July 4, 2009

mini | beach | boys

"I did not come in this water to get wet!"
Me, as a teenager when my hair got all wet in the ocean.

Sadly, I still don't like to get my hair wet. In fact, until recently, I was not a huge fan of the beach at all.

Last year I almost burst into tears when John kept insisting that he wanted to go to Hawaii. I disdained all those sandy beaches...that and I was afraid of plummeting to my death while flying over the ocean.

So when John suggested going to the beach last weekend, I was very surprised that I actually did want to go. Very, very much.

Usually we go to Hume...mmm...snack shop ice cream and piping hot fries...but this summer I was more than happy to skip all that for the beach. I guess I've had a change of heart(that's allowed, right?).

John and the boys were so cute. They eagerly went to Target and purchased some buckets and shovels for making sand castles. And we borrowed an EZ-up from friends, to provide shade. We were all so excited. We had not been to the beach since Ollie was 4 months old.

We decided to rent a condo with John's parents in Cayucos. I was on pins & needles as we drove up to our prospective beach house. Was it that cute green one? Oh, I hoped so!

But no. It was not the adorable green beach shack.

It was the round white stucco building that resembled a dentist's office.

?????Seriously??????

My heart sank to my toes from the disappointment of it all. I was planning to take a photo of the atrocity, but forgot:(

The inside was actually quite roomy and serviceable though. It even had some cute decor.
Besides, we were going to be playing outside every spare second, so it didn't really matter.

Or so I thought.

That evening we all walked down to the beach. It was so windy and cold-to-the-bone, I thought I would go into shock. I draped a towel from my head to keep warm. I looked like a total bag lady. This was not what I had envisioned.

Poor little Ollie was so traumatized by the ocean, he closed his eyes and hid his face in John's shorts as a coping mechanism.
So, so sad.

And Calvin was also pretty terrified.

Sheesh, we were a rum bunch.

I ran around and snapped some photos just to get my blood running again.



The next day, we awoke to overcast skies and more dreary weather. And John had a migraine. I wondered why on earth we even came here.

Thankfully, that afternoon, we spent a lovely day at the beach. It was still quite overcast, but the temperature was absolutely perfect. I breathed a sigh of relief.

And Ollie came out of his shell. After a few minutes, he was ready to brave the ocean with his baseball bat.


It was so much fun to watch Finn racing up and down the beach like a hummingbird, with his little bucket in tow.


And Twain was pretty much a perfect little peach the whole trip.

Well, aside from a few pouts here and there. Which I think is adorable, by the way.

Unfortunately we were never able to pry Calvin away from his post...he stayed as far from the ocean as possible.

"Maybe when I'm 6 or 7 I'll go in the water", he declared.

It was really nice having John's parents around--good company AND help with little boys.
Betty was like a kid at the beach. She was very busy collecting shells with the boys and playing by the water for hours on end. Unlike Calvin, we could not pry her away from the beach.

On the final day, I finally convinced John to bust out the EZ-Up. He did not think it was sunny enough to warrant a shade canopy, but I nagged and nagged.
I don't know why, but this EZ-up made all the difference in the world for me. We were FINALLY on vacation. All my beach dreams came true.


Despite the wind
and freezing weather
and fussy child that insisted on climbing stairs half the time
and John's migraine
and our dentist office digs,

I think it was totally worth all the effort to vacation at the beach(or anywhere for that matter).

to create memories.
to take photos.












Yes, it was totally worth it, even if just to break out of our normal routine and beat the heat!

24 comments:

  1. aw..fun...I've been to the beach twice..lol..

    Cuties!!

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  2. I loved all the pictures- we were at a wedding there yesterday-it took place on a cliff overlooking the ocean- breathless view:)

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  3. Such fun! Jeremy was just (about an hour or so ago) trying once again to talk me into a 2-day stay somewhere at the beach. I love the beach, but am concerned about doing a trip just now. But your post is quite compelling, so we shall see!

    Twain has lil' arm rolls now! That is so-so-so-so cute! Good mama milk!

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  4. I think that trip was worth it just for those pictures alone! Adorable!

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  5. okay Davi, I've been a blog lurker forever and am finally de-lurking. i'm a friend of jenn murphy's :) this pictures are just gorgeous! if anything, the gloomy weather provided perfect lighting for your memories! thanks for sharing your life with me :)

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  6. Well I'm glad you kind of had fun. :) And wow Twain is sure putting on the chubs. Sooo cute! I think that is my favorite baby stage. Bean is quickly growing out of it as she becomes more active. I am so sad that her cute little rolls are melting away!

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  7. Love the new header and if I have another kid, I want it to be a boy!

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  8. Looks like such fun!!! I am dying to get Swee'Pea to the beach this summer. Until then our little kiddie pool will have to due in this heat! Oh, how I love chilly overcast beach weather! :)

    Twain is such a doll. I need to come have some hang out and snuggle time with you guys!

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  9. golly gee..i've said it a million times, but i'll say it again..you have dang CUTE kids! :) love the mini photo shoot! oh, & the new header is suhweeeeeeet! xo

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  10. love love love all the pics. dying over the hoodies. dying over your darling boys. dying over the cuteness that is YOU friend. =)

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  11. Oh Davi it looks like such an adventure! The pictures are perfectly precious!

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  12. Kudos to you for being so adventurous and packing up 4 little boys to head to the beach. And all that talk of windy, overcast weather makes me want to pack my sweaters and head to the beach RIGHT NOW! Perfect pictures...I really need some photography lessons. ;)

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  13. Looks like fun D! Jim and I spent the 4th a little bit north of there. I remember driving through Cayucos. Fun time!

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  14. Your blog is so inspiring! I am a friend of a friend of a friend - ha! (Katie MacDiarmid) Anyways. Found your blog, and gosh, what fun! Four boys! I have three boys and pregnant with my fourth (not sure what yet)! :)

    Anywho, love your blog header/side photos. Where do you get that from? You used to have a film frame looking one too...where did you get that?

    I looked online for like a scrapblogging site and was unsuccessful. I want to start a blog for my kids, and make it pretty. :) Thanks and God Bless!

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  15. Oops, and my email is sarahroc@ymail.com
    Thanks! :)

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  16. Hi! I bounced over to your blog from Molly's a while ago but don't think I've ever left a comment. You're boys are ADORABLE! And the your new layout is lovely. :)

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  17. EEeeek! Jasmine! Thanks so much for delurking with your super sweet words. I'm honored you've been reading all this time. I am a big fan of your work! Drooling over the baby Jake photos:)

    And thanks Sarah, for popping by! New friends always welcome! l shall email you pronto with some links!

    Hi to you too Katrina! Love that mollygirl! Welcome!

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  18. Ah! So lovely!

    Lovely. Lovely. Lovely. Lovely.

    The beach. A funny place, it is. Everlasting sand in ears post-beach. Ugh. :)

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  19. I totally LOVE Hume!! but the beach and all it's coldness still looks like a lot of fun :) your fam is so cute!

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  20. you take the most beautiful pictures of your children! Wish I had that talent. :) I haven't been reading your blog long enough to gather that you guys are Hume people. I grew up there and my parents worked there for 26 years, it will always be home to me. So it was fun to see your pics of it. :)

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  21. We're headed to the beach at the end of the month with our family. It'll be a first for us, so it'll be good to have your perspective on things. Of course, I'm talking Galveston, TX--I'm pretty sure we won't have any cool weather problems.

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  22. AHHHH! I love your boys. They are adorable, with a capital A.

    and that is pretty much all there is to say about that. :) But I will add that I think your pictures are fantastic, and I'm glad you had fun!

    ps. yes, it was so delightful to get to see you this past Sat.! I'm so glad I got to meet your husband too-- he's rather a doll himself. :) Now that our husbands know each other I figure we can have you guys over for dinner sometime and it won't be awkward. hehe.
    Oh!! I got your birth announcement today!! SO CUTE, Davi!! I just love them, they are so you-- and it totally matches my house too, which is an extra bonus. Your adorable Twain is a perfect addition to my fridge :)

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  23. Funny how vacations are now sometimes even more work than being home but still somehow infinitely worth it. So fun!

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  24. I love the pic towards the end of Calvin looking at his zipper-pull flipping up...too cute! :)

    So glad it turned out to be a great trip!! And hey, just be glad that even though your diggs weren't quite what you were expecting, it still had to be WAY better than a hotel! HAHA!

    P.S. I LOVE your new blog header...I just noticed it and I had been wondering when you were going to update it to add little Twain!

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