Our Family Adventures: July 4th

On Monday morning we went to the annual July 4th breakfast with the church. It was great. Jarod made chorrizo and eggs to share, and there was a nice program. At the end, a flock of homing pigeons was released. Their flight created a little breeze, which was heavenly. It was quite a warm morning. By 8:00 it was almost 90 degrees outside. I was dying. After the breakfast we headed to the beach. I was quite worn out before we got there from our activities over the weekend. As soon as we arrived at the beach and opened our windows to feel the pleasant 75 degree air, I was refreshed and rejuvenated. It was just what this pregnant mama needed. The thing we like about living in Bakersfield is that it's just a hop, skip, and a jump from all the attractions that make California a great place to visit. It only takes two hours to get to the beach and mountains. What could be better?

As soon as we got to the beach we ate our little picnic, and then headed into the waves. The older two kids loved it!

This is what Jack spent most of the time doing. We did convince him to get in the water a few times, but usually only if I was holding him.

I love his sandy toes.

Carly and Josh had a great time jumping in the waves with Daddy.

When Josh got cold he came and sat on the beach with me and Jack. Then he proceeded to scoot down to the water...filling his trunks with sand in the process.

I got a kick out of it.

I convinced Josh to let me bury his legs in an effort to warm him up.

While we were playing, I noticed a man walking the beach with a chameleon on his head. He was nice enough to stop and show off his pet to the kids.

I let the kids bury me, in the hopes that then I could do the same to them. They had a great time. It was funny to watch them try to bury my tummy, only to have the sand slide off my suit. It took all I had in me not to stand up and shake it all off, because there were these tiny baby worm/cricket looking bugs that I could feel crawling on me. I had major heebee jeebees. I was pretty proud of how I kept it together, though. When I stood up, I tried to convince Carly to take a turn...she decided that the bugs were not for her, so we all headed out to the waves to rinse off.

I got the kids started on a sand sculpture. We were inspired by the group next to us that had some pretty impressive sand art. Notice the dolphin and shark in the background?

After a while they started collecting rocks and organizing them into a design.

We had a great time playing, and by the time we left, it was time for dinner. We found a local seafood restaurant, and were treated to some deliciously fresh seafood.