Camping Round 3 – Silver Strand State Beach

When purchasing Sally we were very limited in the places we could get reservations for this summer.  With the whole registration thing usually being 6 months ahead of time for state parks, we kinda WAY missed that deadline BUT somehow I was SUPER lucky and was able to snag a spot at a beach location.

I have never heard of Silver Strand State Beach…I had to google which city it was in before clicking reserve.  But it just so happens in down near San Diego in Coronado (which I had never been to).  And after our 2 other experiences with camping at Lake Skinner and Wilderness Lakes…in ROASTING weather I was very excited to get to the coast and have a cooler camping experience.

It was parking lot sites, which were pretty tight.  We were “inland” so we didn’t have a beach view BUT beggars can’t be choosers right. Not only was it our first beach camping experience it was also the first time we were going solo…no friends to help us!  So we were a little nervous, especially when we get there and weren’t able to get the darn hitch off the truck..oh geez.

 

But we got it…it sticks and doesn’t come off very easily but YOSH got it.  Only after 3 trips and I feel like Yosh and I have already created a pretty good set-up routine.  He gets everything big oru for outside set up and I get the inside set up WHILE either keeping kids entertained OR feeding them snacks. It works. Camping without friends puts everything at your own pace…which was kind of nice.  There were no picnic benches so we got to actually enjoy the inside of our trailer for some meals.  We got to eat when we wanted, we got to go for bike rides when we wanted, we got to visit the beach when we wanted…

After dinner we went down to the beach for some sunset play. It was beautiful!

 

Then we tried to make a fire in our “new” (not really new…but someone gave it to us for free so we took it!) washer drum firepit.

The kids were able to ride their scooters around freely and Owen even met a friend from across the way…she was 8 years old and didn’t have siblings her age…so the two were able to play together nicely!

Sleeping in the trailer hasn’t been the best. I think we need to invest in an egg-crate pillow top thingy for our mattress.  The kids usually sleep great…but Yosh and I don’t.  So after a night of tossing and turning we were up and ready to enjoy another day of bike rides, exploring and hanging out at the beach!

Its pretty cool where the camp site is…you have the beach right there but you also have access to the bay side as well. Its a quick little bike ride through a tunnel under the highway that leads you to the beautiful bay where people sail, paddle board, kayak, etc.  They have a bunch of bike trails too.  Owen loved exploring!

And its nice being so close to the beach…you can come and go as you want.  Its cool.  The beach is beautiful.  you have campers behind you, State Public Beach to one side and military inaccessible beach on the other side.  So the area where mostly campers go was nice and not crowded.

This summer Owen has taken to Boogie boarding.  I’m shocked how brave he is too! He swims out pretty far and even after eatin’ it a few times he gets back on the board and keeps going. 
He was making Daddy proud forsure!!   Maybe next summer Daddy will get Owen up on a surfboard?!?

  

So we got one to love the ocean water…and one that wasn’t exactly fond of it! haha Ella liked playing in the sand and would cry when I told her to come by the water. haha

Ella saying “I hold you!!!!” haha 

But they played in the sand for hours… and I loved watching them!

I brought stuff to make lunch BUT I thought it would be a fun experience to ride our bikes down to the little shack place and eat there…$30 later I learned my lesson…we could have just stayed in the trailer and made ourselves lunch! haha  But the ice cream sandwiches made it all worth it…hmmmm.

After lunch Ella napped. We relaxed by the trailer for a bit and then I got some alone time to read and Daddy brought Owen back out boogie boarding.

I read a lot of blogs about “mom photography”…and a lot of them say to always take pictures of the small things about our kids…all the little details before we forget them or they change!!  This summer Owen’s little nose it so cute. No matter how much sunscreen I put on it, he gets these little white lines and they match the white hairs that cover his hairline and fade into his bleached eyebrows.  That boys brown Portuguese skin mixed with mama’s fair Irish skin makes the most beautiful shade of beige! 

 

We found a deserted sand castle…Ella LOVED it for her barbies.  Am I rude for letting them play with it? The people who built it were nowhere to be found?!? I don’t know sand castle etiquette.

Sunset bike rides followed by smores…ending to the perfect day! 

Overall our beach camping experience was awesome!! As Owen said “yep…we officially like camping!”  The whole CAMPING thing isn’t relaxing BUT once you get set up and are there…it totally IS nice.  I can’t wait for the days when I’m able to have a few cocktails and relax….yeah that’ll be in a few years!!! haha. Thats ok. 
We said “see-ya later” to Silver Strand, we will for sure be back!!

Sally is gonna get some rest now…next trip isn’t booked until November…and it’ll be Baby Bob’s first camping experience! Yikes.

Farewell Second Trimester

I’m kind of in shock that I only have about 10-11 weeks left of this pregnancy!  It has FLOWN by!

I’m now officially in my 7th month of pregnancy and from what the app on my phone has reminded me, I’m entering my last trimester as well!! And when I say last trimester….I mean LAST trimester EVER! hah.   I recently attended the mandatory informational class in regards to getting a tubal ligation.  These tubes are gonna be snipped, tied and then cauterized about 5 minutes after Baby Bob is taken out of my uterus! Everyone asks why I don’t have Yosh get fixed…but the easy answer is I’m already being cut open…its nothing extra being added.  Since I’m a csection its actually, from what the nurse said, a very easy procedure.

 

I thought I’d be really sad that this would by my last pregnancy…buuuuut I’m totally not.  With Owen and Ella I LOVED being pregnant.  I never got sick.  I gained 60lbs with Owen and 25lbs with Ella…I loved food and eating. It was great.  Now don’t take me wrong…I still love being pregnant! I really do. Its the only time in my life when I actually LIKE looking at myself in a mirror…the bump amazes me. BUT I’ve only gained 5lbs because food is STILL not my friend! It bums me out that I’m 7 months pregnant and STILL throwing up!  And as I get bigger it sucks worse because I’ve now started peeing myself when I puke! Isn’t that freaking marvelous.  I feel like since this has been a bit of a rougher pregnancy its a sign that we’re done! haha.

When I told people we were expecting a September baby a lot of people’s first reaction was “Ohhhhh you are going to have such a horribly fat, hot, sober summer!!!”. Or they’d say something like that…hah seriously.

I heard it so much I was kind of dreading these summer months BUT I have realized that being a teacher and pregnant in the summer is A-MAZ-ING!  Yes I’m fat and sober…boo…BUT I’m totally not hot ever!!! Maybe its because we have a pool, are A/C abusers and tend to do water-type activities with the kids and because I have kids I get to take a nap EVERYDAY!! Hello. Napping. Swimming. Lounging around in comfy clothes.  It has been awesome.  Working full-time while pregnant is a totally different story but summertime pregnancy is great (note for all teacher friends…get knocked up in January February!)

We have nicknamed the baby Baby Bob…it started as a little joke that Yosh had with Ella…but its kind of stuck.  No the baby’s name is NOT going to really be Bob but for now it works.  When we were pregnant the other 2 times we had baby names already picked…it was easy. But we don’t have names this time around. Yosh asked how long after its born do we have to figure it out…I think its until the birth certificate lady comes around right?!?  We have some we like but totally have NOT made a decision.  I’m a planner…and I’m not stressed…what the heck is wrong with me?!?

Baby Bob has been moving LOTS. My placenta is attached across my csec scar (the front of my uterus) so the movements are different…I feel FULL belly movements…and the kicks aren’t to my belly they are to my organs inside…its weird.  Movement makes my whole belly move. And Bob likes moving most at night (oh great!) after the kids are in bed and I’m trying to sit down to watch a few episodes of Orange is the New Black.

2009 prego with Owen

2012 prego with Ella

2015 prego with Baby Bob

After seeing these pictures Yosh is thinking we are having another girl… I’m thinking the same.  Guess we’ll know soon enough!  We have 4 more weeks of summer…I’m going to enjoy every second of it.  Try and continue to love this pregnancy even when I’m praying to the porcelain goddess while wearing some Depends (haha just kidding…I’m not THAT bad).

Hello 3rd and Final Trimester!  Time to get some paint on that baby room walls and assemble a crib!

4th of July

I love the fourth of July.  Owen asked me WHY I love it so much and I told him it’s because it reminds me of being his age…makes me miss the good ol’ days.

Last year we started the First Annual Souza Splash pool party…BUT we slacked and did NOT have a 2nd annual Souza Splash this year.  Lack of motivation these days. But our friends daughter’s 7th birthday was the 3rd of July so she wanted to have a party for her on the 4th anyway. It worked.  We still had a great time with our friends at a pool party/BBQ.

 

It was a small gathering but the kids had a blast. EVERYONE even got to hit the piñata with letting KK finish it off!

We couldn’t stay all night at our friends…because we we headed to my SIL’s house for a family BBQ…I love time with family!

Ella and I with our matching festive suits!! ;) 

Papa “loves” mayonnaise….not really…he hates the sight of it.  But its a running joke in our family to always order Papa’s food with extra mayo.  Today Uncle Chris made Papa a Mayo Delight…barf.

Mya was already in the car but we got a picture of Papa and all his grandkids before they headed up.  

    

The evening was going great…until Ella decided to climb up on a pub-sized kitchen chair and it fell on her.  We were all standing there in the kitchen and living room…but no one actually SAW her do it.  It was a hard fall…her nose and gums were bleeding and she was UPSET.

It was one of her hardest falls.  Actually the swelling and bruising is continuing today (on Monday) so we are gonna have her checked out tomorrow at the doc office.  This was taken on Sunday night…

And now today, Monday its even more purple.  Poor Ella. I don’t think its fractured because she lets me touch it BUT we’ll double check to be sure.

Anyway…we had a GREAT view of fireworks at the top of Day Creek in Rancho.  You could see all of Fontana going off like freakin Bagdagh.  Its nuts the amount of illegal fireworks that go on in that city!!

   

I loved seeing the fireworks BUT to me its just not the same when you aren’t doing them yourself in your frontyard or backyard. Next year we’ll have to buy some in Southridge and bring them home to light a few off (and pray we don’t get caught! haha).