Beach Babes

I made a commitment to myself this summer to be a good San Diego mom and actually take my children to the beach a few times to do more than just walk along the sand and collect sea shells. When you have gone through a near drowning experience with your child in a pool, the beach suddenly seems like the scariest place on earth. If my child nearly drowned and died in what felt like safe and responsible situation in a pool, why in the world would I ever allow my children to venture into the unpredictable ocean and subject myself to such stress and worry. And so I haven't.   But this year I decided it was time to be brave. I had to accept that my children will not be able to be kept from the beach forever. So I told myself that though I was allowed to be annul and overprotective, we needed to go to the beach. And we did. And we had A Ton of fun!

A few times we went with some friends to the bay. This was perfect for me, and actually quite perfect for my children (at least while they are this little). There was hardly any crowd at all, which meant I could relax a little and not be freaked out every second feeling like my kids were being lost and swallowed up in the sea of skin and people. There are no waves, so the water seemed much friendlier and kind to me. And we could park totally close, allowing me to take 10 trips to the car if needed. I loved it! 

Kellen and Peter are so funny together. I love their crazy boy friendship. And I equally love watching Conner trying to keep up with them.

Makenna and Addy at the beach. It was nice to have another little girl for Makenna to play with and collect sea shells with, instead of having to be with the boys who were running around pretending to shoot seagulls and throw sand on each other all day. 

Papa met us down at the bay one day and we had a really fun time playing with him in the water and in the sand. He certainly knows how to be a kid himself!

We attempted to make a small "wading pool" for the kids by digging a huge hole and then filling it with ocean water. Then all the "bucket heads" got in at once. It was cute. But in this picture it actually just looks kind of nasty :)

My Favorite day at the beach this summer by far was when Todd took the day off and was able to spend the day with the family at the beach. This time we went to the actual beach (with the crowds and waves and all). Having Todd with me to manage the kids made this much more relaxing and enjoyable. We went to this adorable beach in Escondido called moonlight beach and it was so worth the drive. It was a really pretty beach and just the perfect "family" beach. Since Daddy came with we brought the boogie board and Todd took Makenna and Kellen both out for awhile and helped them both catch their first wave and ride in to shore. It was really cute and both of the kids had a blast. 

The kids also had a lot of fun catching sand crabs (their first time experiencing this). Makenna especially loved the crabs and quickly had 2 buckets full of them. I taught the kids how to make drip castles and attempted to make them as tall as we could before Conner came over and destroyed them. All in all it was just a really nice day and a lot of fun as a family. It is always so nice to be together, all of us together. 

Perhaps one of my very favorite parts of going to the beach with my kids this summer and for the first time as a parent was seeing the beach through my childrens eyes and being reminded of all the things I loved about the beach as a kid. The feeling of running as fast as you can right into the ocean until you tumble and fall and collapse into the waves. Coming out of the cold ocean, all clean and salty and diving straight into the hot sand and being warmed instantly (only to then have to go back into the ocean to clean off again). The taste of sand on your sandwich and snacks, no matter how hard you try to stay sand free. Running away from the waves or jumping into the waves. Chasing seagulls away from your food. There is just something special about the beach. 

 Always love me a handsome little man in a hard hat with no shirt on! Such a little lover!

 I don't know exactly what he was trying to do here...try out the "princess and the pea" theory, get really cozy, claim some sort of dominance over his siblings by sitting the highest of them all. Who knows. But he was happy with whatever it was he had going on. 

 My sweet, beautiful girl!

 The kiddos and I brought lunch to Daddy one day and got to sit at the big, important table in his office and all enjoy some chic-fil-a together. The kids just loved seeing Daddy's office, looking out his windows, having him show them all the neat "office supplies" in his drawers. They each got to stamp Daddy's name on the back of one of his business cards and take that home with them, which was just thrilling to them. I love the things that get kids excited. We love our Daddy so much and appreciate all the hard work he does and always miss him while he is away from us!

 The kids all really think it is something pretty special that they have to wear a visitors badge in order to go see Daddy at work. You can tell it makes them feel pretty cool!

 Conner learns many things from his older brother. This would be one of them. It is much easier to have a small child pee through the fence into the bushes when we are outside swimming than worry about getting all the kids out of the pool so that I can dry off and escort the one that has to pee into the house and then get everyone back in the water. Well, any time Kellen needs to take care of business, Conner decides he needs to as well. At least it is a step in the potty training direction, so we embrace it. And how could you not love those cute little buns!

 The belly is coming along!

 Of course it is good to document the kids progress through pregnancy as well! ;)

 Grammy and Pa took the kiddos to the Stake Pioneer celebration this year and they all had a really good time. I absolutely loved this picture! So adorable!

Makenna and little kitty Asia have a good bond. She is sort of like the cat whisperer sometimes. I don't know who adores who more!

Happy Birthday Con!

Facts about "THE CON" at 2!

- Conner is fearless. There is not much that he is not willing to try and very little he is unable to get into. With his bravery and curiosity is an enormous amount of natural physical skill, which only enables and empowers him to perform and carry out all his crazy ideas and stunts!

- Conner is starting to talk more and more every day. He is saying 2-4 word sentences now and is getting good at carrying on a basic conversation. He says Kellen ('tell-ten') and Sissy now and refers to himself as Con Con ('ton-ton'). He says Daddy and has recently started calling me "Mom" instead of Mama or Mommy....I do not appreciate this one bit!

 - He is has been climbing out of his crib for awhile, though he stays in it at night and for naps pretty well.

- Favorite color seems to be blue.

- Loves the wiggles and barney. Loves to dance to any music that comes on. Is just starting to watch movies, his favorites being Nemo and Toy Story.

- Knows to say that he is 2 years old and like to mimic counting

- Favorite toys are trucks/cars, balls or action figures.

- Still a bit of a Mama's boy

- Favorite food is yogurt, tangerines, strawberries, pizza, spaghetti

- Loves to carry around coins. Loves money. Always wants to have at least 2 coins in his hand at all times.

- Very interested in babies. Has his own little baby that he occasionally sleeps with and carries around with him.

- Still sucks on the corner of his blankets (also referred to as his nigh-night).

- Taking 1 nap a day, about 1 1/2- 2 hours long

- Weighs 28 pounds (50%) and is inches tall (85%)

 Happy 2nd Birthday to our crazy, funny, wild, loving, silly, cuddly, did I say Crazy little Con!

 It's incredible to me how quickly they go from being tiny, helpless babies to small little boys so fast! 2 is always a hard birthday for me. It feels like you are really stepping out of the baby stage and admitting to yourself that the toddler years are in full swing and that you have a thinking, independent, smart little person now who is eager to learn and explore and grow so much!

 The kids wanted Conner to have Slurpee for lunch on his birthday (because Conner really does know how to appreciate a Slurpee), but I told them he had to have at least some food. So we decided upon Burger King because they are the only fast food place I know of that serves Icee's. It did the trick for us all!

 For Conner's Party we just had Grammy and Pa and our good friends The Nelson's join us at Chuck E Cheese for a fun night of games, rides, pizza, cake and presents. It was perfect for Conner. He got to enjoy himself and have fun running around the place all evening and he also go the experience of having a group of people there to celebrate with him, sing to him and make sure he knew it was his special day!

 Conner's little buddy Carter....who just so happens to share the same birthday....born just 4 hours apart!

 Daddy and "The Con"

 Grammy and Kellen

 The big kids were eager to get out on the floor and dance it up with Chuck E. in order to earn some free tickets to get prizes- Conner on the other hand stayed right in his seat and kept a close eye on the big mouse to make sure he did not get too close. Conner Loves Chuck E Cheese....he does not like Chuck E!

 Present time, with a lot of eager helping hands trying to assist him

 Enjoying his book from Grandma and Grandpa.

 Conner Loved his musical birthday card from Uncle Bob and Aunt April. He was a nut about it until it was in pieces. 

 He may be 2 now, and he may technically be my toddler now, not my little baby. But he still does this, and as long as I can have my cuddles and my little boy falling asleep in my arms I am a happy Mama!

 It is amazing how quickly a child takes root in your heart and in your life. How after such a short amount of time it because entirely impossible to imagine what your heart felt like before you knew and loved this child and even more impossible to imagine your life without it now. Conner amazed me from the first time I laid eyes on him. He may be a maniac at times, but there is a sweetness and a big love to that little boy. We just adore him so much and love what he has brought to our family. We are so blessed to have his smiles and his laughter fill our home and our hearts every day!

 Happy Birthday Conner babe!

Family and Friends

We were really lucky to get to spend a lot of time this summer hanging out with a lot of our family and friends and really having a good time. Here are a couple of the highlights.

Kellen's best friend Peter had the cutest party with his little brother (and Con's good buddy) Carter. As it should be with little boys they had a superhero party. Suzy made all the kids masks and capes and my kids just had a total blast. It was adorable and totally fun!

 Kellen and Peter...such good buds!

 Love seeing my kiddos getting along and having fun together, and saving the universe while they are at it!

 Normally Con loves capes, but  he was apparently not in the mood that day.

Little girls kill me how it is so instinctual to strike a pose and time they get a chance! Even super heroes have to make sure they are looking good!

 We took a couple really fun trips to Sea World with Rah Rah, Brookie and baby Kipper this summer. Both times it was a very full (and very loud) van full. Makes me quite intimidated seeing what 5 could look like. i think we are feeling really comfy with 4 right now ;)

 Makenna dancing with the otter....from a distance....she was feeling a bit shy.

 Auntie Nana and baby Kipper. Love that little boy!

 Makenna and Brooke are total little cousin BFF's. They just adore each other. I love their relationship, even if Makenna is a bit possessive of Brooke sometimes. It's cute and sweet to see them together. I hope that never changes. 

 Cousins checking out the rays. They are all getting so big!