Snow and a Beach Getaway

Since the Army and the public schools here had a four day weekend, we decided to visit San Diego for a couple of days. Sunday, after church, we drove over to enjoy a quick getaway. We will certainly miss San Diego when we leave. It will always be a special place to our family.

On the three-hour drive over, we drive mostly through desert. We have to cross a mountain range, and the pass goes from below sea level to about 4200 feet. We saw snow near the peak, and it was beautiful to see. Not many probably think of snow when they think of sunny Southern California or nearby Mexico, but here it is.

After a delicious dinner at Cafe Coyote (one of our favorites), we stayed at the Navy Lodge. The next morning, we visited the commissary (for more Julian Pies-yummy) and the Naval Exchange (like a Wal-Mart). We had lunch bayside on Coronado at a local pizzerria, and after that, we went to the beach at Coronado at the naval base (technically different base then where we stayed). As you can see, we were warned of sting-rays, and we didn't see any either.

Alex was very unsure of the sand. Thinking back, he hadn't been to the beach since last July, so he didn't remember it at all. I put him down on the blanket for a minute, and he just sat there for about five minutes, which is very unusual for this toddler on the go. He quickly realized the sand wasn't so bad after all.

Luke dove into sandcastle mode quickly.

Here, you can see the Navy Lodge to the left. The construction is the new lodge that is scheduled to be opened after we move...after that, it doesn't matter. We won't live here and get to enjoy it. It looks like it's going to be awesome, so I guess we'll have to visit it again sometime.

Scenery pictures...we're going to miss this place. This is a view of downtown Coronado Island. In the distance, you can see the mountains of Mexico.

View back toward the parking lot...we love how wide and open the beach is. It's also empty most of the time, so we love that too.

Madison really enjoyed just chilling out and building sandcastles.

Alex discovered the boche ball set (notice he's still sitting in the same spot on the blanket).

Luke found this huge batch of seaweed and proceeded to drag it around. It was hilarious to watch. He didn't say anything. He just walked around with it, and when he was done, he just put it down.

Still dragging

So, what got Alex up off the beach blanket? He decided it was a great (and hilarious) idea to throw the boche balls at me! He kept getting them and throwing them at me. I had to put the camera down to protect myself, so Edward snapped the pictures.

Still at it...

Beautiful views

We will miss the Baywatch towers of Southern California. They don't have ones like this in North Carolina.

Those islands in the distance are where we headed on our whale watching tour back in January. They are about seven miles off-shore.

Their sandcastle masterpiece

Madison spelled her name in the sand. I couldn't get her whole name in the lens.

Happy beach baby has returned

Luke had fun looking for shells.

Destroying the masterpiece

View toward the parking lot

Well, Alex went from one obsession to another. After we got him off the "Boche Ball Attack," he played nicely for awhile, and then he started in on "Sand Wars: Mom Edition." He was obsessed with dumping sand on me, no matter what I did. He kept following me with shovels full of sand! Oh, and we think he's a lefty like Madison (note the shovel-he does everything with his left hand).

A different shovel full of sand...

Still stalking me

Luke decided to attack the seagulls.

Seagulls-1, Luke-0

We went on a walk to the "end" of the beach.

The beach "ends" at this huge fence. No, it's not "The Fence" separating Mexico. This fence is right on Coronado, separating the military beach from the city beach. The military does a great job of keeping things secure, and we think it's very cool to have a military beach. We'd never actually walked down to the fence.

So, our day comes to an end. Home to Yuma we must go. The sand in Yuma is no comparison to this beautiful place. San Diego is for sure a place we'll visit again after we move. We love it here.

"A Little Bit of Water in my Boot"

We had rain in the desert this morning! It was wonderful to see. We only see rain about three or four times a year. Because of our rain, we had some standing water out in the street. The house across from us sits a little lower, so there is always a collection of water in the driveway. Well, our kids love to ride their bikes and scooters through it. We were all outside enjoying the 65 degree day. Alex had left his scooter in the huge puddle, and I had asked Luke if he wanted to ride the scooter back across the street. He ran over to get the scooter, and of course, he started riding it around in the puddle. Edward and I sat there taking bets on how quickly he'd fall. He fell right away into the puddle and soaked himself. We couldn't stop laughing, and what made it even funnier was without a word, he stood up, got back onto the scooter, and started riding again. He rode for another couple of minutes in circles, until he finally brought the scooter back to the garage (I think we were still laughing). He walked up to us and said to Edward, "Daddy, I got a little bit of water in my boot," has he stood there dripping from the water. It was hilarious, and aside from "water in the boots," he wasn't bothered. Oh, and these are his "upgraded" cowboy boots. He outgrew the last pair. This pair used to belong to Madison, but there's no telling how long this pair will last with as hard as Luke is on things.

Dripping wet, although hard to see. Luke is ALL boy. My laundry and list of items broken in my house prove it.

And, here's another one. He's definitely all boy too. He's soaked from the knees down too.

We Went Shopping...

...and bought a house!

Yes, we're still in Arizona, but we have a contract on a home in North Carolina. We've been searching the MLS listings multiple times a day to watch as listings would come and go. Bragg still has a pretty good housing market, so we knew good ones wouldn't last. Add to that 25,000 new troops who are moving in starting now through the summer, and you have limited availability. Plus, living there before, we knew where we wanted to live (school district, proximity to post, etc.).

Pictures to come when I fly back in March. We were sending me on a house hunting trip, but the house we kept coming back to on the MLS we (and our realtor) were afraid it wouldn't last. So, we put in our offer, and it was accepted! A very special thanks to my mom and dad who drove over to tour the home with the realtor. We'd seen a ton of pictures of it online, but we wanted eyes and ears there to check out the specifics. All looked great, and I'm told our inspection that took place today went well with just a few things. I still have many things to take care of in March, so the trip will not be wasted. Plus, I will also be able to see the house we bought!

So, we're excited about our purchase, and it will definitely meet the needs of our family. It has a big kitchen for the cook in me, four bedrooms, and a bonus room for our kids, and a nice sized backyard. The house is three years old in a nice area, with almost all military around. Madison will be attending a brand new elementary school that just opened in August (yea!).

Substitutes

Madison had her first substitute teacher today. Yesterday, when I picked her up, she told me she didn't want to go to school today because her teacher wouldn't be there. I told her substitutes could be a lot of fun, and that she would still have a good day. She wasn't convinced. I finally convinced her to TRY school today because I said there were some very funny teachers out there and told her she could get a teacher like Aunt Mer. That made it all better, and she was willing to try the substitute.

Well, when I picked her up today, I waited until their classroom door opened to see a nice grandmotherly type at the door. All the kids were all smiles, and Madison reported she had a great day. The teacher looked really nice, and Madison told me she couldn't wait until next Thursday because the same substitute was going to be in music class.

Thanks to a great sub for reassuring Madison and 17 other kindergartners today that sometimes, it's okay when your teacher isn't there. And, thanks to her teacher for the heads up that today, while different, would be a good day.

Toothless in Arizona

Madison lost her first tooth today, February 8th. It's been annoying her for a few days, and she was delighted it finally came out.

Valentine Boxes

Yesterday afternoon, I helped the kids make Valentine boxes. Madison is SO excited for Valentine's Day. She says it is her favorite holiday because it's all about love and uses pink as one of its colors. We made our boxes to hold any Valentine's Day cards they get. Just a couple of hours after finishing our boxes, they received cards in the mail from my parents, so the boxes already have a card to open on Valentine's Day. Madison can't wait.