My baby boy is growing up

This kid turned 19 this year.  His birthday was not during his visit to our house, but we celebrated it anyway.

I confess, I was impressed that I made this vegan lemon cake for him.  The cake was pretty tasty.  The frosting..... it was okay.

He was happy to be thought of.

It was really fun to have him visit before school started and it was fun to celebrate his birthday with him. 

And then he had to leave and I was sad. He and McKenna left Monday morning, and this is my goodbye selfie. I just got back from running and I'm a sweaty mess, but I got to see my boy!

 

Seriously silly!

Delaney was so bored one day that she filled a bunch of water balloons and then popped them on her head.  I don't quite know why, but I was definitely entertained!

 

A Day at the Beach!

I know, it took us a while, but we finally made it out to the beach.  Josh was the catalyst. He came to visit for the weekend!  Hooray!  He brought McKenna as well, and if you come to visit southern CA, of course you have go to the beach. 

Some of the facilities at other places are closed, so I chose Gator Beach on Coronado, because I heard that there was parking and bathrooms.  And there were.  It was a nice beach!

We got there around 10am and there was plenty of parking and the beach was not crowded.  I moseyed down the beach a little and this is what it looked like.  Gorgeous!

Marian and I found this huge clam!  It was still alive, so we poked it a little, took our pictur, and then left him alone.  But it was still pretty cool.

The water was chilly, but that didn't stop Delaney

Josh and McKenna went in as well.

I walked down the beach.  I love beach combing, but the shell options weren't great. However... there were sand dollars!! I love sand dollars!  So I kept walking and looking for them.

30 minutes later, down the beach I found this.  What fun!!  I had a handful of sand dollars by then and decided it was time to head back.  I was sunburning my shoulders.

The kids have been industrious while I was gone.  Delaney is bringing more water in.

Rylee also hauled water in her little bucket.

They were building this magnificent structure.

And then it needed a hole in the middle

Ahhh, this is why it needed a hole in the middle!

Josh and Dan helped Rylee in and out of the hole.

It was so fun!

And then Delaney needed a turn.

This goober hammed it up.  I loves him!

Oh, here are the details next to the volcano.  Photo for posterity!

And then it was time to go.  Rylee's boogie-board was trying to fly away in the wind!

We had a really fun day at the beach.  Josh and I got sunburned, but everyone else was good.  The van didn't get too sandy and no one whined or cried. So it was a great day!

 

Tuesday Trail #3 and Trail Day #3.5

No, you didn't miss Trail #2.  It was a poor choice and I didn't take any photos.  Marian and I saw a trail while running and thought it would be a good hike.  Alas, it was not.  It was a lovely short "trail" that was really just a scenic walkway for a condo complex, and it quickly became a tiny trail that ended in the wilderness.  So it was a very short walk involving a little bushwhacking that was met with delight by some and unhappiness by others.

And then Trail #3 was on Tuesday 

It was a random neighborhood trail and I had to park at the strip mall half a block away. It was a nice trail, more what we had hoped for. 

But it was still a short trail.  It was about a 45 minute stroll through the valley.  We were pleased with it. (And there were donuts after.....)

And then the really good hike was on Friday...

So, this trail was awesome! A little backstory- my friend Brook moved into the area from Okinawa as well.  She lives around 30 minutes away, so she suggested meeting up for a hike at Annie's Canyon.  The pictures online looked amazing and the girls were willing to get up at 7am to go hike that trail.  

We met up with Brook and her 3 kids there and were disappointed to discover that while the area and other trails  were open,  the specific one we wanted was closed.  We went ahead and had a lovely hike anyway, on the other trail.  It was a very pretty area and the girls were happy to have green stuff and trees to hike through.  It was a rousing success!  Plus, I got to visit with my friend.

We did bring face masks for when we encountered other hikers.

The weather was nice and the trail was perfect.

The trees provided some shade as well.

We enjoyed going down to the the water to see the fish. It was so pretty!

Callie called it "post apocalyptic".  It was an interesting dichotomy to have this little oasis of nature that looks so untouched, and it is right next to the bustle of the city.

Can you see the bunny on the trail?!  I was trying to get a photo before the other hikers scared it away.  The kids loved seeing the wildlife.  Lots of lizards.

And this magnificent tree that just HAD to be climbed!

Of course I needed a selfie of this cutie!

The trail was sandy and wide enough for us all.

And there were fun things for the kids to see and check out.  

I was so happy they had a good time.

It was a wonderful morning to get away and get out.  It was the best of everything: friends, sunshine, exercise and nature!

 

One Good Dog

Levi is a good dog.  He is giving me this look because he wants to go out for a walk.

He will just sit there and look at me until I give in. 

The girls thought he was so funny. We got him that little yellow dog toy and he won't let it out of his sight.

Rylee had a good time harassing...er... playing with Levi, and taking selfies. He is so patient.

And I do like them both!

Settling In

Apparently once you get all your stuff and get busy trying to unpack and find homes for everything, you kind of forget to take any pictures.  But you also are not going anything interesting, so there's that too. But here's what was happening the few weeks following the delivery of all our stuff. 

This kid kept us entertained.

This is what the living room looked like after the first week.  It is HARD finding new places to put things when your space is so drastically different!

Marian found a new friend.

These two kept a steady supply if fun selfies to send to their Grandfather.

We enjoyed much fresh fruit and veggies.  Delaney declared this to be the most perfect avocado and toast and needed to document it.  I have definitely enjoyed cheaper produce!

Delaney also experimented with making her own baked tortilla chips. It was a success and she made them again. They were pretty tasty!

What?!!! MORE Rylee?!  Oh yes, always more!

What our garage looks like right now.  

We have emptied every box in the house.  We have mostly found homes for things in the house.  However, the large storage room attached to the garage is a different story.  There are about 8 boxes in there, and a bit of a mess. My sewing stuff is all in there too, since I have no idea where I can put it in the house. I do have an ambitious goal to pull everything out of that storage room and organize it, but I'm just not up for that yet.