16 Days of Summer Vacation: Day 7

Day 7 brought the Fourth of July. And also - tropical storm Arthur. Not exactly a recipe for outdoor adventure. 

Luckily, Arthur held off so we could get out into town for the first half of the day before the torrential rains hit. So we headed off to the Arcade! Head to head matches of Skee Ball & Air Hockey, as well as tons of games for the kids.
 And a quick spin on the indoor tea-cups for Sophia, Mikey & Sammy and we headed back home for lunch and to say goodbye to Grandpa, Ivonne and Mikey.

 

And goodbyes were had:

All the fourth of July festivities were cancelled, so instead, we ordered pizza and got the kids to bed at a decent hour. But not before some time for rest and snuggles. Because nothing beats snuggling on the couch with Dad!

16 Days of Summer Vacation: Day 6

Day 6 was an action packed day full of outdoors, family activity and kids being summer kids. 

Theo was up early and in an attempt to let the rest of the house sleep in, he & I headed out for breakfast and some truck hunting at our new favorite corner. We hit the jackpot with 3 garbage trucks, 2 tractor trailers, numerous box trucks and untold numbers of landscape trucks. 

After returning home, a movement was made for Strawberry picking at Sweet Berry Farms. The pickings were slim, but a good time was had by all. 

And Dave and Theo are not color coordinated Dutch fans. Honest!

The night brought a great cookout with the family (Joined by Grandpa & Ivonne and Mikey, who arrived late on Day 5) and a massive game of Kick the Can, led by Dave the biggest kid of all.  All the neighborhood kids joined in and played for about 2 hours. The only pause was to make, eat and obliterate strawberry shortcakes - including an entire can of whipped cream. 

Meanwhile, in the backyard, some touching big cousin, little cousin moments. (Sadly, the flash wasn't working well to capture this as clearly and tenderly as it actually was). 

16 Days of Summer Vacation: Day 5

Day 6 brought our first full family day - 4 cousins, two siblings and me! Add in some good beach friends and it had all the makings for a great summer day.

After the west coast/late night time adjustment, everyone was up and ready to beach by 10:30. The boys (and Addie - our friends Katie & Rob's daughter) starting sandcastle building. And when I say castles, I really mean a compound. There was some pretty intricate stuff going on, complete with reinforced walls against the tide.

The day went on with a lot of time and on rocks. Sophia & I ate our lunches on the big rock and just hung out. Dave then took Sophia & her buddy Avery out to the big in the middle of the water by pulling them on boogie boards. Dillion wanted to go out, but Sammy wanted to hang with Lori, so Dillon and I kicked out and climbed all over. Dillon also helped me get over my fear of the slimy stuff, both in the water and on the rocks! Good bonding time.

Theo was having so much fun he didn't want to go home. He did, however, feel like a little rest. While I don't think he ever actually slept, he did get some good snuggle quiet time. The women behind us were amazed that he would just climb on and lie down.

 In the meantime, the three beach musketeers got together for some good summer shots. (and proceeded to lay in the sand like little sugar cookies.)

After his quiet time, Theo was up and ready to go again! Though not too long after this, we did bring him home for a good, late nap. Everyone was sandy and exhausted, but happy to spend the day enjoying the beach.

16 Days of Summer Vacation: Day 4

Every summer we're down in Newport, we pick up on new activities and events happening around town. One place we've wanted to visit is the Redwood Library. While the library itself isn't child friendly, they have a wonderful annex that is a specific Children's library with storytime each Tuesday at 10:30am.

I took the gaggle (Sophia, Theo & Danielle) over after a slow moving morning of muffins from Ocean Breeze and coffee for the moms. Liz & Katherine joined us. While the whole experience was more geared towards Theo's age set rather than our older ones, everyone enjoyed the animal crackers at the end. And Sophia was thrilled to discovered a Little Mermaid book (her newest thrill).

While the kids anxiously awaited the cousins' arrival, we took a quick spin around the block on bikes. Sophia had a complete and utter meltdown on her new two wheeler (note to self- bike riding for Scout needs to happen in the morning to avoid exhaustion/frustration meltdowns). Theo, on the other hand, is putting it all together on his balance bike! The boy who barely made it a block on Sunday managed an 8 block ride, complete with scooting and a bit of gliding!

Lori, Sammy & Dillon arrived hot, tired and ready for some fresh ocean air and food. We headed out for dinner into town. Let's just say after 2 hours of waiting for food to arrive (they lost the order and hunger/exhaustion was over taking everyone) the highlight was Sammy having his first ever lobster! (With a little oversight/sampling from big brother).

Celebrating my Birthday

For me, celebrating my birthday is a huge deal. It has been since I was a little girl. Each year was more amazing and special than the next. As I've gotten older, and especially as a parent, my expectations of birthday have clearly shifted. Presents become more functional (A vacuum cleaner), celebrations a little tamer (in bed by 11 because I know I have to get up the next day for kids or work).

The kids, though, did a fantastic job (with a little help from our amazing nanny) of kicking off my birthday in a special way! It started off with cupcakes made by the 3 of them and a love note brought up to me at my lunch break from work (it was a work from home day) by Theo:

Clearly, the kids enjoyed the festivities too: 

The weekend brought more celebrating in Newport with friends, my parents and a whole lot of quality beach time. 

Before heading home Sunday, we managed some low-key park time and Dave caught a few of these great shots. What a way to end a weekend of celebration. 

16 Days of Summer Vacation: Day 3

Day 3 was what summer vacations are made of: lazy mornings, PB&Js at the beach, swimming in the ocean and dinner with friends. Sprinkle in a short run, sandy baths and a snuggly sleepover and you couldn't ask for more!

The morning got a late start when Sophia slept in until 10:30 (A result of being up till 10pm the night before playing with her little buddy during the BBQ). I was just thankful for her sleeping in to try to reenergize for a long, fun 2 weeks.

Luckily, Theo was up earlier so he and I got some special mommy-son time going into town for some Truck Hunting! It's exactly as it sounds: we walk down the street waiting for trucks to drive by. When one does, he turns to me a goes "More! More!" Rinse. Repeat. We saw a whole array, including box trucks, garbage trucks, electrical trucks and the piece de resistance - the backhoe loader! We had to circle a delivery truck that was unloading in a lot about 3 times so Theo could admire from every angle. It was so much fun hanging with my little man.

When we finally made it to the beach around 11am, we were quickly joined by friend Liz and daughter Katherine. Danielle, Sophia & Katherine bounded around in the water (more Katherine & Danielle) and in building sand castles.

A quick lunch break for Theo before he headed home to nap: 

The afternoon brought just the 2 girls and two moms hanging out: Climbing the big rock, making sand sleeping bags: 

And taking in the views (while playing Elsa & Anna): 

After a quick run and dinner for the kids, Liz & I enjoyed some kid-free time, courtesy of my fantastic husband watching all 3 kids. Dinner at Perro Salado and live music at Fastnet rounded out the adult night. The kids had a full on sleepover, including a bath that left more sand in the tub then at the beach! 

Another fantastic vacation day. 

16 Days of Summer Vacation: Day 2

Day 2 was a little quieter day. The morning got off to an easy start and there was a thick fog over the beach - though not in town, one of the great paradoxes of being in a beach town on an island.
We took the opportunity to head down to 1st Beach and hit the Carousel. A treat for the three kids - including Danielle, who's become a part of the family, much to the delight of both Theo & Sophia.

No trip to the carousel is complete without playing at the beach park and a nice sweaty walk back up first beach hill. Good times had by all. 

The evening brought what felt like the actual first part of vacation - Sunday night dinner. Instead of doing the normal scramble home, we had friends over for a BBQ. Their daughter Katherine and Sophia got to know each other last summer and have rekindled their friendship already. It turned into a late night of playing in the backyard and a few rounds of dark and stormies. Fun times had by all!