over in the girls room with her cousins and aunt Heidi. Bentley was also excited to share the boys room with his cousin J and uncle Tyler. Saturday we woke up nice and early to Wyatt already wanting to get out of bed and start the day. Jon ran with him in the jogging stroller and picked us up the best donuts ever at seaside. After that we headed right down to the beach. The kids didn't know what to do first... crab hunt, build sandcastles, dig holes, play with the sand trucks and toys, jump the waves, or swim in the ocean. Luckily by the end of the day they had done it all. To say the had a blast is an understatement. That night Jessica and I made everyone enchiladas with black beans and corn. They turned out great and were a big hit. For dessert we had cake and sang Happy Birthday to my mom since it was her birthday earlier that week. It is always tough coming up with an idea for dinner that is both delicious and practical to feed 30 people. I happy with what we chose and Jessica made a great partner in the kitchen. That night we watched a movie once we got all the kids in bed and visited. Sunday we woke up and got ready to go to church. After a nice church meeting we headed back to the beach house to change clothes and then go to the park to have a picnic and hang out. Most the boys played football, and the kids rode bikes/scooters and played on the playground. I enjoyed sitting on a blanket in the shade relaxing and visiting with everyone. After that we headed back to the beach house for naps. My mom and aunt Corina made a delicious lasagna, bread, and salad meal for dinner that everyone loved. Corina also made some delicious desserts! Some of the boys and little kids went out to the beach to play baseball, and some of us stayed back to visit. Monday was a beach filled day again. I got sunburnt on Saturday so I was determined to be better prepared for the rest of the week and apply lots of sunscreen, wear hats, and sunglasses. For dinner Kelsey and Amber made yummy shredded chicken sandwiches, with baked beans, watermelon, and salad. For dessert we had homemade pazookis! We are lucky to have so many great cooks in the family:) Most nights were typically the same, wiffle ball on the beach, movie, and /or visiting. One of the nights I was laughing so hard I couldn't breath. I love spending time with family and catching up on all the details of each others lives that we miss. Tuesday the girls all went to breakfast at the sugar shack and then hit up the sales in Huntington. We switched the boys so they could go to lunch while we took the kids down to the beach. Jon said they took the kids on a bike ride down to the pier while we were gone to get Janes corn dogs. That night some people went to the movies. Jon and I had already seen both movies and instead rode down to the pier for some original slice pizza and ice cream. Kyle and Kelsey came with Trey also and we all got to watch the sun go down. It was so beautiful. While we ate we also watched this guy set up a slack line between to palm trees and walk across it. We were all amazed at how he did this. The following day was a beach day again. We can't get enough and the kids are so entertained all day with the sea creatures they find, and the things they build with the sand. I was excited to see that all three of my kids had fun getting in the ocean and Jumping the waves. I actually got in twice this year and it made me feel like a kid again. That night we all went down to Balboa to have dinner together, watch the sun set, and play games. The kids played on this fun play ground that is right on the beach while others played football in the field right by it. After that we took our kids to ride the ferris wheel and get a treat on Balboa Island. They all had their first push pop and devoured them:) We didn't get to Balboa though with out a small hiccup in the plans. Jon wanted something different for dinner and we had to fill the car up with gas because it was on empty. I dropped him of at TK burger and then with my kids, and Kyle's family I headed into town to find a gas station. I passed the one that was closest and had to go much further to find the next one. I thought this was annoying enough. Then I saw how expensive gas was at the chevron I pulled into and realized it was almost 15 cents more a gallon then the last station! Anyway I filled up and went to pull our of the gas station into busy traffic when my hitch fell off. Luckily a tow truck was behind me and didn't run over it. He honked at me to get my attention and put it in a bush until I could make my way back through the traffic to the gas station. I was baffled at how it fell off! With a quick glance I realized that the whole trip our hitch had not been properly secured. We could have been seriously hurt or caused a major accident had that fallen of when we were driving any other time. I feel blessed that it fell off when it did and that I was able to secure it properly before hurting anyone! Anyway, back to the trip. Thursday was our final full day so we did what we love most and hung out at the beach all day! Some days the kids would come take naps on me but other days they played until they dropped. As soon as their heads hit their pillows they were out. They had fun running around with their cousins, playing make believe, and watching cartoons at the beach house. I was sad to come in from our final day at the beach. It just does something for the soul and is so relaxing. That night my sweet mom offered to watch all the kids while the rest of us went to eat dinner at the crab cooker. This place has the most delicious sea food! We rode our bikes and had a fun time wandering around the pier when we were done. We headed back to get the kids in bed and visit one last time. In the morning we packed up and said good bye to another amazing time in Newport Beach, California. We already were talking about reserving a beach house for next year! Thanks everyone for the fun time and good laughs:)