Lunch date

It's not very often that we go out somewhere for lunch, so today was a treat! Nana & Papa took the boys to the zoo today and James was home doing paperwork, so it was just the girls. We decided to go to Las Fuentes for a lunch date, just the girls with mom & dad. We enjoyed a beautiful fall day out on the patio, yummy food and some silly conversation :) After lunch we went to the thrift store to see if we could find anything for our costumes for our annual costume party. We had such a great time, but it felt weird to only have 2 girls :) I cherish days like this!

Our October camping tradition

Beach camping in October has become a little reason that we enjoy with our friends, the Nydams. We always have so much fun and this year was no different! We stayed at Doheny State Beach for the first time and LOVED it. It's right on the ocean so it makes going to the beach super easy. Of course or trip included, games, camp fires, bike rides, yummy food and lots of laughs :)

Soccer picture day

Having 4 kids play soccer is a little crazy, but they have so much fun! I think picture day has been my craziest day of the season yet! Thankfully, Gracie played her game on Friday night, so there were only 3 games, 4 team pictures and a pizza party. I made myself a spread sheet just to make sure I had everyone where they needed to be on time and the day was a success :)

Wesley and his laser booster

Wesley has had it in his head that when he turned  5 he could get a "booster" instead of a "baby carseat" & since his carseat was pretty beat up and nasty, I decided it was a good idea. He was SO excited to go pick one out and chose a "laser" one (it's black with red diagonal stiched lines) He wanted me to take his picture and post it on picture-gram :) Do they really have to grow up so fast?? I swear, just yesterday he was rear facing in his carseat with his little head propped up... :/

Homeschool days at the Aquarium of the Pacific

We love field trips!! A lot of places offer a special day for homeschoolers, so if or schedule allows we try to include it into our learning. The Aquariam of the Pacific is such a great place, although the drive is long, it's worth it! This year my folks met us there, as well as my sister Holly and her boys. We spent a good 4 hours looking at all the exhibits, ate some lunch together and then I went to Aliso Viejo to pick up a soccer banner. We had a great day!!

The beach in September

We've gone to the beach every month of the year, but I have to say that September and October are by far the best months to go! The weather is near perfect, 75-80 with sunshine and a breeze AND the beaches are ours to enjoy, as everyone is back in school or working...knowing this, we planned a weeks vacation at our timeshare in Oceanside the 2nd week in September, months ago.

We started the week off on Sunday with a little party for Wesley's 5th birthday at the beach just south of the Oceanside Pier. We just invited a few friend and enjoyed the day in the sun, playing in both the sand and the water.

We spent the week enjoying the beach, sleeping in, swimming in the pool, playing board games, playing tennis & basketball, reading together and playing legos. We spent about 25 hours at the beach over the week and of those, I'd say the kids spent 20 of them in the ocean, jumping the waves or boogey boarding. They were born for the beach :) Jamesy and I enjoyed our morning coffee together on balcony where we could see the resort, the harbor and the ocean; it was beautiful!

My friend Jess and her kids spent Sunday night at the resort with us and we ate breakfast together and then spent the day playing and walked down to the end of the pier for milkshakes at Ruby's. My sisters and their kids joined us for a day at the beach and swimming and the kids all had a blast!

One night we walked on the beach all the way to downtown and went to the sunset market night, where we enjoyed gelato and looking at all the fun booths.

The kids and I spent a morning on a little field trip at the mission that was just a few minutes away. The history is so interesting and the mission was beautiful!
One of the nights, we walked to the harbor and enjoyed a yummy dinner at Dominic's as we watched the sun set over all the boats in the harbor.

The last day we ended up not going to the beach at all, as I was kinda over the sand, but we swam at the resort pool instead and ended up meeting a really nice family whom the kids played with & I talked with for hours. :)

We had a great week of fun in the sun!!

Birthday Boy!

Every year, with each birthday that passes, I am amazed at how quickly the year has gone by and this year was no exception! I can't believe our baby boy is 5!!

It is so fun to watch him grow and come into his own. He has the sweetest personality and is so loving, funny and silly. He loves legos, riding bikes, jumping on the trampoline and imaginative play with Grady.

We asked him what he wanted for his birthday and he said "my own tooth brush and tooth paste", so he got what he wanted :)

We also enjoyed a morning treat at Starbucks, a balloon and a lunch time pizza party at home with our family.

I asked him to stop growing, so he prayed asking God if could could stay 5 :) My sweet boy!