Our Vacation...(in great detail) AWESOME!

Irish Beach, California

I smile just thinking about our vacation.
It wasn't much of a laid back, hardly work kind of vacation.(the cleaning and the packing and the unpacking and the more cleaning)
But it was sooo good!
I don't believe that doing dishes and cooking for family ON VACATION is a chore.
I LOVE IT!
So if you ever want to go camping and don't want to do your dishes, invite me along, because I love doing dishes while camping. And cooking!
Call it the pioneer part of me.
I love heating the water and washing , rinsing and drying the dishes. Even the little plastic forks and spoons. I love it...makes me wanna go camping.
Sorry, got off track.
Friday, I was half way done with the packing. Just had to cook and freeze somethings for dinners and dessert. (I made taco meat and cookie dough, and I would do that for camping too)
I had to wash and fold and put away a ton of Laundry, clean my whole house.
I HATE a messy house after vacation.
The boys were not as helpful with the actual work part, but they played with Michael and Emma. Which helped a ton!
Jeff decided to not work on Saturday so he could help me, but somehow.......anyway.....long story short, Sunday morning at 4 am I went to bed.

After I put together their goodies bags for the road trip.
But everything was done, so we just had to load coolers and people and leave.
You would think.
We over slept and got up at 7:30.
I pack way different than Jeff. They say men are more logical...well....Not that Jeff isn't, it is just that I am too. When it comes to packing and fitting everything in.
Another part of my pioneer side, i think.
Got everything loaded on 30 minutes later .

We were an half and hour late to meet Jeff's parents
See we have a car than doesn't fit all of us. Yes, we still have it.

there is this thing in California called FURLOUGHS, and it has killed us.
(Sooooooo glad we did not purchase another car)
So we had to meet up with them on the way and put one of our smaller children (Caleb)in the back seat of their truck. (it was so awesome of them to offer, I am not sure how long the boys would have sat back there and without killing each other.)
We met at a farmers market and picked up some (we splurged) pistachio's and some banana chips for Jeff.
Off we went.
After 4 hours+...and one stop at Mc Donalds,we made it to the beach house.
LOVED IT!
Lots of space for the kids to run around out side. big kitchen. 3 rooms very nice. 2 bathrooms.
Unload, unpack, and relaxed (for 5 minutes) and off to the beach....well first to the store. (4.99 for a 6 pack of Pepsi) If I didn't need celery for dinner (chicken salad sandwiches, I will post the recipe tuesday) I would have not gone at all.
Since we planned $ for this stupid store, it was all good.
The beach was VERY COLD and VERY over cast.....and VERY awesome.
I often wonder about people who live their whole lives with out seeing the ocean.
It is very sad.
It is my 3rd favorite place to be....(Jeff and the kids is first...Not telling my 2nd) Jeff and I talk about retiring there. It would be nice.
The kids loved it.

Emma loved to dig, boys looked for lizards and sand crabs, and Mikey ate sand.

I just smooshed my toes in the sand and took a deep breath.
Back home to do dinner and get kids off to bed, dessert and then adults played Hand and FOOT!!!!
Girls against boys! Boys ruled....that night.
We all slept in, Jeff made eggs and bacon, we were just slow paced and lazy, packed up for the beach and off we went.
Mikey fell asleep in the car on the 'less than 5 minute drive' to the beach parking lot. (private security card to get in...no crowding= AWESOME!)
So I decided I would hang back in the car and let him sleep. I had my book, and MP3 player. I would suffer.
NOT!
I had my book, no kids, the waves crashing in the background and some beach snacks.(I forgot the pringles and amazing fruit Biz)
I was not sad at all. He woke up after 2 hours and we went down to the family. Mikey ate sand. He loved it.
Did I mention before that it was over cast when we got there...?
yeah. It was again on Monday. And Cold.
I did not pack my kids or myself, for cold.
Last time we were there it was HOT HOT HOT!
We just bundled up under blankets and unused towels. (no swimming it was so cold)
Back up to the house for dinner,(we stuffed ourselves with potato salad, BBQed tri tip steaks, chicken, burgers, and hot dogs) an awesome Family Home Evening lesson from Grandma, Smores out side, because the grill was still warm from dinner.

Another game of HAND AND FOOT!
GIRLS RULED that night!!!!!
Tuesday was a little tiny bit warmer, but still cool.
We decided, okay, it was me, I decide to do a pirate day and got the boys a whole bag of pirate stuff. A hat, and eyepatch, tattoo's, gun, dagger, and compass.
Jeff's dad and Jeff left early to the beach to bury the treasure for our treasure hunt.
Jeff's dad is so awesome. He put together a map and clues.
We put on our tattoo's and off to the beach again we went.

Guess who fell asleep? Guess who had to stay behind? Guess who wasn't sad?

I did miss the Treasure Hunt. But Jeff took some great pictures.(see other blog for more pictures) We stayed a very long time avoiding the late dinner and not wanting to go back to the beach house to pack up for our trip home.

But not before going to look for some cool stuff.
This family collects rocks and shells. This is Mom and dad searching for cool rocks and shells. The best place to find stuff is around this Giant rock.
I came prepared and got the boys a Small 5x5 box with a lid that they could put stuff in. If it didn't fit in, it didn't get to come home.
We had a Shell and Rock Collection Competition. I was the judge, because I didn't collect anything. I even made some instant trophy's out of tin cans, paper bags, some shells I bought and some scrapbook sticky dots. That was fun.

Caleb won.

Everyone got a trophy.
We played our last game of Hand and Foot.

Girls ruled once again.
It was sad leaving the beach house Wednesday morning.

On our way out we stopped at the Point Area Lighthouse.

(the same light house used in the movie "Forever Young" with Mel Gibson)

It costs $1 per kids and $7.50 per adult to climb to the top of the light house and go inside the musem. I went the last time, so I didn't miss not going. Jeff and the boys made it all the way to the top. It was such a beauitful view from the lighthouse.

It is a tradition we come every time.

The whole weekend was just so much fun!

I hope we get that same beach house next year.
We did have the best time.
Not everyone can say they like/love their in laws.
But can say with my whole heart, that I truly do. I love them.
They are such a great example of the gospel and I love just being around them.
I have really gotten to know my mother in law more over the last few years, and we have a lot in common.
I can not wait for next year!!!!!
We had a good ride home. We got lost once, but we made it back into Sacramento in enough time (7:30pm) to get the boys fed and off to bed. Since School started the next day, I ran over to Kohl's and dropped almost $300 for shoes and clothes. (they had to have something new for the first day of school, right?) I shopped the sales. Not one shirt was over $9.99 and the shoes "Tony Hawk Vans", and Matthew's vans we not more than $35. (regular priced was $50 and $60 a pair) (Times the shoes by 4. four boys = expensive)
I had to hit Walmart for underwear and socks and some school supples. Snack food for lunches. I didn't get home to unpack or go to bed until after midnight.
I was exhausted and needed another vacation.
But I got it done. I wont get everything from the trip put away for weeks, but it will be worth it.
It was worth all the worry, planning, time wasted, work, lost sleep and money.
I would do it every other month if I could. Even if the beach was cold.
Thanks Mom and dad for a fabulous vacation.