Carlsbad, Here We COme!!!!

Autumn and Gus were given a week at a time share Condo in Carlsbad, CA and were SOOO kind to invite us! We have been looking forward to this since THanksgiving when we were invited! We could wait to see our cousins and be in such a FUN spot all together! And to top it all off...it was free! We could ALL use that kind of place to stay, huh?
I'm sure the pictures won't do justice to just how beautiful this place really was, but I"ll try to capture the fun we had here!

 

Here is the front of the condo where we stayed. I guess it is a mixture of hotel and condos....it's in a great spot right up from the beach! WE literally could walk out of the gate, accross the street and down to the beach! SOOOOO fun!

 

We arrived Saturday evening...so the next morning, we tried to start the day off right and go to church. WEll, we should get the blessings for trying....but I'm afraid all we were able to do was take the sacrament because there was standing room only in the foyer! I have NEVER seen a place so crowded!

 

The kids just had a ball together. I am so grateful that my kids love their cousins so much. We weren't super close to the 7 cousins we had growing up. I want to make sure that my kids know their cousins better than that! Since we live far away from any cousins, we really try to make an effort to see them at least once a year. Abbie and Lucas were 2 peas in a pod the whole trip. It was really cute how much they were together!

 

Aaron is a little heart breaker. He is such a cutie pie! We all just couldn't get enough of him! He is definitely a busy boy. ALways closing doors, getting into the toilet, climbing up on things, you know, you're typical toddler. BUt those dimples and chubby legs and all of that just made us want to come back for more and more kisses! The kids loved being around him. SInce I can't have anymore kids, I love to have a baby around for them to have that experience of loving a baby!

 

THe first thing the kids want to do whenever we get to a hotel or condo is SWIM! I think they swam 3-5 hours a day! They couldn't seem to get enough! THey would go in the afternoon and were ready to go back again in the evening. THis was really turning out to be a fun LOW BUDGET trip! A condo has a kitchen...so we cooked all but one meal in 6 days and went swimming alot! TERRIFIC!

 

This guy is the love of my life. I don't know where I'd be without him. He is such a gentleman, and so kind and loving. I love the dad he is to the kids...I love that he calms me down and puts everything into perspective, I love the example he is to me....he just makes me want to be a better person! He's here trying to catch a couple of sun rays and getting ready to go toss the ball to the kids while they are jumping into the pool....

 

Abbie and Lucas were jumping into the water together holding hands. How precious is that? Lucas got really brave in the water this trip! Much to him mom's delight!

 

The boys played ping pong several times. IT's fun to see them go and play things together. It does a mom's heart good. I love having them be this age. They are still my little boys, but old enough to entertain themselves and have a good time. I just love my boys!

 

ON Memorial Day...the condo had a whole celebration. One of the things they did was have this lady come in and show them some different kinds of animals and reptiles. Mason was chosen to come up and help hold this snake. EWW...I can't stand snakes, but Mason sure liked it! Abbie got to go and touch it too. GOod for them....keep it away from me though!

 

What is it about the beach that just brings out the excitement? The sound, the smell, the people all around, the sand, I dunno...but Abbie could hardly contain herself as a wave came rolling in.

 

Here they are giving boogie boarding a try. Eli did really well! He got the hang of it and made it look fun! OF course I didn't do it cuz the camera would get wet. :)

 

The kids brought their DS games. Those were quite a hit! It was really cute watching Lucas and Sam sit by Mason and Eli to see them play their games. We made sure to have them share, but it was fun that they all sat together and enjoyed the games.

 

Gus is a GREAT and MARVELOUS cook! Oh my goodness! That guy can make meat taste like....a little piece of heaven! I didn't think to take pictures before we ate, I just captured a picture of a LITTLE bit of leftovers...we just kept eating and eating cuz it tasted so good!