Our family went on our first camping trip of the season a couple weeks ago. We have an older RV that we like to take out as much as possible. For this trip we headed out to Long Beach and Westport. It was the perfect trip to try out our new point and shoot camera. I did take my Cannon along as well, but did not take it out very often.
The girls had a blast flying kites with their Daddy. They each took turns holding the line. Little Olivia could hardly hold on, and in fact, one time she was running trying to keep a hold of it, and then it happened, the line ran out and the kite was on it's path to freedom. We three girls got quite a kick out of watching their dad running down the beach to try to prevent the escape of the turtle kite.
Most of our time was spent outside, looking for bugs to catch, riding bikes and exploring. Being outside is a ton of fun, but the girls took a couple breaks to go inside and play as well. They were hilarious wrestling around on the bed, pretending to drive, and setting up this elaborate table decor.
What would camping be without roasting marshmallows and having s'mores? They were as good and messy as I remember. 
Can you guess what this is that the girls are peaking through? It is the tail of a seahorse. We spent a day in the city of Long Beach. It was really fun.... we walked around, had tons of saltwater taffy, visited Marsh's Museum, we saw "Jake" the half alligator-half man, and went on the old carousel. We were all exhausted by the end of the day, and so we headed off to Westport.
While in Westport we spent more time at the beach. We climbed up the rocks to watch the waves break, that is always so mesmerizing. The sun came out and we bribed the girls with skittles to sit still by each other for a few minutes to try to get a shot of them together. I still did not catch them sitting perfectly, but I did catch them being themselves and loving each other. To everyone out there who has a hard time taking photos of your own kids... try bribery!
For a minute, imagine you are 2 and 1/2, not a worry in the world. You are hearing the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks, the sun comes out, the rocks are warm your tummy is full.... The rock seems to have been made to fit your body while you lay down to take a rest. I wish I could be napping there right now. 
Before we took off I had to go down into the Marina in Westport. The "Knotty Girl" just made me laugh and I loved seeing this old crab pot. It reminded me of my childhood and all of the time I spent with my family crabbing and fishing out of Homer Alaska.
These two cuties had a great time playing on the beach.
One of the things I loved about this little one is that she was always under her mamma's feet or holding onto her finger.... she loved the comfort in her mamma's touch.
This was the last shot of the day, and it is one of my absolute favorites.
I hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend, take time to relax, enjoy the weather, and remember those who are no longer with us.
My girly girl was too cold during game number one to play much. She went to bat one time, and spent the rest of the time with me on the bench talking about how she might want to be a cheerleader instead of a player. I am so far from the cheerleader type that it really made me laugh, but considering Ava often cries if I try to get her to wear anything other than a summer dress, I was not totally surprised.
Last weekend we had game number two, Ava said she would try it one more time... that is if we could stop by the snack bar after the game and get a ring pop. We layered her clothing, cheered her on, and she really had a good time. A couple of innings, the coach had her on second base which was funny, but it did allow her to play in the dirt, which she seemed to enjoy, She was pretty oblivious to the game around her except when a couple of her boyfriends on the opposing team stopped by on 2nd base to say hello. During the final inning, she had the chance to play in the field... as you can see she had time to pick flowers for me and also closely, and I mean closely, inspect the inside of her mitt.
Batting was also very entertaining to watch. She spent a lot of time drawing a line in the dirt to line her feet up to before she would swing. She is shorter than most of the team, so the T is a little too tall for her... the result of this is a lot of foul balls... but when she does get a hit, watch out, she does a complete 360 degree ballet spin before dropping the bat and slowly galloping off to first base. The whole thing was an absolute hoot to watch. The good part was that she did enjoy the game, and she loved the ring pop! We will have to see what happens during game number three. 
I think that goat food may even be more expensive than the concession stand. A quarter got us four little pellets, which my Olivia would pass out all at once, what a generous girl! It was a hoot to watch them.... we spent a lot of quarters!
After leaving the goats, playing on the slides and climbing walls, we headed out to see the other animals. We had a blast, most of the animals were showing off, I think because the weather was just right for them, not too hot or too cold. We stopped for a picnic lunch and then headed out to see the walrus. They are such amazing and huge animals. Somehow even with their size, they seem so gentle and graceful.
Our last stop was of course the carousel. We prepaid for two trips. Ava was so thrilled, she was on what she called a "
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