Random pictures from the beach party

Hello, my name is Jolene and I am a picture addict.

Sometimes my kids complain about me taking pictures, but I promise them that someday they will thank me for the memories. I have no doubt that that day will come, but in the meantime, I'm left with so many pictures that it's hard to choose between them all. I took so many pictures at the beach that I've decided to just do a random picture post of the "extras". So here they are:

Erin's birthday party

For Erin's 16th birthday, she decided she wanted a beach bonfire party. The only dilema was that in order to get a bonfire pit on a Saturday at the beach, you have to get there really early. Another problem was that Parker was having his last baseball game at 8:00a.m. the morning of the party, so we either had to get to the beach at 7:30 or not until 11:00. Of course, Erin chose to go at the crack of dawn, so she and 6 of her closest friends loaded up in our van and we headed out at the glorious hour of 6:30a.m. We dropped Parker at the baseball field and then rushed to the beach so that I would be back in time to scorekeep the game (thanks Rick for helping with the first inning).

When we got to the beach, the pit we really wanted had already been claimed, so we chose the next best one which was the closest to the pier. I dumped all the stuff out of the van and had Erin and her friends haul it over to their spot and set everything up while I rushed back to the field in time to finish out the first inning and rescue the somewhat clueless scorekeeping helpers ;).

After the game, we went home to load up everything else we would need - which was a LOT of stuff!! Then we picked Dee up and headed back to Oceanside. We found everything all set up and ready for the party and the kids had all been having a great time (minus the creepy men that had come around - ewwwwwwwww).

Beside the weather not being warm, everything about the party was great! Lots of Erin's friends made the trek to Oceanside. They played football, skim boarded, jumped waves, huddled behind make-shift wind shelters, roasted hot dogs and smores, and just had a good time hanging out. Erin had so much fun that she said it was her best birthday party - EVER! and that she wouldn't change a thing about it, except maybe the weather.

Erin and Brianne - best friends from 5th grade

Erin trying to throw the football - it was a bit wobbly

Kate, Eric, and Erin

Dee actually wanted to spend an entire day with a bunch of teenagers at the beach

Roasting marshmellows for smores

Erin and her BFF, Kathryn

After dark, Erin and some of her friends decided to go back in the ocean. They said the water was warm.........I have a hard time believing that!

William, Erin, and Kathryn

A "hugwich" - Emilio, Michael, Kathryn, Erin, and Clay

The last of the group getting ready to leave - Kayla, Austin, Eric, Erin, Jason, William, and Kate

On the way home, the group all started talking about their next all-day trip to the beach. I can hardly wait.......... ;)

Beach hunting

One of the best things about living in So. Cal. is that there are so many different activities to pursue and places to explore - we just never seem to have spare time to check out new places. Finally on Saturday we had a baseball, soccer, church, and school -free day. We got up early, spent a few hours working as a family in the back yard, and then rewarded ourselves with a trip to the coast.

One of the main reasons for going was to check out the fire pits for Erin's birthday party next weekend. So our first stop was the Oceanside pier. I can't believe we've lived here all these years and had never even walked down the pier. We had a relaxing stroll around the beach and picked the spot we want to use for the party.

Parker, Erin and Bryant on the pier

Since Bryant couldn't get his cast wet, we decided to go and find some tide pools. We weren't exactly sure where to look, so we just headed down PCH and stopped at different beaches along the way. We struck out a few too many times, so we headed to La Jolla where we knew for sure we would find tide pools. The kids had such a great time there that we are planning to go spend a whole day there in the near future.

Angels at Storm Stadium

One of our favorite Angel players, Vladimir Guerrero, has been on the DL for the past few weeks with a torn pectoral muscle. Last night we heard that he would be warming up to return to the Angels by playing a couple of games for at Storm Stadium. As an added bonus, Angel pitcher Kelvim Escobar would also be the starting pitcher. Our only dilema was figuring out how to make the game work while still going to Parker's baseball game. Bryant was able to arrange to go up to the game with his friends a couple of hours early. When they were dropped off, our tickets were purchased and left at will call so that we could rush there as soon as Parker's game was over. We got there just in time to see Guerrero's second at bat - a double hit to left field! Like us, most of the people around in our section were wearing Angel gear and cheering for the Quakes (we promise to cheer for the Storm next time). We had a great night and can't wait to return for our next game on Parker's birthday!

Vladdy leading off second base

Vladdy walking back to 3rd and waiting for someone to hit him home

Bryant with his friends, Cameron and Jacob. They had fun going around the stadium playing musical seats.

Bryant was glad to finally get to go to a game with his friends. The last 2 times the other boys went, Bryant had to miss because he was either in the hospital or at the doctor's office.

Girlie Girl

I've always said the Erin is a "girlie girl", but lately she's been disagreeing with me. Well, I have pictures to prove it now!

Poor Erin missed being able to go to prom by 1 1/2 weeks. So when she heard that the quad-stake dance was going to allow 14 & 15 year olds to go to what used to be the "Mormon Prom", so quickly started making plans to go. She already had a dress that we had found at Macy's a year ago. All she needed was the accessories, which meant another trip to the mall.

Saturday afternoon, Erin's friend, Kayla, came over early so that they could get ready together. It's much more fun to primp with a friend! The girls had a great time and can't wait for their next fancy dress occasion.

Father's & Son's Campout

My boys look forward to this weekend all year long. They love going camping with their dad and it's an added bonus to have more friends there, too. This year they were especially excited to be able to go fishing in the pond at the campground.

The pond had lots of fish and, according to Parker's count, Parker caught 11 fish in half and hour while Bryant only caught 4 - it's always a competition in Parker's eyes.