Five for fighting

The cousins are a good two hours airborne on their way home to chi town but due to the ringing in my ears their presence is still deeply felt.  The five kiddos lived up to their reputations with squealing, singing, laughing, and tantruming their way down the California coastline.  I have to give them major credit for sitting through two three hour Chinese banquets, three two hour plus dinner celebrations, two visits to outlet malls,  and countless hours standing in mega lines.  My kids have stayed in eight different homes/hotels since we left and I can count on one hand the nights they were in bed before midnight.  They've been troopers for sure and as we begin our slow climb back up to Oregon I know they'll have a few more opportunities to grow their flexibility muscles.  (Thanks Amy!)

Reunion/frat party

Pool antics

Party best

Our first night in Disneyland we were eating dinner at eleven at night.  Poor Ian asked if he could sleep in the corner.  Surprisingly, there were actually worse parents then us walking in for dinner with their toddlers as we left.  This corner of the world is crazy town for sure.

The party bus is going to be awfully lonely as we leave San Diego tomorrow.  

Monterey

When Ben found out we were going to be holed up in a hotel in Oakland for a week to be closer to his grandma he quickly maneuvered the family oceanside and found a house on Pebble Beach.  Because obviously when your 101 years old all you want to do is play golf.  I didn't know much about it but was pleasantly surprised each day by the beauty there.  At any given turn you could pull the car over and see seals and otters playing or climbing on rocks.  We also discovered great food, crazy tidepools, that a preschooler and a centenarian share many similarities, and to always remember your sweatshirt.
I think my favorite memory was waking up to Ian saying, "that yady in the kitchen took my doggy byanket." And walking in to great grandma eating cookies at 7 am with Ian's blanket over her head.  And then grandma asking dad who I was and thanking me for letting her stay at my house.  I am pretty sure she was wondering why this white girl was following them around for four days.  Good times.

Group shot at the house

Boardwalk lovin

Exploring the tidepools

Out of all our adventures the final consensus was that the Monterey aquarium took the cake and then threw the cake in all the other aquariums faces.

This is what we like to call, aquarium burnout

I think this place will definitely have to make it into future California road trip rotations.

Trading pines for palms

For some reason I feel like I've driven up and down Highway One at least a dozen times.  But when we headed from San Luis up to our rental in Monterey I was completely caught off guard.  First of all you will literally die if you lower your eyes for one second.  Every car traveling north or south has prerogative to come to a dead stop in the middle of the road.  I think it's the unspoken rule of the area.  Not that I don't understand why.  It is a panoramic dream.  Every family, honeymooner, and group of bachelors seize the moment for a selfy against those sapphire waters.
 I guess our bumper sticker could have read: I brake for cookies and elephant seals because those were our only detours.  First we were told to stop at Red Moose cookies in Cambria and I need very little convincing when sweets are involved.  The only problem was that they took all their signs down and buried their store deep in a storage facility so people couldn't find them.
Why would they do such a crazy thing you ask?  Well because they can't bake cookies fast enough to keep any in their store.  So now it has become the secret rave of the cookie industry and only the strong survive.  But we persevered and triumphantly left with five bags of cookies.  One might say that in winning you also lose but then I would throw cookies at you.  So if you find yourself up for a scavenger hunt in the middle of California I highly recommend buying a package of root beer float cookies and sandwiching in your favorite vanilla ice cream.  Then call me and I'll be right over.

Once we all had a proper sugar high we turned our attentions to the beasts of the western wild otherwise known as elephant seals.  If the wind wasn't beating down on my less experienced children I would still be their yakin it up with the seal guide.  Every bit of it was fascinating to me and I am so glad the littles got to see them in all their honking, male bravado glory.

Family camp

So it turned out the boys were rocking daddy day care on the other side of town and we came back to stories of tidepool discoveries, speed boat rides, tubing hilarity, first fish catches, and lots of sanctioned potty talk.  

Wy schools Ava and Ian in California cool

We even managed to fit in a few solid days of just doing some life together.  There was kid fighting and meal making, a little babysitting, a night hike and falling asleep in front of the tv.  In other words.   Family.

Ruby is such a sweet puppy

We decided to take a walk after dinner and within ten minutes we were in the pages of National Geographic.  The sky is pink and the air smells like cinnamon.  One of these years we're going to come here and just never leave.

Wyatt remembered to bring a backpack with some five year old essentials: granola bars, a bug vacuum, and a poop and print tracking chart.  He definitely speaks Ava's language.

This is going to be our Christmas card after we move in.  Do you think we should hyphenate?  Maybe Merry Christmas from The Hsapps?  It's a work in progress.

SLO Ride

Yesterday I traded in girls weekend for some new views and a windy trip up Highway One.  But not before we wrangled up an adventure or two, California girls style.

Taking hot pink beach cruisers into Morro Bay for the most decadent creme brûlée French toast anyone ever dreamed up...yes please.

My first attempt at paddle boarding made me feel like I invented water sports.  I initially thought it was just a pretty weak attempt to get some exercise, I had no idea it was a vehicle for deep ocean swimming, pelican sightings, secluded beaches, and surprise seal visits.  Magic times ten.  But unfortunately, limited photographic evidence.

And as much fun as we had eating bottomless tacos and delving into beach reads, the true joy of being with my girls is found in the quiet moments of sharing life's nitty gritty.  These chapters are reserved for ears that will never judge and and friends fifteen years strong who point me straight to grace.