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| Visiting Gigi in Newport Beach, CA at Newport Dunes! Boy's first camping trip! |
What a big week we just had! So, I think it is only fitting that it have a post of it's very own, especially since I would likely forget some things if I waited until the boys 4 month mark to write about them. So, a mini celebration to their 13th week of life!
We felt it was time to escape the Vegas heat. I mean, every time we walked outside, it would literally felt like we were melting (hitting 105* that week and as I am writing this, it is 114* outside! YUCK!)! So, what better place to go to do that than the beach and to have the boys go camping technically for the first time?! We were off to Newport Beach, California to visit Gigi (Grandpa's mom, mommy's grandma) for 4th of July week. And we were all excited to hear it was going to be in the 70s for the most part! Ah, what would that be like?! We went from Monday until Friday and had the most amazing time!
We started our drive to SoCal right after both boys woke up and ate. It usually takes about 4 hours to drive there, but we made a pit stop in Baker, California for the boys to eat again. They were great the whole way and pretty much slept until we were pulling off the freeway near our destination. Newport Dunes is where Gigi calls home and we were ecstatic we were getting to stay with her for a few days. Lodging would be tight as we were staying in her 32 foot RV, but it all worked out wonderfully. The boys did great! Monday was spent basically relaxing for our first night there, and Gigi getting some cuddle time in with her two great grandsons. We walked down to the bay but the wind was blowing and it was a little bit of torture for the little guys. They weren't sure how to handle it. The wind literally was taking the breath away. Poor guys.
Tuesday, while Gigi was at the gym, we headed up to Huntington Beach to have breakfast at the Sugar Shack and then walked out on the pier for the boys first "sighting" of the beach. It was a bit chilly, so they didn't come out of their car seats, but we got some great pictures none the less. And then (as food seems to always be a highlight for this momma), you can't go to Newport and not visit the Crab Cooker at least once. So we headed over there for a late lunch/early dinner and boy was it YUMMY! Nothing like the crab cakes and clam chowder there! =) After some naps and general playing at Gigi's, it was time to settle into bed for the night. The boys really did go down very well the whole time we were there for bed time (naps were hit or miss as they napped up on Gigi's bed), but they were very content in their pack and play bassinet for bedtime and it fit perfectly right next to Gigi's kitchen table (and darn it, would you know Grandma, we never did get a picture of our perfect little set up!). Well, at about 3:30am that night/next morning, I woke to a little bit of noise from one of the boys, but then nothing. They were out! So I sat there, waiting, and waiting, and waiting...from 3:30am until Parker started really stirring around 5:15am! What?! Yup! They had slept through the night for the first time! Even my hubby asked me when he opened his eyes around 4:45am, "No way! Did I miss something?" Nope, honey. Just me sitting, waiting and thinking any minute one of our babies would wake up! LOL! And I am pleased to say, they continued that for the rest of our stay (and even the first night back home, but the last few nights have been a little touch and go)! Gigi said it was the cool, salty ocean air. Haha, whatever it was, can I bottle it up please?! It was amazing. And I noticed a change in the boys too. They woke up pretty happy and content. What a milestone! Fingers crossed that it just continues!
4th of July finally made it and we joined some of Gigi's neighbors for an omelet boil (I think that's what they called it). We headed down the road to another RV and got to pick our favorite omelet ingredients, put them in a big Ziploc bag with a giant scoop of scrambled egg. Then, they were labeled with our names and added to the waiting area. The "chef" dropped each one into a giant vat of boiling water for 13 minutes and viola, yummy omelet breakfast! And it really was delish! We sat and chatted a bit and then the 5 of us decided to take a cruise around the dune's bay to check out the 4th of July happenings. The place was packed with patriotic beach goers settling in for the day and for the evening's fireworks show! We made our way around the entire bay and headed back to the trailer for a nice little lunch and nap. Then it was time to welcome some more friends and family at Gigi's, which included my second cousin and her husband, and my grandma's good friend! We all had a great afternoon chatting, catching up, and just enjoying the very overcast day. And we couldn't have a 4th of July gathering without a BBQ. Burgers and salad were served and it was all yummy. After putting the boys down, Daddy volunteered to stay behind at the trailer on baby duty and the rest of us wondered down to the bay to get a good spot for the fireworks. To be honest, I don't know if there was a bad seat! The fireworks went off right above our heads. One of the most amazing 4th of July firework experiences I have every seen. It was great. We even got to see a couple of shows off in the distance. When all was said and done, we headed back to the trailer for a little festive dessert of angel food cake topped with strawberries, blueberries, and Cool Whip. YUM! A great way to wrap up a great 4th!
Our last full day in Newport Beach was a wonderful one as well. We headed over to Balboa Island for breakfast at Wilma's Patio (see, there I go continuing to talk about food! I had some of the most wonderful eggs benedict in case anyone was wondering!). After breakfast, we drove down and parked on Topaz St., where grandma's family once owned two homes, one of which I was lucky enough to experience as a kid. Awe, the memories. We parked and headed down to the ferry that would take us over to the peninsula. The boys FIRST ferry boat ride and it was awesome! Of course, they slept through the whole ride, both ways, but I loved being able to take them on it! We walked around the peninsula and down to the pier, picking up two postcards that we sent from right there with a little note from Gigi and a memorable magnet to add to our growing magnet collection of places we've been!
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| Breakfast at Wilma's |
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| One of the houses on Topaz St. on Balboa Island |
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| The Balboa Pavilion |
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| On the ferry |
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| Huntington Beach Pier |
And we finally rounded out our trip by taking in a MLB baseball game. Another first for the boys! We saw the Angels of Anaheim take on (and win) the Baltimore Orioles. It was fun and we stayed until the 8th inning. The boys did great and stayed up for a good chunk of the game and then finally fell asleep in their carseats. We had a great time and it was a wonderful experience. Overall, the trip was fabulous and just what all of us needed! It was awesome spending great quality time with Gigi, especially since she hadn't seen the boys since they were about a week old. Now, with them being so active and talkative, she really got to see them growing up and into their little personalities. And I loved just being able to hang out with my amazing grandma for a few days.
So we said our good byes and gave big kisses and headed out. The boys had another great car ride all the way home, sleeping most of the way. Back to the horrid heat of Vegas, but with amazing memories of a beautiful summer trip to the beach with Gigi! Aaaahhhhh!
