From the Desert to the Beach!

Back from Arizona, the summer heat had made its way to Nevada.  With temperatures in the high 90's we spent most of our days at the pool.  From friend's homes, to Lifetime, to our own backyard, as long as we were in the water we were happy!

Mom was excited for us to debut some of the new bathing suits we got for the season.

 Macie and I have become part fish, and can spend hours in the water.  

Presley is getting more and more comfortable with water every day, and she loves jumping into the pool.  Nixon enjoys sitting in his floaty while we splash and laugh around him.  So far, he seems to really enjoy water. After swimming, we all enjoy picnics in the backyard!

For Father's Day this year the family spent a nice brunch together, and afterwards went bowling!  Macie and I are getting really good, and Dad was sure proud!  While Presley and Nixon took naps that afternoon, Dad took Macie and I to the movies to see Inside Out.

That night, we grilled some food for Dad, and had a nice family meal.  Dad really loved spending time with all his babies!

That next week Mom spent lots of time getting our family packed for a an upcoming trip to California.  While she was busy inside, Macie and I played in the yard with the kitties.  They are really becoming a part of our family, and even Dad loves them!

Macie and Savannah are really close, and first thing in the morning Macie can be found outside spending time with her.  One morning, Macie came into Mom and Dad's room to inform them that "Savannah accidentally ended up in her room" with her.  That gave them a good laugh.

Then there was the time that Macie used a sponge to brush her...

 Speaking of laughs, Presley is turning into quite a character as well...

The day before we left for California, Macie and I helped Mom pick out snacks for the trip.  We have become quite helpful (when we want to be), and Mom sure appreciates it!

The next evening, the whole family, Mom, Dad, Uncle Will, Macie, Presley, Nixon, and I piled into the car and drove down to Grandma's.  The drive was painless and incident free; we watched a movie, ate some snacks, sang some songs, and before we knew it, were pulling into Grandma's house.  We arrived a little past midnight, so all of us kids passed out while the adults unpacked.

We woke up with the sun the next morning, super excited to be back at the beach!

 We spent the morning playing in the sand, and later that day had a bonfire with Pa to celebrate his birthday.  Presley had a little too much fun playing in the sand next to the fire pit.

 On the morning of the 4th the family packed up the wagon and made our way to the beach.  Macie and I ran straight to the water, while Mom, Dad, and Presley stayed in the sand and built castles. 

Mom tried to get Presley to pose for some pictures, but it took 20 tries to get a few where she was looking at the camera.

It was difficult to pry us out of the water.  I was having fun boarding in the big waves, and Macie was chasing friends on the shore.

After nap time that day, the family had some good laughs back at Grandma's.

We stuffed ourselves full of Mexican food (from the greasy spot down the street), and crashed long before the 10pm firework show.  Mom was grateful that we didn't want to try and stay up that late, but sad that we didn't have a chance to wear our patriotic outfits.  She made Presley put hers on later and take pictures- the rest of us protested too much.

 Dad spent his last day in San Diego playing with us at the bay.  Nixon dressed in his Hawaii 5-O outfit (from Paul and Grandma Judy), and fit right in with the other toursits.

He loved the feeling of the water on his feet:

It was tough saying goodbye to Dad, but someone had to go home and feed all the cats...

 

 The next morning it was overcast and muggy at the beach.  Grandma went out to catch a few waves, so we bundled up and walked down to the pier to watch her surf.  It was fun seeing our Grandma out in the water doing so well!

 

The sun came out in the afternoon, so Grandma took Macie and I to the beach, while Mom took Presley and Nixon to the park.  As she packed the stroller for the walk, Nixon and Presley sat in the stroller laughing with one another.  Mom took a picture and sent it to Dad; they have both agreed that these two are going to give them a run for their money very soon...

Nixon enjoyed time on the swings while Presley built castles and ran amok.

 

Back at the house, all the girls watched Cinderella with Grandma while Mom and Nixon played ball on the floor.

At bath time that night, Nixon discovered how much fun water can be in Grandma's sink:

He wanted to stay in the bath all night, and he wasn't too thrilled when Mom took him out.   

The sun came back out that next day, so bright and early we went to the beach with Grandma.

Presley and Nixon joined us a little later.  Mom tried to get Presley to stand still and take some pictures, but she was to antsy to get to the shore.

Presley was so amped up that she couldn't sit still while Mom dressed Nixon and packed up our gear.

They finally made it down to the beach, and we were really excited to play with them.

Nixon like digging around in the sand, but Mom was nervous that he would flop down and crawl,

so she put him in his walker to keep him sedentary so that Mom could keep an eye on the rest of us.

 Before long, Presley was out with Grandma jumping the waves while Macie and I rode our boards.

That evening, while Macie and I played at Grandma's house, Mom and Uncle Will took Presley and Nixon to ride the carousel at Belmont Park.  To their surprise, there were lots of little kid rides, so Presley spent a few hours having all sorts of fun!

Nixon joined her on a few rides and really enjoyed them!

That next morning, we drove out to East County to watch Pa and his team play softball.  Nixon loved all the action!

Pa was pretty excited to see the cheering section full of smiling faces!

During nap time that day, Uncle Will took Macie and I to Belmont Park so that we could enjoy some of the big kid rides.  We had a BLAST!

That afternoon, Mom, Macie, and I joined Pa and Michelle for a CYT musical production of Mary Poppins on the top of Mt.Helix.  Mom and her family used to go all the time when she was a kid, and she was thrilled that Macie and I were going.  It was beautiful on top of the Mountain; the view of San Diego was breathtaking.

The play started after the sun went down, and Macie and I loved every minute of it.  We sang along with all the songs, and discovered a love for the theater.  The play ended at 10:30, and Macie and I were so exhausted that we fell asleep before Mom pulled out of the parking lot. 

That morning Mom packed up the house while we dressed for the beach. She wanted all of us to get some more time in the water before driving back home.

We enjoyed the walk with Grandma, and weren't looking forward to leaving.

We stayed and played at the beach for hours.  Mom took Presley and Nixon home to nap, and let us stay and have more fun with Grandma. By 3 we were finally exhausted, so Grandma brought us home to shower and change for our car ride back to Nevada. 

It's always hard to leave, but we know that we will always come back.  We are so grateful that Grandma Judy and Paul let us come and take over their home! 

Our drive back to Nevada went well, as all of us were tired from a full day of fun.  Tomorrow is a BIG day, I am turning 8 years old, and can't wait for all the fun!!