Trust me, having kids and bringing them on vacation with us, made me completely re-think the word "Vacation".
I pretty much haven't been on a "Vacation" since they were born.
Oh wait, there was that Girl Trip I went on a year and a half ago. Delightful.
OK, back to business. So, the last day of our trip we spent relaxing. This included a trip to IKEA because, hello, we don't have those here, and surprisingly, The Hubs was just as intrigued as I was about this place, a trip to the beach, and some lunch out while driving around exploring the area. We also came back to our hotel for naps. Ahhhhh. Then it was early dinner and bedtimes.
I was determined to get some great photos of the day. Especially at the beach. However, the first part of the day, I spent feeling a bit ill. I had that left over motion sickness feeling from the day before. THANKFULLY I was able to move past those feelings while at the beach.
(Can I just tell you, although we were at the beach which totally equals "happy" for me, it was a mere 65 degrees. Yes, something about it being NOVEMBER made it a bit chilly. Thankfully, besides the tummy/headache and the briskness of the weather, I was still able to find some "happy".)
So, here we are at the beach, and I am determined to get some great photos of the kids, maybe even some "Christmas Card Worthy" photos. So, I find the perfect spot, and start working:
Then I realized, I don't want to work. I want to have fun. I want my kids to have fun. I want my kids to play. I want to make memories, not portraits. So, after that picture, we did just that.
One of my favorite memories of the whole trip was The Little Man's realization that waves keep coming. They don't stop. He had the biggest belly laughs playing in those waves. One would come and he would squeal, then it would go back out. Of course, he would chase it back out only to find out that another would come. The laughter and squeals are something I hope I don't forget.
This picture here is so imperfect that it's pure perfection to me. I just may have this blown up big for my home. I love that when I look at it, I can still hear them laughing. I think my walls would like some laughter. I think my walls might be tired of perfect pictures. I think my walls would like to live a little.
More belly laughs:
Waiting for the next wave:
Again imperfection becoming perfect. I feel like if I inhaled deeply enough, I could be there again smelling all the freshness of that day:
It didn't take long before The Girl was doing what she is passionate about: Playing in the mud. This child is like a moth to a flame when it comes to dirt or mud. She absolutely cannot control herself. When I heard some happy giggles coming from behind where I was standing, I had a feeling I would be seeing this when I turned around:
When she tells me that she wants to grow up and be a paleontologist, I don't doubt it. It would be perfect for her to get paid to dig in the dirt and mud.
Meanwhile, back at the shoreline, we have some more belly laughs:
Have I mentioned that The Little Man laughed all day?
After spending time on the beach, we decided to head up to the pier. Then I saw how disgustingly dirty it was, so it was a short stay. The kids did get to look out over it and see schools of fish swimming around:
And watch some surfers nearby:
And, of course, have their picture taken:
It wasn't a long stay at the beach, but it was fun. We topped it off with a little lunch and then some rest. We also spent some time driving around the area exploring a bit. It got a little scary at times, so we called it good and grabbed some dinner.
That night, after we had hit the hay early, I heard some loud booms outside of our hotel. The Hubs quickly ran over to the window to see what it was. It was the Disneyland firework show.
We didn't miss it after all.
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