California again...

It seems like we always go to California on our vacations but Buck and I both really wanted to go to the beach and last Sunday decided if we didn't go this last week, we would be able to go all summer. So we cancelled all our obligations and appointments that week and left Monday afternoon. It was very unlike me to take such a last minute trip. I'm usually crying about needing time to plan, etc. but not this time. We called our relatives that live near the beach and they had vacancies for visitors so we went down to Santa Monica for a couple days and then to Fallbrook. We had lots of fun!

Everybody was happy to be in the car...for most of the trip anyway.

From Santa Monica, we drove up the coast to Malibu and did a little hike called Point Dume where we came to a little cove with some tide pools and we saw some starfish. This is Grace and Buck on the hike there.

Grace chased the birds all over the shore. One of them stole her dirty diaper I had just changed so if there's anything in the news about birds dying on diaper remnants it's probably ours. I chased the seagull for a minute but he was long gone. I was just glad he didn't take her clothes or something else with any value that was laying on our towels.

This was the one starfish that I dared to touch. You're not supposed to pick them up but I did pet it. I was sure it was going to attach on to me like they do to Ursula on the wedding boat in the Little Mermaid but luckily it didn't.

Grace had lots of fun running all over the beach and we were basically the only ones there so she had to whole place to herself.


Lucas probably ate his weight in sand.

After we left Scott and Natalie's in Santa Monica, we went south to visit Buck's Granparents in Fallbrook. We spent the day shopping in Carlsbad and playing at the beach in Oceanside. The kids had lots of fun playing in the sand.

Both Grace and Lucas really like the water. Luke just sat and splashed in it until a couple of waves knocked him over and he was ready to just head back to the safety of the sand.

Luke and I played in the sand.

Buck and Grace played in the water.

Here I had my camera all ready to tape anything cute that Grace did and I see Buck start doing pushups and I'm like, "what the??", so I start to tape...

Grace found that if she ran up to the sand next to the road, it was the hottest and it would warm her back up from the water really fast so she'd lay her whole body down flat. Her face was covered and she got it all in her ear too. She was not happy when that had to be rinsed out!

Friday was also Uncle Ross' birthday so they came down and we celebrated with dinner and yummy cake! Happy Birthday Ross!

Maddy had just gotten her driver's license that day and her dad was teaching her how to drive this motorcycle that Curtis fixed up. I didn't know that I captured it, but her face is so funny because Eliot was asking her if she'd take him on a ride but she was just barely figuring out how to do it, let alone take someone with her. We love when we get to see our cute cousins in California!

Uncle Grant was really nice and took Grace for a few rides on the motorcycle but it was all tears when her turn was over!

And, as evidence that I was actually on this vacation, Buck took a picture of me when we stopped for gas on the way home.

Thanks to everyone that let us crash at your houses! We had so much fun!