While I was playing with friends and finding hidden treasure at camp, Mom and Macie went to the train park for "my camp" as Macie calls it.They took a ride on the train,
a ride on the carousel,
and even walked up and down the train tracks (one of Macie's new "favorite things").
After a short week at camp the family packed up the car and drove to San Diego to celebrate Pa's birthday and the 4th of July weekend. First thing in the morning Macie and I woke up and hurried everyone out to the beach. The weather was perfect; the sun was shining and the air was warm- not hot and uncomfortable like the 115 degree weather in AZ...
Macie learned to "park her shoes" on the ledge of the boardwalk like Grandma and I, and helped carry her toys across the sand like a big girl.
It look her a while (its tough getting used to walking in the sand), but eventually she made it!
Right away we sat down and the fun began; building castles, digging holes- it was AWESOME!
When Macie got bored playing with our sand toys she stared to use her imagination...
Mom laughed as she watched from afar as Macie struggled to fit into her beach bag, and then yelled and screamed when she couldn't get herself out...
I thought it looked like she was on to something, so I gave it a try:
I quickly discovered that tipping on your side was the easiest way to get out...
Playing at the beach was a blast, and both Macie and I couldn't get enough!
Back at Grandma's house we cleaned up for lunch and naps, and I pranced around the house wearing Dad's new beach hat.
That afternoon we insisted on playing at the bay, and Macie loved frolicking up and down the shoreline.
Dad helped us make castles in the sand,
and even taught us how to make drip castles...
Macie lost interest in castle building (she was much more interested in castle destroying), so to distract her, Mom took her down to the water. It proved to be an excellent distraction as Macie learned she loves the water at the bay!
The next morning I woke bright and early to celebrate Pa's birthday. His one and only request for his big day was to take me to the fair without supervision. Mom had anxiety about letting me go all morning, and even wrote my name and her phone number across my arm (in permanent marker). I don't know why she worried so much (I guess it was the first time I had ever taken a trip somewhere with someone other than her or Dad).
I dressed in my 4th of July outfit and waited for Pa and Michele to pick me up.
While waiting (I was so excited that I was ready a half an hour early), Macie and I played around in the front yard and I worked on my "posing"...
After Pa picked me up Mom, Dad, and Grandma took Macie to the beach. She was pretty excited to be getting ALL the attention...
Mom called Pa 4 times (in 2 hours) to check in before she was finally told to "quit bothering us." I had an incredible time at the fair with Pa, riding all the rides, eating food (cinnamon rolls, hot dogs, etc.) and watching the entertainment (I was used as a prop in the Dog Show; they jumped over me). Mom was so relieved that I made it back home in one piece that she didn't even get mad that I ate junk all morning and made a mess of myself.
I fell asleep for my nap the second I walked in the door, and everyone at the house slept for 2 whole hours. When we woke up, Mom, Dad, Macie, and I piled into the car and drove downtown to have a birthday party for Pa in the harbor.
It was great spending time with family and seeing some old friends!
Macie and Mom enjoyed eating all the yummy snacks,
while I enjoyed running around with friends. Eventually Macie joined in, and the whole family enjoyed some time on the beach.
After working up an appetite, Macie sat and relaxed while Aunt Connie brought out Pa's cake.
Macie didn't take her eyes off of the cake while Connie placed 60 candles on top of it!!
After singing to Pa he blew out his candles (all 60), and he didn't even pass out!
Mom let us help by pulling out the candles- the best part of helping was licking the frosting off of the bottoms.
We couldn't help but try to stick our fingers in the cake, so Mom had to step in and take it out of our reach.
It seemed like hours had passed before we FINALLY got a piece of our own.
Austin helped me shovel cake into my mouth,
but Macie didn't need help from anyone...
I used my fork until all the big bites were in my tummy,
then used my fingers for the smaller pieces.
Needless to say, it was AWESOME!!!
Mom was in a sugar coma from all the cake and frosting (I think she even ate more than I did), so while she laid down on the lawn Macie and I spent time with our good friends.
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Pa had a great 60th birthday, and we were glad to be there to celebrate with him!
The next day we celebrated the 4th of July at the beach with Mom, Dad, and Grandma Judy, and enjoyed a lazy day in the sand. That night we had to drop Dad off at the airport so he could fly back home to AZ (he had to go back to work), and afterwards we braved the 4th of July crowds and took a gamble by driving from San Diego to Huntington Beach. We turned out to be big winners, as traffic on the freeway was non-existent. We arrived at Jeff and Susan's house in time to see the firework show in HB. Macie lost interest early and Mom put her to bed while I stayed up with Susan and watched until the last burst of light lit up the sky.
In the morning we walked up and down the sidewalk where I used to live. I told Macie all about the fun times Mom, Dad, and I used to have at our old house.
We spent our day at the Pier playing in the sand with our friends.
That night we had a birthday party to celebrate everyone's birthday; Jeff, Susan, Wendy, Mom, Macie, and I all joined in to sing to one another!!!
When it was appropriate I dug in for a bite of the cake,
and Mom let Macie do the same.
Macie and I had a fun time at the birthday party,
and were SO happy to be spending time with family.
The next day Jeff brought the "banana car" out from the garage...He had been telling us all about this amazing car for a long time, and we were both finally old enough to ride it, so we took it down to the boardwalk to take it for a spin.
We both had an incredible time going up and down the beach, as on-lookers kept stopping us and asking where we had found such a great toy!
Macie and I took turns cruising around as Jeff and Susan watched with pride!
Watch what Macie's solution is once her legs get tired of pedaling- Mom was pretty impressed with her innovation.
All that exercise tired us out, but after a long nap both Macie and I were ready for some more fun, so Mom took us to the park to meet up with Lyla and Nathalie. Although we thoroughly enjoyed playing, we also didn't turn down the chance to stop and pose for the camera...
Macie and Lyla got along really well ( I was a little too "high energy for the both of them).
Mom was impressed by our playground skills, as Macie climbed up the ladder all by herself, and I slid down the fireman's pole like a champ:
Macie and I had a blast in Huntington Beach with the Jacklin's, and were sad when it came time to pack up the car and head home.
Before leaving town we stopped at "our spot" for some food and fun. The climber at the playplace didn't do much for Macie so she improvised...After giving Jeff, Susan, and Charlie "the biggest hugs ever", we drove back to San Diego to spend one more day at the beach before heading back home to Arizona (and the heat). First thing in the morning Macie insisted upon going to the beach. Since she is a big girl now she has to carry her swim toys across the alley to the bay...
I was grateful to have one more day at the beach with Grandma!
After posing for some pictures the 3 of us played in the water together and took turns riding the boogie board.
I was feeling particularly brave that morning, and let Grandma push me around in the bay.
Macie watched as I laughed, and decided to give it a try...
She didn't enjoy it as much as I did, so she jumped ship and went back to kicking and splashing at the shore.
When it was time for lunch Macie and I went back to Grandma's and played in the courtyard while Mom was preparing our food.
Macie was upset that Mom wouldn't refill the bubble wand (after Macie kept spilling it on purpose), so she sat and pouted on the step. Mom can't get enough of her "pouty" face- I will admit, it is pretty cute...
After eating, both Macie and I posed for some pictures together.
Check out how cute Macie and I look in Grandma's dress (yes, Grandma's)...
We enjoyed a fun day at the beach before driving back home to see Dad and Jaxy Jax. I am looking forward to the coming week, as I will be turning 4 in a couple days, and am promised a bunch of fun activities to come.
