Let's just start at the very beginning. In order to get 5 tiny kids to California for a week it takes preparation. I made lists of my lists. Lists of things to pack, lists of things to do and places to see, lists of beach stuff needed and snacks for in the car and on and on. Once we finally got on the road Sunday morning we felt like we had accomplished the worst part.
Of course we stopped in Beaver for gas and our picture on the big chair. It's tradition. We asked my mom and dad to come with us at almost the last second and about 10 million times throughout the week I was so grateful for that. Being able to separate the kids during the drive and swap kids around when they started going stir crazy was priceless.
Wren turned out to be the most trouble in the car. She was cool when she slept but all those other hours she was just irritated at the whole situation. We stopped in Vegas on Sunday night for a swim and a good nights sleep. I didn't get any pictures of that which is a shame because the room was awesome with 2 different bedrooms and a living/kitchen area. Also the pool was incredible with water slides and everything. Oh well.
I was so worried about the little beach house that we had rented. It was definitely on the cheap side of all the places I had researched but I just took a risk. It turned out to be way beyond our expectations. It had a 2 car garage with our own washer and dryer and 2 separate bedrooms and bathrooms and plenty of space to put our people and our stuff.
The best part though was the view. We were right across the street from the beach and at night I would lay with my boys on the pull out couch and tell them stories while we watched the sun set and listened to the waves crashing in and out and smelling that sea air through all our open windows. It was heavenly and something I don't ever want to forget.
As soon as we arrived the kids wanted to head straight for the beach. They've never seen the ocean before so they were so excited. It was a little cloudy and cold and just before dinner time so I didn't let anyone put swimming suits on or take towels. We weren't going swimming, just a little walk on the beach to see what it's all about..
Well that lasted about 10 seconds.
Then they were all soaking wet.
We had sort of neglected telling them about what the water does. I just didn't think about it. They had no idea about the undertow and the danger involved. So at first they were shocked to find themselves pulled in and knocked around and soaked but then they decided it was the best thing they'd ever done and we just had to be prepared to grab them when they looked they were going to wipe out.
Wren though was not impressed. Too loud, too windy, too cold.
She spent a good portion of our vacation nuzzled up to me. It's a good thing I adore her like I do.
No comments:
Post a Comment