San Clemente Beach Trip 2008

We spent last week in California camping on the beach. Well, not directly on the beach, but at a campground on the cliffs above the beach. Although camping is so much work, it really was a good trip and we had so much fun. Rod's sister, Nancy, has done this trip now every year for several years and last year she finally convinced us to join her. This year we thought we'd try it again and we were so glad we did. We were able to borrow a trailer to make things a little more comfortable. We also were able to spend a lot of time with our good friends the Jensen's, who also stay at the exact same campground on the exact same week every year! What a great time. We enjoyed spending time with the kids. It was hard to send Rod back to work after having him close by for a week, but someone has to pay for the gas!!!

Parker didn't really care for the water at first. Finally on the last two days he decided it was a lot of fun. He mostly just sat around and played in the sand and ate.

And ate...

And ate!!!!

Halle loved building sand castles...

playing in the water...

playing with Parker and Syd...

and just taking it easy!!

Braden didn't want to go this year, but ended up having a great time. He liked boogie boarding, and hanging with his cousins.

So much seaweed! Yuck!!

Connor loves the beach. He was the one who was always asking for someone to go out in the water with him. He just couldn't sit for long.

Thank goodness for brothers, built in friends!

Wesley is a beach bum at heart. He was thrilled to try surfing this year. With his dark tan and good looks he could live in California and fit right in!

Wes especially enjoyed all the teenagers. Nancy's kids brought friends and so counting Wesley there were seven 15 year olds!!

They all had so much fun together. They were great to include even the younger kids!

I loved the chance I got to sit and read or just kick back and watch my kids have fun.

I thought I had to resort to taking pictures of myself to prove I was there, but....

Parker took one for me!!!

Rod actually seemed to enjoy himself this year. He loved getting the chance to read...

And hang out with his sister, Nancy, and her husband, Stan.

That is a brief glimpse of our time at the beach. More to come on some of the other fun things we did!!

4th of July

What a great weekend! The Fourth of July is always so much fun for our family, but this year was one of the best! The festivities began with Rod marking our spot on the parade route around 2pm on July 3rd. Connor and Braden went down to spend the night, which is one of their favorite things about the 4th. Thanks to Brian Carter for keeping an eye on the boys so Rod could come home and get some sleep for the Freedom Festival 10K.

Rod and Paul have run the 10K almost every year for several years now! One day when the kids are older Shauna and I hope to join them. Way to go Rod! He ran the race at a 7:58 per mile pace!

Next came the parade. The kids seem to love this so much. They love catching candy and getting every flier passed out! The balloons are another favorite.

Parker was particulary fond of Shauna! I was feeling a little jealous!Okay so maybe he still loves me a little! Thanks Shauna for taking the only two 4th of July pictures of me! Now my posterity will know I did participate in the festivities!

Halle was not feeling so great. I told her to stay away from the other kids so as not to get them sick. She was a real trooper and had a good time anyway.

Braden was a little tired from his night sleeping out. He was more into the food and drinks than into the parade.

Chandler and Connor seem to be having a great time!

Connor and Chandler saluting the motorcycle brigade. If you have seen the movie "Hot Rod" you'll understand what they are doing?!?!

We love the USA!!!

After our lunch tradition at Wingers, we headed home for some nice long naps before our upcoming evening at The Stadium of Fire.
We headed out early to find parking and have a picnic before the show.

Halle still wasn't feeling well, but how could she miss Miley Cyrus!?! I know she probably should have stayed home, but we left it up to her. She actually felt good for the whole concert and didn't start to feel bad again until 3 the next morning.

Rod just taking a minute to relax before the real fun begins.

All the girls, in their new Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana shirts, are ready to party!

The kids were excited for the party to begin.

The Stadium of Fire started off with some skydivers landing in the stadium. This happened to be one of my favorite parts.

Then we helped lower a tarp down the stadium right over our heads.

When we could see the stadium again the flag was out on the field. It was very cool.

After having some fun with the Blue Man Group, the moment we had all been waiting for...

Miley Cyrus!!

In my opinion Miley Cyrus wasn't that great of an entertainer. She turned her back to us a lot and most of the songs she sang were unfamiliar. When she did sing songs that we knew it was a lot more fun. I know she is trying to make the switch to a more mature performer, but I personally would have enjoyed Hannah Montana more.

Braden wasn't thrilled with Miley, but he sure liked the souvenir cup and 3D glasses.

Connor seemed to enjoy the show!

Considering the late hour, Parker was great and loved almost every minute of it, even the fireworks.

We always love fireworks and it was nice to have such a great view.

We had a great time at the Stadium of Fire although we missed Wesley, who was away at EFY in Nauvoo. Rod said we won't go back until the little ones can sit in their own seats. I tended to agree with him because 3 hours is a long time to sit in the bleachers holding a child on your lap! I do love the Stadium of Fire and the tradition surrounding it. It's a great way to celebrate being a part of this wonderful country. We truly are blessed to live in the good ole U S of A!!!