Mission Beach, CA

I am so glad that we decided to rent a condo on the beach. It was so nice to be able to walk down there anytime to walk around and enjoy. I hadn't been to the beach in ten years and this was a first for the boys.

On the first night that we got there we took the kids down to the beach. It was almost dark. They were running around jumping the waves and gathering seaweed. They would drag the seaweed over to create a giant pile and then run back and get more. I'm sure we got some strange looks from the "others" at the beach. It didn't take
long until cousin C and G were soaked. Then H got wet too! I took off Crews shoes and let him walk around. He loved getting them wet even though the water was really really cold.

We were quite close to the beach but not close enough to see the water from our condo. However, it surprised me how quickly Crew figured out where we were. He loved it there and it seemed he could feel and smell the ocean. When I stepped outside of the condo onto the patio, Crew would lunge and lean towards the ocean. Body language is pretty clear and he wanted to go to the beach.

As a family, we were able to go for walks along the beach in the morning and also at sunset. It was a lot of fun. I am so thankful for the time that we had together as a family.

H was a lot of fun. He has a fun, carefree personality and it is just what our family needed. While walking along the boardwalk, H would be dancing, skipping, or spinning around in circles. He was a lot of fun.
I really appreciated S on this trip too! He is a great kid and is always trying to help out with Crew. I was talking to my brother Kenny last night and we discussed how S is a great oldest child. He is a great example to all of us and I am proud of him for always trying to do the right thing.

Crew loved taking walks too! He is getting really hard to carry because he leans over which makes it feel like he weighs twice his weight.

On the day we set aside for the beach, Carl took S & H down to the water. They had boogie boards and plenty of supplies necessary for building sandcastles. The spent hours playing in the water and along the beach. I so wanted to go and take pictures. However, I stayed behind with Crew so he could take a much needed nap. Finally, after 3+ hours he woke up. We got ready to go and just as I was walking out the door, Carl and the boys returned. Thus, I have no pictures of wet kids and no pictures of the worlds greatest sandcastle!

All in all, the beach was great! I wish we had one more day to just lounge around and be lazy.