Heading to the Beach

We ended up going to the beach 3 times during out trip, though the first day was by far the nicest weather. I don't have many pictures from the other two days because my battery had died and then it was too windy to get Finn out of the car on the last day. 

Coronado was a great beach and the kids had a blast. The adults enjoyed basking in the sun and getting a little wet and sandy as well.

Henry spent a lot of time searching for shells until he was running from a wave and fell face down and got completely covered with water. He didn't mind the fall much, but he was pretty cold after, so he wrapped up in a towel and then fell asleep on the blanket. He napped there for quite a long time until it was time to leave. Talk about relaxing.

 Mia, Gavin and Mallory managed to get in the water on every beach trip. They love outrunning those waves.

 Wyatt wouldn't go near the water, but once he discovered that the beach is really a giant sand box, he was in heaven.

 Grandma headed out to the ocean.

 Claire was so hilarious hauling water up the beach. She would take her bucket to the edge and try and get as much water as possible and then run back fast, spilling a lot of it. It didn't seem to bother her though, she just kept making more trips.

 Right now, Finn doesn't seem to love the beach. It was a bit too bright and breezy for him, but he was content to be carried around for awhile.

 What a mud monster.

 Jaren was so excited to have his mom bury him in the sand.

 Mallory and Gavin worked intently on the castle moat, even if the castle didn't get much attention.

The Resort Life

We had a super great day at the Resort Monday. We did lots of running around in the grass and sun, and even explored all of the things to do at the rec centers. The kids thought it was great to have a place where they could get on a playground or play the Wii at the same time. Even though it was a little chilly, everyone enjoyed a dip in the pool.

Wyatt kept saying he was Not getting in the swimming pool, but of course he ended up jumping on it and loving it.

 Henry and Gavin having a blast.

 Tatum and Jade got a little wet, but gave up first and sat all cozy in their towels in the sun.

 The hot tub ended up being the preferred location for most people to hang out.

 Mara braved the water slide, so she could't be harassed too much by the oldest nieces and nephews.

 Gavin even gave a scream as he hit the water.

San Diego... Finally!

We just finished our first 24 hours in San Diego. All of the secret planning to surprise Grandma Cardon has finally paid off. She was quite surprised to show up for her first night at the resort and find her room full of family. The Grandkids were so excited about the idea of surprising her and even though there were some close calls, none of them gave the secret away. Hearing her laugh when she realized we were all here was the best.

Grandma and Claire all snuggled up to talk. Claire had a lot of catching up to do with Grandma since she has spent the last several weeks avoiding talking on Skype or the phone so that she wouldn't give away the surprise.

 Wyatt and Jaren spending too much time using the iPhones even in sunny California.

 Tatum and Jade sharing a little bear hug.

 Rachel got to bathe Tatum and Jade in the giant spa tub, that was also enclosed in glass and had only a small door. Wading in was the only option.

Today we headed out to go to sacrament meeting. I had looked up the address for a nearby chapel that met at 11am. We arrived to find that the wards that met there had changed times for the beginning of the year, and we were just in time for the spanish branch. We had a laugh and then stayed for the meeting. Afterwards, Nathan and Papa told us what had gone on that most of us missed due to our language barrier.

All of my handsome boys dressed up for church.

We also went to walk around at the San Diego temple. It was a bit chilly for San Diego standards, but very nice temple grounds.

 After the Temple we went to the Mormon Battalion museum in Old Town San Diego. We took a tour that walked us through the journey of the Mormon Battalion on their way to California. Gavin even got to be the family soldier and receive his uniform and rations for the trip.

 Taking aim.

 At the end of the tour the kids got to pan for gold and try out the old well. Luckily, no one fell down.

 Wyatt in the covered wagon.