As my efforts to blog are a means of journal-ing I will warn you that this is a long post.
FRIDAY (4th)
We have been so excited for the trip to California. The girls started counting down the days in advance but I still manged to not have one clothing item for me picked and packed when Erik got home from work Friday afternoon. Everyone and everything else was done, I just hadn't got around to looking in my closet yet. Erik's goal was to load the car and leave but obviously we still had a good hour or two before we headed out.
We spent Friday evening in St. George at a hotel before heading on to Anaheim. Every time I type out Anaheim I want to say it with a Jewish flare on the 'heim', don't you?
SATURDAY (5th)
So we arrived in Ahaheim Saturday afternoon at the Worldmark hotel around the corner from Disneyland and got familiar with our room and the fabulous amenities. (Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Heber for spoiling us with such a great place to stay.)
While Erik was honestly excited about this...
Erik is a bit crazy and worked out four times I believe while on vacation!
On VACATION I say!
Here was the view from the roof top. We tried watching the fireworks from the top on Saturday but there were only a few. Some technical glitch or something.
(Luckily we were able to catch them again the next week on Friday night.)
No, this is not our dinner lest you think we are really trying to get out of our church callings!
SUNDAY (6th)
Sunday was overcast and rained a little in the morning so we lounged, and then headed out in the afternoon to Newport Beach. No doubt I am the greatest Mom EVER so I didn't bring the camera bag. All photos are via camera phones. We planned on coming back to the beach another day, so I didn't worry too much about photos but alas, we had so much fun at other spots we never made it back to the beach. Another time!
It was windy but it didn't bother us too much. Sailboats were out in force and it was so awesome to watch them race. My heart starts to race and I try to imagine myself aboard as the sailboats tip up on one side with all crew leaning over the airborne side! I love it! I think I need to add that to my bucket list.
McCall was the shell locate-er and found a sand dollar still basically in tact with only a small break in the center top. She loves standing at the waters edge and slowly was enjoying the feel of the waves rising further and further up her legs.
From McCall's example Elizabeth and Claire were soon to follow submerging first toes then ankles, shins, knees... then the whole bottom half.
Oh wait! that was an accident.
It so happened that the girls decided it would be exciting to hold hands while then jumping over the white edged wave as it came in, ideally landing with a small splash after the passing of the initial foam edged rush of water. Ideas are good, but as Claire and Lizzie learned they are not always carried out as we think. Un-thought-out was the unstable sandy floor on which they came down on (plus an unsteady partner pulling the other down), immediately toppling the two little ones into the cold water. As my sense of humor is such, I heartily laughed, along with everyone else, and then went to see how they fared, brushing sand from them and happy tears from my eyes.
Oh wait! that was an accident.
It so happened that the girls decided it would be exciting to hold hands while then jumping over the white edged wave as it came in, ideally landing with a small splash after the passing of the initial foam edged rush of water. Ideas are good, but as Claire and Lizzie learned they are not always carried out as we think. Un-thought-out was the unstable sandy floor on which they came down on (plus an unsteady partner pulling the other down), immediately toppling the two little ones into the cold water. As my sense of humor is such, I heartily laughed, along with everyone else, and then went to see how they fared, brushing sand from them and happy tears from my eyes.
Happy as a lark this one is. If it is wet, dirty, sticky, messy, et cetera - Claire will LOVE it. She found a drift wood stick, worn smooth from the constant wear against sand and waves, fell in love with it, and since I couldn't rightly complain as to the slivers she would get from it, the happy stick arrived back home with us in Utah after much use at the hotel and one attempt to bring it into Disneyland.
Claire was also nicknamed on this trip...
With the earlier rain and the brisk wind, the beach was not very busy initially. (It got much busier later as we prepared to leave.) With the lack of people the seagulls found delight in being able to largely flock together, taking up a good 1/4 acre of the beach or more. As we passed them I saw Claire eyeing them.
I could see her mind start to turn, a plan developed and a course for action began. I watched her bolt away towards the flock (with stick in tow). Within seconds she closed in and with a giant ROAR she charged into the flock. Gulls scattering everywhere as she chased and growled. Elizabeth was quickly beside her. The girls would give the gulls a break just long enough to congregate before plunging back into the flock. While we laughed and at some points ran for cover, the girls charged. This continued for some time before we were beyond the gull habitat and the girls were motioned away.
I could see her mind start to turn, a plan developed and a course for action began. I watched her bolt away towards the flock (with stick in tow). Within seconds she closed in and with a giant ROAR she charged into the flock. Gulls scattering everywhere as she chased and growled. Elizabeth was quickly beside her. The girls would give the gulls a break just long enough to congregate before plunging back into the flock. While we laughed and at some points ran for cover, the girls charged. This continued for some time before we were beyond the gull habitat and the girls were motioned away.
On the pier there were pigeons. Claire instantly charged forcing the mild birds to scatter, although only scattering long enough to just get out of her reach, accustomed as they are to humans. Thus when the phrase "Come away bird dog" fell from Erik or my mouth, I forget which, the name stuck and as we had repeated run in's with various well fed and well adapted birds at Sea World and Disneyland, the term was used whenever Claire's eyes perked at any sort of bird and we sensed her getting ready to charge.
Stella does not enjoy wind but was fun and happy until...
You know how you can see the wet area that the waves continue to dampen as they roll in? So you sort of feel safe when you see that area and stand just outside of that range.
Then you have that wave that is a little bigger than the rest. It comes in like any other, looking harmless and then it's too late, you realize you are in it's path and other then looking like a ninny and running for it or possibly trying to hop out of it's path - even thought everyone knows you are going to get it and hopping or trying to tiptoe out of the wave will only succeed in splashing you and making you more wet?
Well, as Mom had Stella and was helping her look for shells she made the mistake of setting Stella down and turning to inspect a shell a foot or two away. All to late, Stella screamed and mom too realised her feet were wet from that unsuspecting wave rose. While it was really only 3-4 inches of water (you can just detect the one leg of Stella's jeans slightly darker from getting wet in the above photo), the damage was done and it took a little time to get her to trust to be set down again.
That evening we were back to have a good meal and relax before the events of the week started.
More on our Sea World and Disneyland adventures to come.
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