Following the Sun

Forget the snow...I am going to the beach! We left six inches of snow and headed south taking a dose of sunshine everywhere we went. Every Christmas Spencer's dad arranges for a special service project for a member of the family that everyone participates in. Last year we built a pergola for Spencer's sister. And this year they paid for everyone to head to Zions where Spencer's brother lives to do some cleaning in his yard. Here are a few pictures of the service day. We met up in the morning and had breakfast and whistled while we worked. I mostly tried to keep Miles and Brighton from the fire, chain saw, flying ax, and variety of other dangerous things.

Dan should be all stocked up on wood for next winter.


Dan has quite a bit of land and Heather tilled and tilled up that red dirt.

The kids loved all the little critters around there. Yes Stella is LOVING this little snake. They chased lizards and frogs too. But the snakes were highly favored.



We also got some hiking in. Here we are hiking to emerald pools with the family.



Emerald pool number one and child number one.

Emerald pool number two and time for a breather.


We really like to wear this kid out. He was folded in half in this backpack. It looked so painful.


And we got some swim time in at a very nice pool. If you ever visit Zions the Desert Pearl is a great choice.

Grandfather with the boys on the balcony.

The rooms were very modern with a European feel. It even had a bidet to keep everything fresh. Miles thought it was his own personal sink that he could actually reach.


The day before we arrived in Zions it rained and rained but the sun was shining as soon as we arrived. Spencer had a few days off so we thought we better keep heading south to Laguna Beach, California where they were experiencing record heat! Yes we were packing the warmth. It was 80 degrees where we were and believe me it was a welcome change. This trip was NOT about Mickey Mouse (next time) but rather rest, relaxation and good quality family time. All were met.


This was a great beach in Laguna. Fully equipped with a park and tide pools for the kids to explore. And to build..

And build....
And build...

And bury.
One morning we found this great little pool of water on the beach that provided hours of fun.

Miles would run through it and then face plant right into the water. He would look a little shocked and then do it again.

Stella loving her baby bro.

There were starfish everywhere.The tide pools were also stocked with starfish, sea anemone, little crabs, and other life to check out.
I love beaches with parks. This one had a great ship.

Captain of the seas.

We also headed into town to sample the local cuisine. This was a wonderful Mediterranean joint. It was great for kids because it was casual, outdoors, with live music filling the air. The kids were entertained and not sticking out like sore thumbs in a formal restaurant. We also checked out the local ice-cream shops.

This was was a cool little lane downtown that smelt of chocolate and gelato due to the yummy shops found down its brick path. They have great unique restaurants and boutiques to shop around in. They were even having a little art walk along the beach.


We stayed at a great family friendly resort where we could walk to the beach. The kids took advantage of all the activities at the place. I am not sure if they ever hit the ball! It is a very relaxed place that they could roam and it had a full kitchen so we didn't have to drag them to too many restaurants.

I love all the the California blooms. There were plenty around the hotel.

Well we packed up our sunshine and headed home to 80 degree weather where we had left snow only days before! I have been trying to recover from the trip in piles of laundry and the daily hum drum. Daydreaming and planning my next trip to the Beach! Happy Spring.