Cardiff, Ca

Jack and I were invited to spend 12 days in Cardiff, California last month with our friends Lily and Ryan.

Cardiff is a small surf town- just south of the Carlsbad area. We helped dog/house sit for Lily's Grandma.

We left Phoenix early in the am.

The moms packed the car and buckled the boys in their car seats and hit the road.

... and we didn't look back (that's because we couldn't see out the back window)!

But- we managed to pack everything you'd ever think 2 moms and toddlers would need!

It didn't take long for us to make ourselves at home. Lily and I are lucky that the boys share similar routines.

Below are the boys waiting for the evening baths.

Handsome bodies!

After getting ourselves settled (ie: grocery store shopping and childproofing) It was time to hit the beach!

Both Kenneth and Chris (respected husbands/fathers) arrived in California early Friday morning.

We really didn't give them much time to adjust after a long car ride.

With the combination of the nice warm breeze, and the sounds of the ocean- Chris was out the minute he sat in the beach chair.

#1 Rule for moms- let sleeping babies sleep.

(Same rule applies to sleeping Daddy's).

Once Chris woke up- He and Jack hit the water!

Family Photo Opp

Our Little Surfer Dude!

(Thanks to Ryan's Uncle Jacob- a true surfer, who let the boys sit on a real surf board)

What's the Golden Rule of Surfing?

Never Surf Alone- Always surf with a buddy!

Lily and I are no fools- we put the dads to work right away.

Chris and Kenneth were in charge of changing the boys out of wet suits and into clean, dry diapers!

This became an all too familiar sight....

We were only a 5 minute drive from the beach- but sometime both boys could not keep their eyes open after a full day at the beach.

Back to the beach for another day of fun.



At the end of the weekend- the dad's flew back to Phoenix to do what dads do- work.

During the week- Lily and I kept busy with shopping, and visiting some family.

Lily had a brother who lives in the Huntington area. It took us about an hour to make it to the "The Surf City". We walked along the pier just around sunset- it was beautiful.

(We managed to avoid traffic and smoke-filled skies of the LA Area- where the Wildfire was burning).

Before we knew it- it was the weekend again and the Dad's were back!

We visited more beaches... including Moonlight Beach. This was voted our favorite because the tide was just at the right level for our boys to play and play and play.

They also had a cute park nearby.... and they sold Snow Cones at the snack bar!

Yum.

Part of our routine included a late afternoon nap for the boys....

and we mean all the boys.

One of the special treats Jack got on this trip was his very first pair of Reefs.

He looks just like his Daddy now.

The weather in Southern California was unseasonably warm for the Late-August/Early September time of year. (Mostly the reason for so many beach days). We're talking High 80s/Low 90s the ENTIRE time we were there.

We did manage to sneak over to the San Diego Zoo on the Labor Day Weekend.

It was a good time- but most of the animals were inside in their little homes- avoiding the sun.

On the last day of our trip- Chris, Jack and I packed up and headed south to San Diego. We wanted to give the Randall Family some time to themselves with Grandma when she returned home.

We stayed at the new Hilton Hotel- Bay Side. It was beautiful. It's only been open for about 8 months- and it's located right in the Gas Lamp District... across from PetCo Field.

It was also in walking distance from Seaport Village.

While we were walking around all of the shops- we stopped to watch a Magician.

This was Jack's 1st Street Act!

He loved watching the performance... until I got on his level and realized he was watching the kite off in the distance the whole time!

I guess it takes a lot to impress Jack!

This is one of my favorite photos from the trip.

Earlier in the week- Jack fell asleep on our way to an early dinner.

It's very unusual for Jack to stay asleep once awake- especially through a meal.

Thanks so much to the Randall Family and to Grandma Hamman for inviting us to stay with you on such a wonderful trip. We're just glad we managed to capture Jack at the beach... otherwise he'd still be there!