Beach

Our favorite family vacations, are quick weekend beach trips to my grandma's house. We've found that more than two nights away from home with small children is no longer a vacation...and slowly seeps into the field of tantrums and exhaustion. Also, trying to match schedules with others just adds stress to a time we want focused on enjoying our family.

So, we have a good routine of our own down. We drive Paul to work Friday, then pick him up on our way out of town.

Saturday morning we pack up lunch, snacks, and head to a beach. This time, Paul had done a little research and decided we should try out El Matador beach, just north of Zuma in Malibu. It was a super treacherous walk down to the beach along the narrow path and some rickety old stairs! But, it quickly proved worth it when we found some cool tidepools and caves to explore.

Alec quickly made some new friends, and they were busy collecting crabs, sand crabs, and looking for anemones. James doesn't particularly enjoy making new friends, so he hung back with Paul, Evelyn, and I.

Evelyn has definitely hit the terrible twos, and our beach trip was no exception. Lately everything scares her, and at the beach it was the loud waves. 

Being the kind father he is, Paul filled a large bucket with water and Evy proceeded to sit in it and inform us she was taking a bath.

She thought it was hilarious. Once we were all exhausted, Paul made two solo trips taking our things back to the van, so he could help me carry the little two back up. 

We clean off sand at the car, change the kids (they always fall asleep), then drive back to grandma's to bathe everyone and order Mission Burrito! Sometimes we eat there, but lately it's nicer to eat at my Aunt Jerri's-she lives 5 minutes from my grandma-so we can visit with her and my cousin, Colin, also. This trip we watched a Percy Jackson movie which Colin had chosen special for Alec. Alec loved it. James was scared, Evy was bored. Paul took them back to grandma's and Alec had a special late night. 

Normally we leave super early Sunday morning to make it back in time for our ward in Vegas, but neither of us were teaching and Paul really wanted to meet a business partner that lives in CA, so I had planned to go to church with my grandma, at St. Martin's of the Field, an Episcopalian church. She's gone there since my father and aunt were children, and it's always fun for her to show off her granddaughter and great-grandchildren. But, she was pretty tired so we opted to stay in whilst Paul was out.

James, trying on grandma's glasses.

Evy, trying on my deceased grandfather's glasses.

The good news was, I got some good videos of my grandma answering questions that will help with our family history. She's 88 years old and can still remember everyone's birthdays!

By the time we drove home, the kids were exhausted.

This is our kind of paradise.