The following morning ALL of us were up early eager to go to the beach. Grandma and Paul had bought Presley a new wet suit and she couldn't have been more excited to be part of the big girl beach club.
At the beach that day both Macie and I tried surfing for the first time and did a fantastic job. We took a bunch of rides in the soup before venturing out a tad further. Thanks to the long boards, and our little size, catching waves proved to be easier than we expected.
Here are a few of the first waves Macie caught:
Here I am catching a wave on my first try:
We spent our entire week at the beach living the "beach bum" lifestyle. After breakfast each day we walked down to the ocean where we rode, ran, and played until our exhausted little bodies begged for some rest.
After a long day at the beach a bath is super relaxing. I think Nixon enjoyed bath time a little more than the rest of us.
He is becoming more and more active with everyday. Not only is he crawling and getting into EVERYTHING, but he is also waving, doing "so big", and playing ball. He is growing up SO fast:
While Mom was packing lunches each day Macie and I would keep our selves occupied- that's not tough at Grandma's house, there is ALWAYS something fun to do. One morning we played dress up and tried on our favorites cover ups from Grandmas closet. Mom couldn't believe how grown up we both looked...
Mornings were also spent having fun with Nixon. This little guy is going to be surrounded by girls his whole life- I don't think too many people feel sorry for him...
This week Nixon became fascinated and obsessed with all things at the beach. He LOVED the water and really enjoyed playing in the wet sand.
On days that Mom wanted to keep Nixon sedentary she would bring his booster seat and strap him in the wagon. Nixon wasn't too thrilled that he couldn't get out and move around, but Presley sure enjoyed pulling him around for rides in the sand!
When Presley wasn't harassing Nixon she was in the water. She developed a love for waves this trip, and enjoyed catching rides on her body board:
After a few days she decided that she wanted to give surfing a try...
After some practice on the shore, Grandma and Paul took her for her first ride...
She laughed the whole way in and was so proud of her accomplishment.
After seeing all the girls in the water, Mom decided that Nixon needed to give it a try as well:
At the end of the week Mom and Grandma Judy took us over to Belmont Park. Nixon enjoyed all the sights and sounds around him while Macie, Presley, and I rode the rides over and over.
Once the carousel started, the fearful look on his face was replaced by one of apprehension. He didn't break into tears, so Mom counts it as a win!
That afternoon we drove out to see Pa, Michelle, and Grandma Jean. We were excited to see Pa's new house on Mt.Helix and couldn't wait to run around with his new chickens. While all of us girls were in the coop,
Nixon stayed indoors and stuffed his face full of food while showing off his new skills to the crowd.
Macie and I had a sleepover at Pa's house and we got our very own room. I couldn't believe my luck when I saw where I would be staying...
It was "everything I ever wanted in my WHOLE life"! Both Macie and I were awestruck and hope that Pa never repaints!!!
Mom picked us up the following morning and we spent a lazy afternoon at the beach- it was a great way to close out our week in California. The next morning while Mom packed the car and cleaned the house, Grandma took Presley, Macie, and I to the beach! Presley was sure being silly that morning; she kept us entertained the whole walk to the beach.
All of us were grateful to have some fun before our long drive home. We are NEVER ready to leave San Diego, but after a long day in the sun we were exhausted and ready to rest. Mom was hoping we would all pass out in the car, but Nixon turned out to be the only one that slept during our 5 hour drive back to Las Vegas.
The next morning we woke up bright and early and ran to the yard to see our animals. To our dismay only Savannah was there.
That was when Mom told us the terrible news. Not only were some kittens missing, but while we were in San Diego Eddie Axl Fluffy Van Halen was hit by a car and killed. All of us were devastated and sad; Eddie was a great cat and we will miss him a ton. The only thing that makes it a little easier to handle is knowing that he is together in Heaven with Jackson again.
We had one more week before school started, so we spent lots of time at home while Mom got everything ready for the coming school year. It was still too hot to enjoy many activities outside, so when we weren't swimming we were indoors playing dress up.
Mom must have been so impressed with our outfit choices because she was speechless...
Playing with Presley is becoming increasingly difficult. She now knows what she wants and is very headstrong. She does not like to follow direction, so Macie and I often banish her from our activities.
It's a great thing that she doesn't mind and is able to find all sorts of ways to entertain herself.
During the week Uncle Will took me to Apple Camp at the Apple store. I was really excited for camp and couldn't wait to learn how to make and edit a movie!
I learned how to make my own music on the first day, and couldn't wait to shoot video footage to use for my film, so Mom and Uncle Will took us to the Springs Preserve. There were so many wonderful things to film that we spent a few hours running around and making the magic happen.
Macie enjoyed playing with the props and getting into character...
Thanks to the new dinosaur exhibit I was able to film authentic looking animals.
Mom was thrilled that Nixon loved the T-Rex!
The next day I woke up eager to get to camp. Mom had worked some magic overnight and turned my camp shirt into a new dress. I couldn't wait to work on my film in style.
The 2 hour camp went by way too fast, but I learned different editing techniques and was really proud of my short film.
On my final day of camp I got to present my completed project- I was SO proud of myself!
Here is my very own movie, made all by myself. I was the director, writer, editor, sound technician, you name it; I did it all.
The Epic Adventure a short film by Riley J. Frankwick
I can't wait until next year when I get the opportunity to take another camp at Apple!
A few days before school started Mom enrolled Macie and I in dance classes. Both of us were enthusiastic about starting mainly because of the costumes and makeup. We are eagerly awaiting recitals already...
Although we are sad that our summer is coming to an end, we were incredibly fortunate to have experienced so many wonderful things. All of us have fond memories of our travels and the family and friends we were able to share our time with. With school starting on Monday Mom knows that life is about to get real crazy. Hopefully she survives this coming year of over committed schedules, and hopefully I can find time to post some new pictures soon...
