Life as We Know it : California Part 2: San Clemente

Its always hard to leave Disneyland, but luckily for us, our vacation was just getting started. From Anaheim we took a 30 min drive to San Clemente to spend Friday-Sunday at the beach house. Thursday night Dan and Emily were awaiting our arrival and once we got a tired baby into bed we got the tour of the house.

The house was gorgeous! It had a beautiful patio, a beautiful bathroom, and came with a hot tub, fire pit, boogie boards, beach bikes, and a grill, so naturally there was plenty to do to stay busy.

There was a trail along the beach that started right next to our house and so in the morning first thing we did was go on a run/walk along the beach. It. Was. Amazing! I never have LOVED the beach, but I loved the beach this vacation. It was just so nice to be able to play outside, soak in the sun, and feel, well, warm in January.
I went out a little bit before everyone just to get a small run in, and I couldn't stop smiling. The sound of the ocean crashing, the warm sun, the first sight of the ocean, and the clean air all just put me in the best mood. It was so majestic. It never got old walking down to the beach, but that first sight of it was so powerful for me.

The trail was about a 1/2 mile to another beach so the whole trail was just gorgeous. Right along the trail there was a front runner train that would pass by every 20 minutes which added to the newness. The beach we were at was a rock beach which made the crashes of the wave even louder and more magnificent.

We were in no rush to do anything, so by the end of our run/walk, we were all feeling a little warm. We thought that it would be fun to put our feet in the water and Ethan being the classic younger brother that he is, teased Emdog until she caved, but of course it didn't go the way that he wanted. A giant wave crashed right when Em got close enough. Luckily they are fast runners!

Em's a good big sister though, so no hard feelings!

We wanted to give Kelsey a chance to touch the water, but just like me, she hated it. I mean, I just don't love getting wet and Kelsey takes after me 100%. Plus it was FREEZING!! We put her feet in barely, and she was done after that. She never touched the water again, but like I said, neither did I!

Funny story. Ethan tried to wash off his feet and put them back in his shoes, misjudged the waves coming in and got his shoes soaking wet and had to walk home in bare feet. The shoes never fully dried and so he ended up throwing them away by the end of the trip. It was funnier in person I guess.

We spent the rest of the day getting ready for a delicious BBQ and the rest of the family to come. When we thought that we were ready enough, Ethan and Em wanted to try boogie boarding. I know. They went ALL the way in the water!!! Crazy peeps!

Kelsey and I made sure that we were a safe distance from the water. I wanted the sand. I wanted the sun, but the last thing I wanted was January ocean water touching me. Kelsey felt the same way except she didn't even want the sand! She wouldn't even leave the towel. It was kinda cute in a sad way.

One time, I took her off the towel and made her stand on the sand and she did just that. Stood on the sand. She wouldn't take a single step! It was hilarious!

Okay, eventually she TOUCHED it but still

I don't remember what he was laughing at (I think the lack of pictures I am in) but I thought that this picture was a perfect beach model pose. It made me laugh so hard when I saw it for the first time.

After our barbequed steak, hot tubbing, and smores, the rest of the family showed up. (yes. EVERY night was spent this way: BBQ, hot tub, smores, bed. It was amazing)

With everyone present, Saturday was obviously dedicated to a family beach trip. Kelsey was a little better with the sand because Harper is such a champ, but we still didn't touch the water.

Boogie Boarding day 2. Hannah is as crazy as the rest!

And here was what the none boogie boarding scene looked like...

very content and very warm.

Ethan finally coaxed me to put my feet in (although he tried to trick me and I almost got smashed by a wave!!) and I did it. It took some time, and I wish I could say I am acting in these pictures, but my feet are super sensitive and I hate cold water and being wet. Especially when the water is 20 degrees! That"s no exaggeration either. I NEVER exaggerate!

Even though I hated it, Ethan was in heaven

We are both aware of our level of whiteness. It will never change so go ahead and laugh!

Saturday afternoon, Ethan and I took advantage of the millions of babysitters that were around, and while Kelsey was napping, we went to the little bakery on the corner for lunch and rode bikes along the trail. It was seriously one of the funnest dates I have been on in a very long time.

The goal of this trip was to relax and to breathe as much fresh air as we could. We tried to be outside as much as we could. When Kelsey woke up, we all went for a walk around San Clemente. It is a very beachy town. We didn't realize it then, but we planned our walk to end right as the sun was going down. As just the EWing family we went to watch the sunset over the ocean. It got pretty cold, but it was as beautiful as we hoped.

Because we only had Ethan's phone, it was hard to get a good family picture with the sun behind us. This really nice lady took our picture though because the lighting was perfect and she didn't want us to ever forget this moment with Kelsey. "They grow up too fast so you got snap em when you can." It was super cute and family pic turned out really pretty.

I'd even say Christmas card worthy if Kelsey was looking. Maybe I can crop her head in some how

And because we were in the picture taking mood, we took individual shots too


I just love this picture so much

So Saturday was wonderful and then Sunday happened. Ethan woke up shaking and aching, saying he was cold but sweat like a pig on a hot day, and wanting to eat but nervous to keep it down. We think the cold water finally got to him, but either way, it was no fun. Kelsey was was acting sick too, so here we were the last day of vaca, with two out of three sick. Luckily it was Sunday and all the fun to be had happened the day before but still. While the two slept, I snuck off to church with Diana and Robert which is actually a hilarious story.
The night before we established that church was at 9. We got up thinking church was at 9. Reo and I both looked at the church website and saw that church was at 11. At 8:10 I convinced everyone that they didn't need to hurry because church was at 11. Well, at 8:15 Reo ran downstairs apologizing because church was indeed at 9. We raced around the house and surprisingly all got ready in time to get out the door by 8:45. We were zooming around trying to find the chapel, which Diana did a great job, but the neighborhood that it was in was a little tricky so we got a little lost. We finally got to the chapel at 9:05 only time find IT WAS STAKE CONFERENCE!!! We immediately turned around and left laughing hysterically. We tried right?! We decided that instead we would go to the beach to play... um I mean pray! Ethan stayed sick pretty much the whole day and missed a picnic on the beach and a bike ride down the pier, but I had a great time. Robert watched the two sickies so I was able to go to the beach and journal with the rest of the family. Sunday is when we had our Baywatch event too. Dan and Emily got stuck in a current and we had to get a life guard to help them swim back in. Once we knew that they were going to be fine, it was kind of exciting seeing the lifeguard swim out to their rescue. Glad you are okay Emdog and Dan!

After some Sunday naps and KFC, we decided to take a trip to the Newport Beach Temple. Aside from the creepy black birds that were swarming the temple, convincing us all that they were going to attack just like The Birds, it was a beautiful time. I was sad Ethan and Kelsey were not able to see the temple with me, but it was still fun to be with family.

Sunday night, like every other night, ended with smores, hot tubbing, and breathing in the cool fresh air. We packed and got all ready to go so that Monday we could leave bright and early in the morning.

Monday was a sad drive back for us. Thanks to Punzle and Elmo Kelsey was great again in the car, but it was just so sad to know that the vacation was over. It was especially sad to watch the temperature go from 75 to 24 also knowing that the air was getting worse and worse the closer we got to home. It was a fast drive home though and I do have to say, it always feels nice to be home.