Happy 4th of July!

For the whole 4^th of July week we went to visit my parents in the house they are leasing in Dana Point. It was a fun filled week! My sister and her two kids live near-by so Carson got a lot of cousin time. 

Carson helping Grandpa drive the little party boat we rented in the harbor

What a looker! ha ha

Luke loved sucking on his life jacket

Ollie, Ami and Carson enjoying their Ring Pops on Grandma and Grandpa's patio. (Check out that ocean view. I don't  think my Mom can ever go back to LA County.)

My Dad celebrated his 60^th birthday on the 3^rd with this yummy chocolate cake! The grown-ups also got to go out to dinner to the Chart House. The food was amazing, but the best part was NO KIDS!

Dad blowing out his candles

My cousin Andrea and her hubby and kids joined us for the party too. 

The community they live in (Niguel Shores) had all sorts of fun things organized on the 4^th. Our morning started with a parade.

Watching the flag being raised. I love this picture of all the men with the kids on their shoulders

Followed by swimming.

Carson is a fish. He can jump off the edge of the pool and swim back to the edge all by himself. Pretty impressive for a 2-yr-old. He can come up once for breath. Our little swimmer! 

We spent the evening on the back patio roasting hotdogs and making S’mores. Nothing like a fire, metal sticks, and 2 and 4 year old boys!

Niguel Shores had a big party with music down on their grassy common area, while people are waiting for the fireworks. The kids had so much fun dancing and running around! I do have to say Steve and I opted for our kiddos to go to sleep long before the fireworks started. Mean Mom and Dad-I know. The fireworks were great. We could clearly see the Laguna, Newport, and off in the distance, the Huntington Beach firework shows from the patio.

 Of course no trip to OC would be complete without plenty of beach time. Steve and I tried paddle boarding for the first time and loved it. Steve, my Dad and I even got some jet skiing in. After living up here for the past 6 years I am always shocked about how warm the ocean gets during the summer down there.

Luke wasn't the biggest fan of the beach. He did not like the sun in his face, all the wind, or cold water. He looks pretty happy here though.

The boys playing on the paddle board. Carson Loves his big boy cousin Ollie and copies everything he does. Everytime we visit they do better and better together.

It was a great week and we can’t wait to go back in September. In fact we might come in August too!