Santa Cruz

The kids have really been struggling with the fact that we are probably not taking a vacation this year.  Lizzy keeps telling me how all of her friends are going all these different places and she isn't going anywhere.  So we decided that it would be fun to take a little mini vacation Memorial Day weekend.   We went down on Friday night and stayed with my parents and then we went Saturday to Santa Cruz and then Sunday we went to Church with Grandma and Grandpa.  Friday I got all the kids and everything packed.  Kevin packed his stuff before work and I packed everyone else stuff.  I tried to have the girls pack their own stuff but after looking through their suitcases all I found was a bunch of stuffed animals, books toys, a harry potter robe and a pair of flip flops a shirt and a pair of pants.  So I had to take over. They just couldn't understand what was wrong with their packing.  I thought Lizzy would do a good job packing her stuff so I let her but that was a big mistake because she didn't pack any shoes and all she had to wear was her tennis shoes.  So that night when we got back from Santa Cruz I had to go to Walmart and get her some sandals for church because I was not going to let her wear her ugly black tennis shoes with her dress.  On Saturday we got up and headed to Santa Cruz.  I really don't know if we should take a vacation anyway this year because Nellie asked close to 50 times how much longer until we got there and it is only a two hour drive.  Russ wouldn't go to sleep the night before because it was in a pack and play crib and he hadn't been in one in a while. He was crazy that night!  So during our drive he was awful!  He was making the MOST annoying whining noise almost the whole time.  Anne was amazing as usual and slept pretty much the whole day, thankfully! So by the time we got there Kevin had officially decided no more vacations for us this year.

 We were happy to get there and get to the Boardwalk.  Santa Cruz is so much fun because it is like an amusement park right on the beach.  The other great thing is you can pay by the ride, so we just rode a couple of rides and then went to the beach afterward.

 Russ is just a little into his Peps as he calls Pepsi.  Yes Kevin has gotten another child addicted to Pepsi.

 Grandma got a dippin dots for all of us to share and the girls loved it.

 Russ with the men.  He sure likes the guys.  It was fun to go with Joe and Grandma and Grandpa.

 The girls waiting in line for the ride. We went on an underground train ride and it was fun that we all could go together. After that Joe took the girls on a haunted house ride while I was nursing Anne.  The girls loved it, but Jane was a little scared.  She is so funny though because she just seems so much older than she is because she wants to do everything her sisters do.  Then we went to the beach which was just about 100 yards away.  It was a blast.  It has been a few years since we took the kids to the beach and it made me realize we need to take advantage of the fact that we are only a couple of hours away.  The kids LOVED it! So much! Russ is a wild and crazy man.  Kevin had to be one step away from him the entire time because when a wave would come he would go running full speed into it. It was the cutest and scariest thing ever!

 Janie has become a bit timid and she hung out most of the time in the sand.  She did go in the waves a bit and actually got taken out by one that face planted her in the sand, but she didn't cry at all. She was super brave, but she didn't go back in after that.

  Lizzy LOVED the beach so much!

 Nellie too!

 Annie slept the whole time at the beach in the stroller.  I put her on a blue towel so it would be comfy and Russ tought it was his blue blanket and was freaking out that she had his "gi" as he calls it. It was funny.

 Lizzy and Nellie were frealess!  That water was freezing!  It was only about 70 outside and the water was ice cold, but they didn't care.  I love it!  I love having kids and watching them just absolutely LOVE life and enjoy things the way that only a carefree child can.

 Russy was playing in the sand after Kevin decided no more water and he had a bit of a runny nose that day and so he had some pretty sandy boogers.  It was lovely.

We had such an amazing day.  We decided we need to go back again very soon and stay a couple of days this time.