A So Cal New Year's Eve

Our last day in Carlsbad...at our beloved resort. I'm not going to lie, there were tears as soon as the kids were up! We still had a whole day ahead of us, but it hardly mattered knowing we would be leaving soon. We really do love this place! It is a place of healing for our family, and we love our time here. 

We did our best to convince the kids (and ourselves!) to wait to mourn our departure until we actually had to leave. :) Instead, we got ourselves dressed and ready for church, and enjoyed visiting a wonderful ward in Carlsbad. The kids loved being visitors in Primary, and Danny and I got to participate in a special third-hour meeting about religious freedom. It was really interesting! But the I think highlight was when Joey fell through the folding chair and hit is head right on the gym floors. Ugh..

Not only was it our last day in So Cal, but it was New Year's Eve and the last day of 2017! So we decided to head south to San Diego and visit the Mormon Battalion Visitor's Center. It was amazing! The sister and couple missionaries were fantastic, the center was beautiful, the story was fascinating and interactive and we learned so much. Johnny got to dress up as a battalion soldier and all the kids panned for gold (they even got to keep their favorite piece!), pumped water, and washed clothes on a washing board. :) It was the perfect Sunday tourist activity.

We had grand plans to finish the Book of Mormon for the second time this year on the beach at sunset...but we were counting on being back in Carlsbad and we weren't going to make it back before dark. We aren't really big New Year's Eve people, so as we made our way to the nearest beach in San Diego we didn't take into account that it would be busy and festive at the beach that night! It wasn't the right atmosphere to finish our reading, but we still took the opportunity to wish the ocean goodbye. We sure love to be on the beach!

We decided that even better than finishing the Book of Mormon on the beach would be to finish at the  gorgeous San Diego Temple. Unfortunately, Joey was asleep by the time we got there, so instead of finding a spot on the grounds we staying in the car. Nevertheless, we met our goal of finishing the Book of Mormon twice in 2017! It was the absolute best way to end a great year.

And with that, we made our way back to the resort with grateful but slightly heavy hearts. We had to head home in the morning. As we settled into bed for the night, Danny and I reflected on what an amazing year 2017 had been for our family. Truly, it was the year we've been waiting years for! A year with no life-altering event!! :) We did some serious traveling during the year, with our Epic Road Trip across the country, the Eclipse Trip, and mine and Danny's Vegas getaway...then capping it off with our So Cal Christmas! We got to watch our kids keep growing, we had opportunities to feel close to Luke, and we came closer as a couple. We continue to see the Lord's hand in our lives, and we felt extremely blessed as we kissed each other goodnight. We don't know what 2018 has in store for us, but we're excited for the adventure!

Happy New Year!

Moro Ridge and Crystal Cove

We knew when we got the kids their Camelbaks for Christmas that we wanted to do at least one hike during out time in California, and I wanted it to have ocean views. Danny did some research and decided to take us north for the day. We ended up in Crystal Cove State Park, right by Newport Beach and Irvine where my niece Rose served her mission! I loved the drive, which took us through quaint and totally touristy beach towns. I think I could live the hippie beach life and be pretty happy. :)

Danny decided on Moro Ridge Trail, which would give us a mix of "mountain" and ocean views. It was a beautiful hike, though a bit of a challenge during the middle part. We had to ascend to the top of the ridge in order to get our ocean views, and it was more of a steady incline that the girls are used to. But it's good to push our boundaries, and the girls did awesome! 

And when we finally made it to the top, the views were worth every bit of the effort. The girls thought it deserved "Megan's Mountain Pose"! Sophie loved (and pointed out) every bit of cacti we came across...silly girl. Joey loved being in his pack, and we all loved chatting and eating our hiking snacks. The kids LOVE their new Camelbaks and, well, the hike just couldn't have been any more perfect. We felt like we were on top of the world, and looking out into the expanse of glittery ocean was awe-inspiring. Definitely one of our favorite hikes yet.  

The coolest part of this hike was the the parking was set between the trail head and the beach access. The trail was also a loop, so when we finished the hike we were back at the car. We changed into our suits right there in the suburban and then walked through the tunnel at the end of the parking lot and voila!, we were at the beach!! Seriously. Perfect. It was another beautiful afternoon, and even though Danny and I thought it a bit cold to be in the water the kids loved it! 

Since traffic was going to be a nightmare, we decided to take our time getting home. Danny realized that the Newport Beach Temple was just a few minutes from where we were, so we detoured that direction. We alway take any opportunity we can to see a temple! And my was this one worth the detour. I think it might be the most beautiful temple grounds I've ever seen. It looked like a little Spanish mission oasis. Hopefully we'll have cause to come back for Rose and Noah's wedding in the near future... :)

Once we finally made it back to the resort, we got the kids bathed and to bed. We had one more full day in our beloved Carlsbad...

Kickin' It In Carlsbad

After our big day at the zoo, we decided on a quieter day. We walked a very energetic Joey over to the playground at the resort, and then played for a while in the Kids Club. One Joey was worn out and ready for a nap, we brought out Yahtzee and watched Johnny's stress-levels go through the roof. He's just like his Daddy...he doesn't handle games of chance very well! :)

Then we spent some time swimming as a family. It was a little chilly, but not bad. And there was no way we were passing up this scene in December!!

We promised the kids two things on this trip...we'd do sunset at the beach (our tradition) and they could shop for souvenirs. They had dutifully been saving their money for months! So we went down to Carlsbad Village and walked around, feeling super touristy and super cool. :) But seriously, Carlsbad Village is a pretty hip place to spend an evening! We found an okay souvenir shop...we were hoping for more general California souvenirs, but it was full of Carlsbad stuff. Though Sophie found the perfect hoodie for herself, and she's been wanting a hoodie ever since Claire got her awesome one in Yellowstone. We were feeling a little bummed that we didn't find the type of store we were looking for, but then across a very busy street we saw another shop. And this one was perfect!! Both girls found the cutest California shirts and Johnny got a California hat and surfer bracelet...perfect for our Cali native. :) Danny also picked up a couple decks of souvenir California playing cards to add to our botchi collection. It was the perfect souvenir shopping trip!

Finally it was time for our most favorite part of being in Carlsbad...sunset at the beach. Carlsbad has amazing beaches, and this was a particularly beautiful evening. The girls donned their beach hats, Johnny wore his souvenir Cali hat, and Joey just loved every inch of sand! 

This sunset was made even more awesome by the dolphin pods we could see from the beach. It made for quite an exciting evening for us, even though we could only see their dorsal fins poking out of the water every so often. Even so, there were real live dolphins out there and everybody loves real live dolphins!! We stayed until the last bit of the sun was gone, and for that last few minutes we just watched the sun dip below the horizon. It was the perfect evening in every way.

On our way home, we stopped to get Chinese takeout at our favorite restaurant in Oceanside where the portions are huge and the price is low...and even better the food is delicious! Once we were back to the resort, we had to bathe Joey first thing since he brought sand home in every nook and cranny of his adorable little body. This is what happens when you leave Sophie to watch Joey in the bathtub. :)

Dinner was beyond delicious, and we all ate until we could eat no more. Then Johnny insisted that we play some Botchi with our newly acquired souvenir card decks. Danny and I are loving that we can play card games with the kids now!

Our day in Carlsbad was perfection, and made us wish we had more days to just spend there at the resort and around town. But our trip was quickly coming to an end, with just two more days of fun!