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!

I made both my girls chambray Oliver+S puppet show shorts. I thought these would make a great basic for summer. When I finished them, Greta said to me, "I don't want shorts! I want a skirt!" Needless to say, she has yet to wear them. And I don't think she ever will. She would not wear them just for some pictures. Holly has yet to really wear hers. I think I need to remind her that they're in her drawer. Or I need to stick to skirts and dresses! Either way, I just love these shorts. They're so cute, simple and childish.

While my Mom was here, we took her to my favorite beach - Sunset Beach. It's at the top of the Monterey Bay. I love the sand dunes, I love the way it looks! It feels a little rustic I think, but the beach is so nice and there's always lots of shells. Greta played like crazy in the water with my Mom. When Greta was a baby, she would cry so hard if we so much as held her while standing in the ocean never mind dipping her little toes in. The roar of the waves used to be so upsetting for her. But now, she's in and out of those waves laughing and enjoying her little self. We had such a wonderful time at the beach. And, lucky us, we saw whales! I've never seen whales in the wild, but it's been on my bucket list. It was such a thrill to watch them slowly making their way north. After some research, I've concluded they were Gray whales, momma and her calf. They're at the very end of when whales migrate through Monterey and Santa Cruz, so it was really lucky to see them! What a sight! Oh the wonders of the ocean!

Now for a ton of photos!

We finally visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium! High fives all around! I've wanted to go ever since we moved here (almost three years ago!). We made it our big special outing with my Mom during her visit. It was so worth every penny (we bought a membership and a couple buddy passes). We spent nearly 5 hours there. I think my favorite part was seeing how enthralled Greta was. She was so into it and so excited to be there! I just loved that. Age three has really been her blossoming year. We all really enjoyed it - the ocean is an amazingly magical place. Holly loved the Hammerhead sharks! The kids' area in the aquarium was a great play place for Holly and Greta - they could've spent all day there!

I'm so grateful we get to live in this area and be so close to the wonders of the ocean. My family has been so blessed to live here.

I picked up a Dizzy swing (or disc swing) for my daughters. My siblings and I had one and we spent hours playing on it and laughing. I have good memories connected to our dizzy swing. My mom hung it in the tree in the front yard and the girls have loved playing on it. Holly wants to be out there swinging almost all the time. The neighbor kids have really enjoyed it too - we'll come home and someone will be swinging on it. So fun! It's getting lots of use and was definitely a good investment. I love when I get to share something from my childhood with my dear sweet children. Something about things coming full circle is so satisfying.