Packing it all in... at the Beach

My dad had a business trip to California planned this week.  He invited us to come along and relax on the beach for a few days and visit some friends as a last fun trip before gearing back into school mode.    Eva mentioned something about Disneyland.  Pa said how about Sea World.   Of course that meant we had to do both. :)    We packed a lot in during that 5 1/2 days, so I'll break it up into 3 posts. First... the beach.

We got up in the wee hours of Saturday morning and started our drive so that we could arrive in the late afternoon.  The first night we went to the beach and visited with the friends we were staying with (Jana and Martin) in Laguna Nigel.  Naiya had been to California before, but she was  only about 7 months old.  Both girls had been to the beach in Mexico, but that was 4 and a half years ago.   This was the first time the girls were going to the beach as far as they could remember.   After some coaxing (Eva) both girls were playing on the shore, looking for sand crabs, touching slimy seaweed, and "jumping" waves with Pa. 

That night we had an amazing barbecue dinner prepared by Martin and his son Eric.  I didn't take pictures... but I should have.  It was delicious!!

The next day  we started with a huge spread for breakfast.  Yogurt, breads, meats & cheeses, fruit. (Jana and Martin tend to spoil us a little.)  We walked their dog, Sandy (Who, incidentally, I drove down to CA 12 years ago to deliver as a Christmas gift from my parents to Jana and Martin.) and played at the park. 

Jana took the girls to the store to get a couple sand toys (and shirts, and other toys... spoiled, I tell ya) while I went for a run.  Then we came back to their beautiful back yard to practice our tumbling skills and admire the flowers.  Okay... I was not a part of the tumbling "we."  I was the photographer/videographer.

After ANOTHER amazing meal we headed to the beach.  (Are you sensing a theme with the food here?  I gained 5 pounds on this trip, and I'm quite sure it was primarily in the first 2 days.) This time we hung out at the beach all afternoon and into the evening.  We explored tide pools, made sand castles, swam, went on an expedition with Pa, and of course, got buried in the sand. 

After the beach, Pa took us to a super fancy restaurant for drinks (coffee for me and juice for the girls) on their patio. I wish I'd thought to take a picture, because the view was stunning.  Then, we went for a swim.  Cause, ya know,  we hadn't quite had enough fun for the day.  ;)

After one more night and a couple more delicious meals, it was time to pack up and make our way down to San Diego... and Sea World.