We kept our fourth of July pretty low key. I was grateful to have a day to spend together with Conor home. We went to a parade that was close to where we live with some good friends. The girls loved that and had a lot of fun. And I definitely was misty-eyed when the military strolled by. I am so grateful to live in the USA. I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to live here and extra blessed that I have lived my entire life in safe countries. And we're super lucky to live in California, our very own promised land! 

It was fun to scour our drawers and closets for some red, white and blue and be patriotic. I love the USA!

On Sunday morning, Holly looked so sun-kissed and Californian that I just had to take photos of her. I think her eyebrows were bleached out a little more from our Saturday trip to the beach and her blond hair is getting blonder. Her eyes were still a little puffy from sleep and she looked beautiful. 

The beach we went to had a ton of driftwood. Conor and Holly put one big piece in the ground and the first thing that popped into my mind was a mayflower pole, but I didn't have any ribbon. Somehow we brainstormed a lean-to and got building. I absolutely love that we all worked together on it and that my quilt was put to some serious use. This is the kind of wholesome recreational activity that makes me feel on top of the world as a Momma. Our family was perfectly happy. It was good! The girls loved playing in the little lean-to. The cutest was when they had a little sister bonding time with kisses and hugs. 

Holly worked really hard gathering up a ton of wood, and then she got to work on this great fence. Conor helped her finish it up and it was totally their style. I loved it!

Every time we discuss where we'll end up, we always conclude that it has to be near the ocean. We've taught Holly to refer to the ocean as hers and ours. Because it is ours. It's complete magic to live by the ocean. We've created so many amazing family memories on the beach. And the way the ocean soothes my soul is a miracle. I dunno what it is about the big blue, but us Muirheads are head over heals. 

Yesterday was one of those days where I feel like my life is unreal, and I have to pinch myself because I can't believe that I get to live in California with my wonderful husband and beautiful daughters and that I get to go on day trips to the ocean. Saturday was the perfect day, the only hiccup being the traffic on the way out. We wanted to try out a new beach so we went to Salinas River, just south of Watsonville. 

The beach happened to be the spot for equestrians, so right off the bat, we were able to pet the most friendly horses ever. The girls were in love! I was amazed that I actually convinced Greta to touch one of the horses. She's gaga for animals, but can rarely bring herself to actually touch them. While we played at the beach, we watched lots of horseback riding groups traverse the sand. Greta was ticked off that she didn't get to ride a horse. Let's just say I've added "horsebacking riding on the beach" to Holly and Greta's bucket list. 

The weather was just right. It has been as hot as hell where we live and I was so happy to have weather that was cooler. 

I tried to build sand castles, but they were immediately stomped on by Greta. It was a glorious game that I thoroughly enjoyed. I'll happily build sand castles and let her destroy them because she is so gleeful doing so. Greta was wild for me burying her legs and then building a castle on top of that. The simple joys are so sweet.

We wrote our names in the sand from drift wood. That was a huge hit! Our kids continue to be obsessed with their letters. 

And we built the most amazing driftwood fort. Seriously. It was amazing. Next blog post...

The other night, Conor put Holly's hair in a side ponytail. And she was in heaven. She slept with it in and I was not allowed to touch it the next day. One the second day, I insisted that we brush out her hair and redo it. However, I was not allowed to touch it again. It was all about Papa! Conor brushed out her hair and with a little coaching from me, redid the side ponytail. Holly has us cracking up over her new hairstyle. It feels good to have something silly and simple to laugh about these days. So I took some photos and I'm sharing them here.