Where to begin?

I'm sure it comes as no surprise that we've thoroughly enjoyed our summer!

We flew home from Montana a week ago Thursday, then Friday we un-packed, did laundry, had some doctors appointments, ran lots and lots of errands, and then on Saturday we re-packed our bags, squeezed in a training run, loaded our car, pulled off our ward BBQ and Baseball game we were in charge of, and then headed South to Newport Beach (at about 10:30pm).

WHEW! I feel like that has been our entire summer - Go! Go! Go!

But, honestly, I can not complain. I love being busy, and I love being on vacation. Now seriously, isn't being a mom the best job ever! You can take your work with you wherever you go! Talk about a HUGE perk. :)

This week's vacation was with the Duckworth side of the family. They were so nice to accommodate Mitch's board study and instead of doing an East Coast trip as planned, they came out to our hood. Mitch was able to study a ton, but also spend time with his family and especially the Browns we hadn't seen in over a year!

We spent our first full day at the beach, digging holes, catching sand crabs, jumping waves and boogie boarding. We also hit up Balboa Peninsula, riding the Ferris wheel and taking an electric boat around the harbor.

Jackson, Jayden, and Mason Brown

These guys were so sweet to our kiddos.

Grandma Diane - even looking stylish on the beach!

My momma's boy! Seriously, this kid loves his mama. Even when he is covered with sand head to toe, he insists on crawling all over me, laying on my back, giving me kisses, and snuggling. I just have to deal with the sand seeping into my suit (and every other area), because there's no way I'm turning down snuggle time with this little lover boy.

We were lucky to have a beach house right on the beach, so it was a quick walk to the sand and shore. The kids would run from the waves in their clothes, and eventually get caught and come in soaked and sandy.

They were in heaven.

Ferris Wheel rides are the best, especially when you get to watch the faces of those going around and around. Grandma Diane was a good sport and went with Mason and Finnley even though she really doesn't like ferris wheels.

We had a lot of fun adventures during our week with the Duckworth's.

Stay tuned for more!