Duckworths and a Nude Beach...

What do the Duckworths and a Nude Beach have in common?

Oh, maybe the fact that we accidentally stumbled upon one with all three kids in tow.

Here's the story...

One Saturday we decided to head to the South Shore, to Robert Moses Beach, and see the Fire Island Lighthouse.  We loaded up our double BOB with all our gear and decided to head to the lighthouse first.  We walked the mile or so to the lighthouse, walked around, took some pics, and were ready for fun in the sun.

Rather than walking the mile back to the beach where we parked, we thought, "hey, why don't we just stop at the beach right in front of the lighthouse!" That way we wouldn't have to walk as far...we were ready to go to the beach.  Smart, right?

So, we walked on the boardwalk to the beach, just feeling happy to be out in the sunshine as a family.....when, I noticed an older woman topless on the beach.  Now when I say "older" I mean old with boobies hanging down low. I was a little shocked and thought to myself, "why in the heck is that lady topless.  That's so annoying."  Right then, her {perceived} husband stood up (facing the ocean....luckily) giving me a full moon.  

That's when something sorta clicked in my head.  I quickly scanned the beach, realizing that everyone was {mostly} naked and we were headed full-steam-ahead onto a nude beach with our three children.

"Um, Mitch....this is a nude beach!"  His face was awesome!  He wheeled that stroller around so fast and we walked the mile back to the beach by our car.  We were both a little disturbed that there was no sign saying anything about a nude beach, or that nobody stopped us from heading that direction.  Ha!  We had a few good laughs.  Well, its one for the memory books, that's for sure.

Fire Island Lighthouse

While we've got great North Shore beaches just minutes from our house, its the South Shore beaches we love.  Probably because its more like what we're used to - soft sandy beaches, crushing salty waves, and fantastic people watching!

We've taken the 45 minute drive a couple times since living here, and hope to go more before the weather turns cold.  My kids love it, and I've had so much fun jumping waves with my Finnley girl, and smooching Remmy's voluptuous thighs.  I mean....couldn't you eat them?

We feel at home at the beach, and I'm so glad we didn't have to give it up...just yet.

"Bust You Up..."

During family home evening a couple weeks back, we were talking about the creation, Adam and Eve, the Tree of Life, and Satan's role in the whole thing. Kind of heavy stuff for a 2.5 and almost 5 year old, but we were trying.  When Finnley asked more about Satan, we tried to explain to her that he tempts people to do bad things, or say bad words, or think bad thoughts.  To that she replied, "I'm gonna BUST YOU UP SATAN!"

I died laughing while admiring her feisty spirit.  Hopefully she keeps "busting up Satan" and never lets him influence her life.

By the way, the outfit in this picture, totally Finnley.  She likes to match her outfits, which pretty much means if there are common colors its good to go.  I love this little lady to pieces....never change Miss Finn.

"Slug Bug"...

Growing up, we would vacation to San Diego almost every summer. Each time we visited, we re-discovered our favorite "sibling rivalry" game - "Slug Bug". You know how it goes - every time you see a VW Beetle you get to hit your brother, sister (or hey, even your mom and dad) and yell "slug bug white!" Or the more extreme version where you just yell "slug bug" and get to keep hitting your sibling until they get the color of the car right.

I recently introduced my kids to the game. I thought it would be a good way to help D-man with his colors, and it has. The funny thing is, my kids just can't quite grasp that you only get to hit when you see a VW Beetle. They see a Mini Cooper or a PT Cruiser and they yell "slug bug" and hit the other. At first I would say, "no, that doesn't count, that's not a bug" but it didn't help. So, we've changed the rules...

Slug Bug = a slug to mom, dad, brother or sister. I love it when Dieter see's one because he yells "BUG, BUG" and then air pumps his fist and yells "Boom, boom, boom!" I'm smitten by him.
The Mini Cooper = a tickle. After yelling "mini", and then the color, you get to tickle the person of your choice. Dieter just says, "Minnie Mouse" after Finnley or me see a Mini Cooper.

Then there's the PT Cruiser. I guess its the circular lights that makes this one fit in the mix.

Finnley will save all her points until she gets out of the car, and then she'll give you five slugs to the rear end, or two tickles. Anyway, that's what we're doing in our car every day. What do you do in yours?

Quote of the Week...

I recently picked up this book at Paper Source (love that store) and have made a commitment to write down the funny things my kids say - especially Finnley - on a weekly basis. This week's entry comes from Finn:

"Mom, I fink Dieter needs to go potty....he's pulling on his string!"

Gotta love her.

The Grilled Cheese Truck...

Food Trucks are all the rage here in L.A. They serve up delicious food from cupcakes to Korean BBQ to yummy Buttermilk breakfast dishes. They are very gourmet for being whipped up inside a mobile truck, and you can find them anywhere from outdoor movies, boutique openings, or along any roadside.

We'd been wanting to try out the Grilled Cheese Truck for some time, and when our friends the Townsend's told us it was going to be close by, we hopped in the car to give it a try. Well, when arrived, some people from the Travel Channel's 'Food Paradise' were there filming and were going to shoot our friends eating their sandwiches and ask them a few questions. It was so exciting!

Well, to make a long story short, their little girl wasn't in the mood to make her TV debut, so they got the boot and suddenly it was Mitch, Dieter and Finnley sitting down to be interviewed. Here's the funny part...even though we'd never eaten there Mitch was suddenly the expert on the "Grilled Cheese Car" (he didn't even get the name right), Finnley was refusing to take a bite and said she didn't like it, and I couldn't even watch I was laughing so hard. Cort even had to step away so he wouldn't lose it. It was a good laugh and they got some good shots of Dieter biting into his Nutella and Marshmallow grilled sandwich.

We thought that was the end of it, thinking there's no way in H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks they were going to use that clip. Nope! We got a call saying they needed Mitch to fill out a parent release because they wanted to use the clip. Hilarious! So, if you have the Travel Channel, set your DVR's to record 'Food Paradise'. I'll update the air date when we get it.

As for now, I'm going to the pool with my superstar family!

( above - the Grilled Cheese with Macaroni and Pork)

The Understanding...

There's an understanding between the Dog and Dieter. Here it is - Whatever you don't want to eat, or don't happen to finish eating, just go ahead and throw it over your little tray there, and I'll make sure nobody knows about it...

(Look at Tuscan's intense gaze.)

Tuscan just hovers when Dieter is eating. I guess he knows he's bound to get something good off that tray. Little stinkers - both of them! The best part is, Dieter is getting smart now, and knows he can trick Tuscan by pretending to throw something. Tuscan will jump looking for it but with no reward. Smart little cookie.

Slow...Medium...Fast...

Have you ever heard of different speeds for pony rides?

Well, a week or so ago we went out to Griffith Park in Glendale, CA for a play date. There are picnic areas, a train ride, and pony rides. As you line up for the pony rides there are three signs - Slow, Medium, and Fast. I was a little confused; what did that mean?

Right then I see a little boy, holding on for dear life, hair blowing in the wind, take off around the track. At first I was dying! What can I do to help this little boy? Where are his parents? Where are the workers? Then I saw where the workers were...they were running behind the pony swinging a rope making the pony run!

I looked back up at the signs and it all made sense. Are you kidding me?!

I thought to myself, "There is no way in H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks I would ever put my kid on that. Then, about twenty minutes later, after a very sllllooow ride around the first track, it was my kid on the fast pony being chased around the track by a worker swinging a rope.

The look on Finnley's face was classic. It was a mixture of complete shock, terror, excitement, joy, and "MOM HELP!" I couldn't help but be a little proud of my daring child. I also couldn't help but be a little disappointed that I used my own child as a form of comedy and entertainment. It was though...entertaining that is!

So here you go. Footage of her second lap around the track. The shock and terror had worn of her face a bit, but the video is still entertaining!

Practically Famous...

My sister spilled the beans about my fifteen minutes of fame on ELLEN (more like five).

Check it out HERE!

You'll have to watch it today on TV to find out what I won!

Don't Worry...

...she says he likes it!

Why the Heck Not?!

This Oldie (but goodie) was sent to me by a lovely family member! How could I resist sharing it? I just couldn't. Mitch was the cutest little guy!! I've always loved him, but after seeing his childhood pictures - I knew I wanted to have his babies! Good thing they came out as cute as he did.

0 - 3 Months...Nah...

The other morning I came into find Finnley like this...wearing DIETER's 0-3 month pants! The night before I had taken them off Dieter and draped them over the side of Finnley's bed. After we put Finner's to bed, she obviously decided it would be fun to try them on - and then sleep in them. Seriously? This girl makes me giggle!

Sick as a DOG...

EARLY Monday morning I woke up with the yuck-yucks (I'm guessing food poisoning)! I'll spare you the details of my hourly wakings, but just know that I am the WORST sick person. I huddle over the toilet and literally weep. After about 10 hours of constant you-know-whats, my AWESOME brother-in-law/anesthesiologist decided it would be better if I didn't dehydrate and hooked me up to a make-shift IV. It was classic...the bag was hanging from an old hanger that was hooked on the shutters. After two bags of fluid and a little anti-nausea medicine, I was able to jump on my flight and head home to CA. It did spark several hours of fake labor (mild contractions every 5 minutes), but it turned out to be nothing. Thanks MAC! I didn't feel a thing...I'll let you prick me anytime.

Tragedy of the Balboa Bar...

Balboa bars are those yummy vanilla-ice-cream-rectangle bars hand-dipped in chocolate and rolled in various toppings (peanut shavings, crushed Oreos, and multicolored and chocolate sprinkles) that are as much a Newport Beach staple as implants! They are my dad's favorite, so the other day we decided to take a ride and let Finnley experience the Balboa bar. She opted for a plain vanilla ice cream cone instead, and the rest of the story goes like this...Checking out the pigeons with gramps...
Mmmm...yummy ice cream...
Taking a little break. Got some stuff on my mouth...
Whoops...where did my ice cream go?...
Ahhh...crap!