Beach Days

We went to the beach quite a bit while we were on vacation. Oh how I miss California beaches!

Half Moon Bay

Landon discovered his love of the water this year. The first time we went to the beach it was pretty cold, but that didn't stop him from dragging me out into the water. He was pretty fearless and kept wanting to go farther out--little surfer boy in the making. When we came back in he rolled in the sand. I guess he wanted to bring the beach home with him.

Santa Cruz

Even though it was overcast when we went to Santa Cruz the weather was still warm. The ocean is calmer in Santa Cruz than in Half Moon Bay, so it was a better place for the kids to play in the water. We also played on the sand.

Tide Pools

We went to the tide pools in Half Moon Bay on a whim. We arrived about an hour before low tide and were able to see many sea creatures. We also went to Pillar Point for shell collecting. It was a great day.





A lot of the beach was closed for seals at the tide pools. It was roped off so that the seals could take care of their pups without being disturbed. So cute!


It was fun watching/helping the kids collect shells. The girls were very picky and only took the most beautiful shells. Landon on the other hand picked up everything he saw. His bucket was overflowing while the bucket the girls were sharing was only half full.

I have told my kids tales of the dreaded whisk broom all their lives. It's what my dad used on my brother and I as kids to clean the sand off of us after beach days. I remember it being quite painful. My dad was more gentle with his grandkids and used bottled water and a towel to clean them up. I decided to try the whisk broom just to see how bad it really was and it turns out it wasn't so bad after all. Maybe my memories are just a teensy bit over exaggerated.

Family Time in California

The kids and I have been home from California for a couple of weeks, and I still haven't written about our trip! Part of it is because it took us a little longer than usual to get back into the swing of things, and part of it is the overwhelming amount of pictures I came home with. It's been kind of hard figuring out how to write about our trip without creating a novel!

We spent a longer amount of time in California this summer than in the past. It made for a more low key trip. Instead of running around going to museums and amusement parks (don't get me wrong, we did some of that too) every day, we took a little more relaxed approach this time. I think I'll let the pictures tell the story.