Hello, Gorgeous California!

Every summer vacation seems to come with its own story, and this one included just about everything we love about California.

Sunshine. The ocean. Long bike rides along the beach. A little surfing for the boys and plenty of swimming for the girls.

Our stay at the Pacific Terrace Hotel in San Diego was F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C! We could walk just about everywhere...restaurants, shopping, ice cream shops, bike rentals, the beach and even carnival rides. With a view of the ocean right outside our balcony, we were perfectly happy to settle in and stay awhile.

The kids spent hours playing in the sand, combing the beach for little treasures and running in and out of the water. The boys grabbed surfboards, while Dad took the girls out to catch a few waves of their own.

And then there were these two...

Bare feet. Fluffy skirts. Dancing along the shoreline as the sun went down.

Some of my favorite photographs from the entire trip came from simply standing back and watching them play together. There is something about the beach that makes childhood look exactly the way I want to remember it.

I love the sound of excited play, and that's exactly what I hear when we're at the beach. Add the ocean breeze, the beautiful sunsets and my favorite people all together, and it's easy to understand why we find ourselves returning again and again.

Oh...and one more photo.

It's a real b-u-m-m-e-r when a kid decides he doesn't need sunscreen (even when his mama tells him otherwise).

Some kids just gotta learn on their own.

OUCH!

Next summer I'm guessing Mama won't have to remind him twice. ;)