7.16.2009

the perfect beach

With lots of family in town, the kids and I stayed at my Mom's house for a few days to play with everyone. Lucy always loves Meredith. When we get to Gram's house she often asks, "where's Mere Pere?"
Nice bump on Owen's head from falling at Eaton Canyon:
Diggedy Dane is such a character. He can entertain himself for hours. And spends most of the day wearing various costumes:
We also got to play with our cousins from next door. Oh, little Lilah, could you be any cuter?? Darling face:
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With summer temps here, the beach was calling our name. And Monday morning, Camille took us to her favorite (and perfect) spot in Laguna Beach.
Welcome to Crescent Bay:
A hidden gem. I'm not even sure I could find it again on my own.
The beach is small, the water is absolutely gorgeous, the bathrooms are close-by and really nice, and we scored the BEST parking spot right near the top of the trail. 11am is the perfect time to go. And everyone seemed happy 98 percent of the time. Hooray!
Camille and Rachael:
Me and Owen:
Lucy brought a Little Mermaid toy which she repeatedly squished in the sand and then dunked in the waves. A good 1/2 hour of fun:
Dane getting sandy:
Brinton and Liesl. LOVE the look on her face:

Carter:
Jeremy:
Savanna:
Lauren:
Mere:
and Owen:
The older kids had fun swimming out in the water:
until Mere and Brinton saw a small baby shark. Then they were on a mission to catch it in a sand bucket.
Mere looks like the perfect life guard in this shot; while everyone listens intently:
.....and Dane plays in the sand.
Funny when kids get a wedgie:
And funnier watching them pick it out.
We saw dolphins off in the distance:
And some paddlers on their surfboards. Looks like a great workout:
Lucy totally "got" the beach this time.
She had so much fun jumping, dancing, and running in the waves (all on her own):
It was exciting to watch her really experience the waves for the first time.

While Meredith, Liesl, and Brinton wandered to the Tidepools nearby...
...the rest of us hung out near the beach umbrella. Savanna and Owen were cute buddies:
The boys were good helpers getting water...
.....so that Lucy could wash her hands. She's definitely my daughter. Can't relax till the sand is off.
The saltwater does beautiful things to hair. Rachael and I were admiring Savanna's whimsical curls:
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After the beach, we relaxed at Gram's house where the kids got to feed Chip, their tortoise:
And we chilled in the garage watching movies.
What a perfect beach day. Thanks Camille for the fabulous find!

19 comments:

Ryan & Holly Willard said...

I'm so jealous! I need to move to Cali!!!

Linsey said...

It does indeed look parfait.

megan said...

ohhh that beach looks devine!!! especially on a day like today! beautiful beautiful colors!!! love the picture of lucy and her cousin.
and how fun to have a tortoise!!
love all the pictures!

the bates motel said...

seriously got to start taking pics w/ my cam. great pics! that was a really fun beach day, so glad we got to play for a bit.

Very Shannon said...

I want to come to the beach with you :)

Sherry Carpet said...

your picture posts are SO wonderful...it's like reading a story book. everyone looks beautiful and i'm really loving that beach.

kind of fitting that my word verification is "sunful"

Nicole said...

I have heard of that beach. It looks beautiful. Looks like a great day with fun family!

Kayli said...

My goodness - completely BEAUTIFUL!

I adore the pictures of Lucy dancing in the waves! Fun fun fun!

Kelly said...

I love that BEACH! It is such a perfect family beach, with the bathrooms right there.. And a quick stop to the shake shak for a sandwich! :) What a nice day @ the beach.

dietcokegrrl said...

What a great beach! Even I might be up for a beach day with kids there! Love all the pictures and so fun to have a tortoise!!

lyndsey said...

so cute -- that does look like a perfect beach! and seriously, is there anything cuter than little kids in bathing suits (with wedgies)?? love it.

Joe and Marci said...

Wow, what a beautiful spot! Love all the pictures of the kiddos. We've gotta get a beach here in Utah....

Anne said...

What amazing pictures and just as much fun to match! Love it!

Suman Family said...

looks like so much fun. sad that i missed out. great pics! such little cuties in this fam!

Camille said...

Cute post. I'm so glad that you guys stayed and that we had such a fun beach day. We seriously scored with the spot on the sand, and parking. You got some great pictures.

Saunja said...

Thanks for all the fun times!

Grayson Family said...

I have got to get the low down on this beach spot. We went to the beach a couple days ago and it was not so idillic (is that how you spell idillic?)

Forever You said...

You have such a lovely family Dana! I miss mine..

Deborah said...

When I was interviewing for PhD programs, I headed to UCSB and UCLA--I was accepted at both, but had a strong suspicion that I would never, ever get the dissertation written, just because it looks like THIS all the time! Your post proves I was right. Of course, now that I've moved in a whole other career direction, I could totally move to California. Hmmmm... Guess you best kick start that guest bed! :)