Beach Day with Friends

Since Monday was a holiday, we decided to go with 2 friends of ours (with their families) to the beach to hang out for the day. There are SO many beaches here & you really have to take advantage of those days where the sun is shining & the sky is blue. We get a lot of fog here, but the last few days have been gorgeous!! The beaches aren't that busy either because it's still cold, even though the sun is shining. . . the kids don't care! We were there to relax & have fun!

As soon as we got all 11 kids & 6 adults settled out on blankets & chairs in a nice area, we realized we set up camp right in front of a dead sea lion. It was SO sad & SO disgusting! I don't know what happened to the poor thing, but he was missing his face. We would have moved, but with that many kids & that much STUFF, it wasn't worth the trouble. We just made sure the kids stayed far away from the poor thing.

I love being at the beach. It makes me happy. Bladen & I were having TONS of fun together playing in the sand.

It always takes Taya a while to get brave enough to step in the sand, but once she ventures out, she never comes back. She doesn't like the water very much, but she could spend an entire day just playing in the sand.

The other kids, on the other hand, LOVE the water. It didn't take long for all 5 of them to be soaked to the bone in their clothes. It's a good thing I brought swimsuits just in case.

We played in the water & sand for a little bit, & then my friend Kata took some great pictures of Cadence, Cspeke, & Hailey together. We call them the 3 musketeers. Not only are they best friends, but they're in the same primary class at church & the same 2nd grade class at school. They do EVERYTHING together. So it was fun getting some cute pics of the 3 of them together. After playing we all sat down for a fun picnic lunch.

And then it was BACK to the water. Cadence & Lorien could play in the ocean forever & be happy. At least they're not scared of it like I am.

Taya let Daddy bury her in sand. She was SO funny. It scared her at first, but then she thought it was the funniest thing ever.

Once we were all worn out & exhausted, we headed for home for baths & naps. It was a SUPER fun day!