san clemente, california

We just spent a wonderful week at the beach with the Marz clan.  We rented a beach house in San Clemente and turned in to beach bums for the week.  The home we stayed in was on a cliff overlooking the San Clemente beach – it was heaven.  Here’s what we looked at from the back porch:

 

We knew the kids would love the beach but we weren’t sure if 6 straight days on the beach would be too much so we had a few back-up activities up our sleeve just in case.  Turns out we didn’t need them.  The kids [and adults] were total beach bums for 6 days straight.  It was fun seeing my kids get so much quality time with their cousins.  They love the girlies and really look up to their big cousin, Kyle.

Most days we plopped down on the beach right below the house.  We did venture to Laguna one day and just down the beach a little another day.  It was nice to not have anything scheduled or feel like we had to do anything.

A few things to remember . . .

. There is a train right below the house that runs along the beach from 5:30am – 11:00pm.  At first I thought it may be annoying but it never really bothered me at all.  Ryan LOVED this train. He heard it long before I did as it was coming along the tracks.  He’d yell “choo-choo” every time and run so he could see it.

. We consumed alot of donuts on this trip.  Sam knew of a great donut place – Surfin’ Donuts and she got us all hooked.  By far one of the best donut[s] I’ve ever had.

. One afternoon Kyle didn’t want to come back down to the beach so he was nice enough to listen for Ryan while he was napping so Wes and I could both go back down with Nate.  We get a phone call from Kyle that there was a squirrel in his bedroom.  Apparently it came through on the main level – ate our donuts & tomatoes – and then ran upstairs to his room.  He handled it really well and got the squirrel out of his balcony door – it was pretty funny!

. Wes and Kyle were out in the ocean and the waves were getting pretty big so Kyle got rescued by a lifeguard.

. Ryan had no fear of the ocean.  From the moment his feet hit the sand on day 1 – he sprinted to the waves without hesitation.  He got lightly tossed a few times but luckily we were able to get to him before any massive waves completely wiped him out. 

. It was really nice to escape the heat of the desert for a week.  Even though it was overcast for a few days and sometimes a little chilly on the beach, it was a welcomed change from 114 degrees.

. Overall, my kids slept well while we were there.  [except for the first two mornings when our day started at 5:30am].  When you’re on the same floor as my parents, Sam & Kyle . . . you pretty much have to leave the premises or else you’ll wake the whole house up.  It ended up being a fabulous thing because every morning Wes and I loaded the kids in the stroller and either walked the beach or the hills of San Clemente.  Living that close to the beach and seeing so many people running makes you want to exercise.  And then we’d follow it up with a trip to the donut shop. :)

. Wes & my dad played golf at the Del Mar Country Club one day.  My dad’s good friend Peter has a membership there and Peter was nice enough to fly down from Vegas to take Wes and my dad.  They had a great time.  Who wouldn’t on a course like that!

. There was a lot of sand castle building & burying little kids going on.  Ali was always willing to help the kids build a castle & Ryan was ready to knock every single one down.  I love that Abbie can’t stop grinning [I love that smile of hers] and Nate looks dead in this picture.

Ryan was pretty funny sometimes.  He’d hand you a bucket for you to fill up with water and then as you walked down to the ocean to fill it up – he got SO mad that you took his bucket!  As soon as he realized you were bringing it back full of water he was all smiles but he did this over and over.  It was pretty funny.

The kids loved the sand but the ocean was a big hit, too.  Kyle was all about going out to catch the waves so Wes quickly became his ocean buddy.  Abbie, Nate & Ryan loved being out there in the waves, too.  Nate especially loved boogie boarding!

The kids loved to go on beach adventures.  Tripp took Abbie, Daisy & Nate on a beach adventure every day.  He taught them all about the ocean, the sand, how to carry your flip flops, etc.  Nate keeps teaching me all kinds of random facts that Uncle Tripp taught him.  The kids loved collecting beach treasures.  We came home with a collection of rocks, shells, etc. that now sits in a jar in Nate’s room.  My mom was all about getting exercise on the beach so she threw Ryan in a stroller once a day and gave us a little break so we could just sit on the beach.

 

. And yes, even more ocean fun with bubbles on the beach, Ryan chasing the kids, some lounging, etc.

. One night we did make it to an Angels game.  Ali stayed back with the kiddos while the rest of us enjoyed a night out.  You can never go wrong with a baseball game.  I’m pretty sure Sam and I consumed more than the recommended daily caloric intake just at the baseball game but it sure was delicious.

 

. We attempted some casual photos on the beach.  A lot of them turned out except for my family.  See Ryan in this picture below?  He was totally fine before and after pictures but DURING them?  Not so much.

I love these next two with Aunt Sam.  Everybody needs an Aunt Sam.  I’m pretty sure every time a little one asked her to do something whether it was build a castle or jump the waves – she was ready.  Her nieces and nephews sure do adore her.

 

           

The original Marz clan.

  

      

 

This week of bliss never would have happened without these two wonderful people.  Thanks mom & dad!