Bring On The Beach

The 2nd Annual Family Vacation To The Beach Was The Best!
We rented a beach house for a week and enjoyed the sun, sand, water and cool crisp air. We spent a lot of time walking the boardwalk, exploring Balboa Island, riding our bikes, playing at the Fun Zone and of course just chillin' on the beach. The water was freezing, but the weather was pretty nice. We were blessed to have Kenny, Kirk and Laura all visit while we were there. Luca and Acacia loved playing in the sand. Acacia actually loved the ocean water as well, but it was a little chilly for her to stay in it. Luca boogie boarded (or at least pretended to) and even tried to surf with his boogie board--that was a bit entertaining. Tony spent most of the relaxing time with his head in a book. He was super grateful when Dustin and Lindsey came to visit because he had someone to go play in the water with. Hayden and Luca had a great time searching for seashells and playing in the water. Brooklyn and Acacia played in the sand. . .a lot. We all got a good amount of sun, but most of all we had great family bonding time. It was our last family vacation as a family of 4. At the time of the trip I was 37 weeks pregnant and extremely grateful I was able to enjoy the vacation without any complications. What a joy it is to be 9 months pregnant and still able to enjoy life. I feel super blessed.

Acacia bonding with the baby in mommy's "BIG FAT BELLY".

SCRAPES, BUMPS & BRUISES

Luca absolutely loves to climb trees. I guess I should say he "loved" to climb trees. This little tree monkey would challenge himself and climb as high as he could until Mom or Dad yelled at him to come down because he was too high. I think Luca thought he was invincible. . .let's hope he learned his lesson.

I was at the park across the street with a friend watching our children play. The boys were climbing trees having a grand ol' time. I realized I couldn't see Luca and started calling his name. He answered from high atop a tree. He was so high I could barely even see him. I told him he was too high and needed to come down. No sooner did I turn my head from him, when I heard tree branches snapping and screaming. I jumped up and ran as fast as my 8 1/2 month pregnant body would let me, terrified of what I might see. Luca was at the base of the tree (which was surrounded by large rocks) laying there crying. I told him not to move, assessed his injuries and told him to tell me where it hurt. He kept pointing to his leg and his arm. Once I calmed him down I realized that the only places he was hurting were the places where his skin was all scratched up. It didn't take long for us to realize he was fine, minus the many cuts, scrapes and bruises that were already forming. He took it easy for all of 20 minutes and then was out in the backyard playing soccer with his friend. If a 15-20 foot fall from a tree leaves only bumps, scrapes and bruises I am one happy momma. Needless to say, Luca will be taking it easy on the tree climbing until he can understand which limbs are strong enough to support his weight.

Long Way From Home

Christy brought her four little girls to visit a few weeks ago. They live in Indonesia and are back in the US for the summer. It was so exciting bonding and watching these four beautiful girls play. Acacia fits right in with all their blonde hair / blue eyed girls. I wish these reunions happened more often.

Acacia and little Blaire. They are about 3 1/2 months apart. Blaire is a strong little monkey. It's amazing how much bigger she is than Acacia. I guess Acacia has a lot of growing to do in order to catch up to her cousin.
Blaire, Ruby and Acacia. Look at all that blonde hair and blue eyes. You'd never know there was no blood relation. They had a great time playing in the park together.

Ruby(4), Luca(5), Acacia(20 mos), Regan(8), Paige(6) and Blaire(2)

Cutest Lil' Darlin'

The Pictures Speak For Themselves.

I'm still trying to figure out where this little girl came from. It doesn't seem possible that we could have produced such an angel.