Laguna Beach

 This being our fourth summer of spending a week in Laguna Beach, and we’re still not tired of it!!!  We got to spend the week with my parents, my sister and brother at my Aunt’s beach house.  We visited a few of our favorite spots to eat and beach and then added some new places too!

Monday we went to San Clamente beach, Tuesday to Knott’s Berry Farm…So who knew about Knott’s Berry Farm?  What a pleasant surprise!  The kids were only $20 and adults were $32.  We practically had the park to ourselves and without any lines, rode rides again and again.  There was a huge kids area (even several that Matthew at 20 months old could ride by himself), enormous (too big for me) roller coasters for Nathan and Kristin, shows, and a stage coach that rides around the entire park.  My parents stayed with kids and I all day (Tyler had to work) and we loved every minute of watching the kids enjoy what Megan said was “the best day of her life, even more than at home”.  Believe me, I am not providing this level of entertainment at home!!
Check out their faces (they are the middle four)!

Matthew really got into it, even throwing his arms up just like the big kids!

Wednesday we went to Balboa Island and Pearl Beach, Thursday to (our favorite San Diego beach) La Jolla Shores, and Friday to the Top of the World hike and then Corona Del Mar main beach.  Friday was my birthday and what an awesome place to spend it!!  The kids (with help from my mom and sister) brought in breakfast in bed, pancakes shaped into an “M” for Mom and “R” for Rachelle.  After an especially busy week at work Tyler took the day off for the national holiday and we found a beautiful drive to the “Top of the World”.  It’s actually a hike and now that we know about it, we’ve got it on our list for next year.  In addition, to a beautiful view at the top, there is a fantastic playground where the kids could have stayed all day.   Next we enjoyed finding a new beach in Corona Del Mar.  This beach was great with Hawaii fine sand, shallow enough kids could walk out and enjoy jumping the waves and great boogie-boarding.  As you head into the harbor there was another small beach area with a beautiful cave and rock climbers galore!  Even Matthew asked to have Grandma help him climb the rocks like them!  After one of my favorite dinners (extra yummy because everyone else prepared it and I showered), Salsa Verde pork tacos, we had cake and ice cream.  That was really special since I haven’t been with my parents and siblings on my birthday in years!  Afterwards there was even a little “Rachelle Roast” which lucky for me, turned quickly into a “let’s go around the table and say why we love Rachelle” session instead!  It was a great 35^th birthday!

Saturday my parents, sister, and brother left early and we too headed out to visit our friends, Mark and Jennie Rowen.  They used to live in Rocklin and we miss there darling family so much!  We had lunch and headed out to the Mormon Battalion Visitors Center in Old Town San Diego.

 This newly remodeled center you do NOT WANT TO MISS!  It was fantastic!  The thirty-five minute tour was informative and fun!  It was an intimate, “turn back the clock” experience.  It tells the story of who the Mormon Battalion members were and their significance to California history.  It is especially meaningful to me as one of my ancestors, Ezra Allen- my great, great, great grandfather was in the Battalion.  His story I will share in a future post.  Since the remodel, the center has added his gold pouches.  I was emotionally touched when I saw them, moved by this man’s sacrifice and commitment to God and his personal beliefs.
Afterwards we stopped by La Jolla shores, their community pool, and then home for some of Jennie’s homemade pizza and yummy carmel brownies (I’ve mentioned before that my friends are all fabulous  cooks!).  The kids did their annual play in the backyard, complete with costumes, curled hair, make-up, villains, and princesses.  We were up late visiting with Mark and Jennie and had a great time before heading home on Sunday morning.