Obviously, if we're going to camp at a State Beach, we're going to play on the beach lots. We spent some time there Friday night and then a big chunk of time there on Saturday. It was a lot of fun. I just love the beach! And having all those kids together - they just played and played and didn't want to stop. It was a really great trip!

On my Mom's last day visiting, we went to Seacliff Beach. It was such a HOT day. Usually there's at least breeze, usually a strong wind, off the ocean, but there was almost nothing. The waves were so soft - it was the perfect ocean for the children to play in! And we all wanted to be in the water because the beach was so hot (except for Greta - she was one day 1 of tonsillitis). The sand burned our feet. Seacliff Beach is kind of a funny beach. It has pretty palm trees and beach homes and then it also has a pier and a sunken concrete ship that is basically stinky bird paradise.

The week my Mom was here was amazing for wildlife watching. We saw lots of dolphins at this beach - some of which were babies. We watched them slowly make their way north and then back south again. They were jumping out of the water and so close! It was incredible!

I had such a great time with my Mom. It was really fun to have her in my home with my family. I loved it!

This week has been hot, so hot! We're talking highs of 34 degrees CELSIUS! It's insane. Lucky us though, we live near the ocean. So off we went on the hottest day of the week. Santa Cruz was also very hot (it doesn't always work out that way), too hot to just sit on the beach. Fortunately the ocean is frigid and kept us cool. Holly and Greta are so enamored with the ocean. It is so fun to play in the waves with them! It makes me so so happy. We spent a solid 4 hours at the beach before we dragged ourselves home (to our hot house). It's going to be an amazing summer!

A couple notes: Holly is really into making things "stylish," like her food. She initiated a towel modeling show. Greta makes sand angels a lot these days and it's adorable. Love my turkeys.

Here are some more photos from my birthday at the beach. We finally remembered to bring out a kite we'd been given and all the little girls had fits and giggles over flying it! Again, it was a lovely day...

This past Sunday was my birthday. I was grateful to kind of have a weekend because things have been really busy and stressful around here. It was great to take a break! Friday night, I went out for pedicures and ice cream with my friend Kelly Lee. I don't know when I last had a pedicure, so I felt extra pampered. I feel happy every time I look down at my well polished toes.

On Saturday, Conor and I went wall/rock climbing at Planet Granite. I have never done it, but I've really wanted to give it a try for the last 3-5 years. It was just as scary as I anticipated (I'm fearful of heights), and it was really exhilarating! Each climb was like another shot of adrenaline! It was a lot of fun and I'm grateful that I've been building strength - I think that really helped. After climbing, we went and grabbed some pizza and ice cream (noticing a theme?). And chatted, nothing work related. It was amazing.

On Sunday, we were a little unsure of how the day would go. Our girls woke up tired and a little edgy (growth spurts?), and we were late to church. Things continued to be a little grumpy and everyone grew edgy. We decided to push through and still go to the beach and everything really was much better when we got there. We met up with friends, so the kids had littles to play with and I had adult women to talk with. It was fantastic! There were definitely some bumps this weekend, but overall it was positive. Thank you to everyone who did something to make it special!