Technically New Years

I've gotten off to a slow start with my blog this year. It may have something to do with the delayed start we had when entering 2011. After we packed up all our Christmas decorations for another year and finished up our last holiday events, Matt and I settled down for a relaxing week of enjoying time with the kids. We ended the year out at Uncle Bob and Aunt Nancy's house in Pacific Beach. Time seems to slow down out there and you can really just kick back and relax. We were so relaxed on New Years that we realized with minutes to spare that we weren't going to have our New Years celebration of champagne and caviar ready in time for the countdown so we paused the TV and finished our preparation then did the countdown when we were ready. Hopefully it won't cause all of us to run five minutes late throughout the new year.

I have no idea why we weren't ready at midnight, the kids had been in bed for hours after celebrating New Years when the party hats and whistles came out at 6:45. Love that kids can't tell time and aren't born knowing all the rules for these kinds of things.


McKenzie, cousin Claire and Ben ringing in the new year! The party supplies continued to be a source of entertainment for the next few day.


Not only did we miss midnight on New Years Eve but the first night we arrived we let McKenzie read in her room for a bit with the light on. Matt went up to tell her lights off and found her like this. So cute, except for her dolly, who is clearly not tired. Maybe those dolls with the sleepy eyes aren't so bad after all.


Most of our time at the beach was spent eating or out enjoying the beautiful setting. If Ben couldn't be outside he was at least keeping track of what was going on out there. First thing when we arrived he hauled a little chair he found all the way over to the backdoor where he could sit and look out.


To cut down on the wild energy from the kids we brought the jump house with us the the beach and it proved its worth again in keeping the kids entertained and out of too much trouble.



Ben checking everything out on the beach. He just loved splashing in the water and marching along looking at everything. Wide open spaces where he doesn't have to hear "Not for Benners" constantly are heaven to this little guy.


Ben and I with the ocean in the background. Absolutely one of my favorite places especially now that I can enjoy it with my kids.


McKenzie, Grandma Z, Claire, me, Ben and Aunt Jennifer out enjoying a brisk afternoon walk on the beach. Don't let our sunglasses fool you it was very cold and windy but still a great day at the beach.


The biggest adventure of the trip came when we decided to bring some leftover toast down to the seagulls. Here's Matt with Claire and McKenzie. I am all too happy to have Ben in the backpack safely away from the action.


Once all the bread was gone the birds continued to swarm around so McKenzie took off on a mission of chasing them off the beach. She was running wildly up and down the beach after this swarm of birds.


We were on the banks of Joe Creek, which runs down to the ocean.  Sometimes as the tide comes back in large surges of water come up the creek like a wave. We had seen several of these come in as we walked down to where the birds were but none of us saw the next one coming in behind McKenzie, though it is very visible in the picture below. It washed up over the tops of her boots and lucky for her Aunt Jennifer ran into the water in her shoes to save her from the wave. She was a pretty good sport about the whole thing but decided she does not like big waves.


Overall, it's been a great new year so far.  Maybe I can make those five minutes up sometime soon.