August 2012

August was another busy summer month. 

Lincoln had swimming lessons, something I didn't venture last year because I wasn't sure how I would be able to do it with my other two children.  This year it worked out pretty well.  Lincoln would go to his class and Gwen, Ned and I would sit on the side bleachers playing with cars, or babies, or the i-pad.  Lincoln loved his swimming lessons and it actually gave him enough confidence to get him to actually start swimming on his own.  This was something he hadn't been able to do before the swim lessons. 


swimming through the hoop

We ate a lot of popsicles this month, or "popcoes" as Ned calls them.

Then our big trip was back to the beach, Newport Coast right before school started.

Ahh.... I want to go back!

 

We were actually able to go with most of my side of the family!  It was perfect weather and so much fun because the kids had tons of cousins to play with! We used to BBQ's at the villa a ton and here's a picture of us with one of our dinner picnics just outside the villas.  It's funny, in my town, most people pay tons of money for a house with a view of the Las Vegas strip.  I could take or leave such a house, but this kind of view, I'd be willing to pay for!
I didn't get any pictures of us making s'mores at the fire pit that night, but that's something else we enjoyed all together. 

The cousins kept themselves busy with collecting snails.  They ran all around our villas in search of these guys.  Lincoln and Gwen were very hesitant to touch them, but the others had no problem.  We wondered what the grounds gardners would think upon seeing all these snails sitting on this post. 

We spent most of our time at this beach,  Laguna Beach.  It was so perfect and Lincoln actually got into the whole beach thing.  Thanks to his cousins, he ventured into the water more and once in, it was hard getting him out.

 

 

Ned and Gwen stayed up in the sand for the most part and played with sand toys.  Lincoln allowed himself to be buried on a couple occasions.  We made the mistake of taking Nilla Wafer cookies to the beach the first day and every day after, Ned would hang around our bag begging for cookies. 

Zach decided to build a sand-soccer stadium.

Ned would generally fall asleep on our shuttle ride back to the villas.  All that fun n'sun was a bit much for him.  But after his nap, or before, depending on the day, we'd take him to the pool where he'd jump in to his heart's content.  He is such a little water-baby it was fun just watching him step off the edge of the pool over and over!  We'll have to keep our eye on him whenever he's around a body of water, he has no fear!  Lincoln and Gwen of course loved the pool too!  Lincoln had a chance to get better at his swimming and Gwen would putter around in her life jacket. 

My parents were kind enough to watch the kids for us one early morning so Zach and I could attend a session at the Newport Coast temple.  It was fun for me as it was the first time I ever did a session in any temple other than the Las Vegas temple! 

Putting this blog together two months after the trip has been fun and making me pining for the next opportunity to go down!