MLK Weekend

Every time we have a long weekend or a vacation I am reminded of just how much I love being with my family.  Obviously you have to go to work, and you have to go to school, but my days feel the happiest and the most whole when all of my crew is together.  I have been at a constant battle with myself all school year, trying to find a good balance, trying to not feel like I am losing Sawyer a little bit every day when I send her off for 4 hours.  Honestly, I cannot even imagine having her gone for a full regular school day next year, I sweat just thinking about it.  I know some people cannot wait to send their kids away to school, but I am one of the weird ones, that secretly (or not so secretly) dread it.  Sawyer and Harper both love school, so that at least makes it a little easier.  

We spent Martin Luther King weekend doing the things we love best - pool time and beach time.  

We started with some friends playing at the pool at the Pelican Hill resort.  The kids had a blast and I actually found myself relaxing.  

Typical for us, our fun had to start with waking Decker up.  He is always up for a good swim, so he snoozed in his board shorts.

We headed back to Victoria Beach and brought my sister and Mazie with us.  I don't get enough time with my sister, it was fun having her there too.  And not surprisingly, Sawyer and Harper had a great time with their cousin.  Climbing rocks, playing some weird sand poopie game, and running from crashing waves, it was a good day.

We always manage to squeeze in a little bit of coloring time at home, no matter what our plans are for the day.

And Decks got acquainted with my childhood friend, Ralph.

The three girls played so so well together.  

I mean, how did we get so lucky to get to call this place home?  

I didn't really understand the game but they were bringing Aunt Bryt wet sand and telling her it was sand poopies and they were all laughing and getting the biggest kick out of it.

Poor Decker.

They thought it was so fun when the water would crash over the little retaining wall and they would run away...

This time is doesn't look like Mazie liked it so much.

Some more sand poopie monster stuff...

My favorite Dude Duo.  

Marc was able to get out in the water and try his hand out at wave photography.  This was pretty much his first and last shot (to date) but we liked it enough that we framed it and hung it in the playroom :)

After fun family days (and well, on a lot of days) slumber parties take place in our room.  Although I mostly prefer the kids to sleep in their own rooms, there is something comforting about hearing the breathing of your family members as you fall asleep at night (um, maybe that sounds creepy?).  

Disneyland was calling our name so we headed to California Adventure.  It was hotter than we anticipated it was going to be and Decker wasn't too interested in waiting in the lines, so we ditched that idea and went home and got our beach gear together. 

Guess who hated this ride...

Sawyer loves seeing her friend Kate and it happens pretty infrequently with our schedules these days, so it was kind of a big deal that the Taylors met up with us down at Doheny.  Marc was happy to get Sawyer back in the water with him too…nothing like a little paddle session with your daughter.  

When I flip through our pictures from the weekends and well, pretty much all of our pictures in general, I think of the Jimmy Buffett lyric "shells sink, dreams float, life is good on our boat".