Anything But Crabby

One way to keep three boys very happy is to take them to the beach on a beautiful day and let them run wild. Landin, Keegan and Braden did just that at Laguna Beach. They boogie boarded, played in the sand and tossed around the football. The highlight though, was finding several large crabs. A couple of the crabs were hanging out in this bucket.

After contemplating taking the crabs home for dinner, we ended up letting them go free.

Bike Buddies

We live in a great neighborhood that is filled with kids. Jaydon is one of a few 4-year-old boys on our street who Braden loves to hang with.


Taking a break from riding bikes, Braden and Jaydon enjoyed snow cones on a very warm evening...this was followed by a popsicle...and another snow cone.

Photo Opps

Unfortunately, we rarely have the opportunity to spend time with Christian, Sandy, Sydney, Kendall and Lyla. We were excited they visited southern California so we were able to hang out with them a bit. Our friend Sarah was nice enough to deal with the chaos of attempting to round up our overly tired, hungry and cranky bunch...and I'm not referring to just the kids!

It's a rarity to get a family picture, even though it only involves gathering just the three of us!

A picture perfect family with three girls who are growing up way too quickly!
Braden loves to give out his squeezy hugs to Gramma....

And goofing off with Papa, but....

Looking adorable is Braden's specialty!

Wow, another decent family picture?

Matt and his mini-me were less than thrilled about my enthusiasm for taking family photos. They couldn't escape the camera though on these rocks.

Papa, Gramma,, and their 4 favorite blessings...they never referred to them like that specifically, but we assume they feel that way!

Fun for the Fourth

The combination of perfect weather, wonderful family, and good friends made for the ideal excuse to spend a few days camping at the beach in San Diego to celebrate the 4th of July.

This little beach boy caught a few rays while getting really sandy.

Braden kicked off the weekend by participating in the campground's bike parade.
Gramma and Papa put the Martha Stewart touch on Braden's bike to make sure he really displayed his patriotism.
Showing off his red, white, & blue from all angles!No time for bathroom breaks. Braden misinterpreted, "Go pee in the ocean." Benefit of being a boy...no need to be discreet.

Double the fun!

If you're old enough to own a boogie board, you're old enough to carry it yourself to the beach.

Addison chose to ignore Braden's breakdancing on the beach. Hey, he couldn't stop himself once he heard a good beat!

Just hanging out in the jacuzzi.

Addison and Braden were obsessed with the sand crabs. They gave some to Papa to eat and got quite a kick out of it when he "swallowed" a few.

Well, if Papa likes them, maybe I will too...

A little slimy and a bit crunchy...

Too salty...I'm going to stick to just digging them up instead.

Braden had a bit of fun messing around on his boogie board, but preferred playing in the sand more.

The adults had a blast surfing and boogie boarding. We took a break and noticed a pod of five dolphins close to shore.

Hanging out with Gramma while sporting a chocolate pudding mustache coated in sand.

These kids just love each other!

No nap and lots of sand & water created eyes as red as Braden's shirt. The tiredness didn't stop him for long though!

Glow sticks are quite possibly one of the best inventions. The kids played hide & seek with them, created a jump rope out of them, and waved them around like swords. Happy 4th of July!