Newport Beach - 2012

For the second year in a row my parents decided to rent a beach house down in Newport Beach for a week.  When I was in high school, renting a beach house in Newport was the norm, so I'm glad that they have brought the tradition back as it's always a nice getaway for us.  Last year we were there the week of the 4th of July, but this year they thought it would be a good idea to skip out on all the crowds and craziness the holiday can bring and rent a place the week after which was way better.  A heat wave hit the week we were down there so it made it even nicer not to be home with the high temperatures and to be where there was a ocean breeze.


I was excited to get Skylar down to the beach because since Madden was born we have been stuck around the house a lot more then usual so I thought it would be a great for her.  She wasn't as interested in going in the ocean as much as she was just playing in the sand with her sand toys and filling up her buckets of water and dumping them out over and over again.  Jake was such a trooper playing with her, and walking back and forth with her to fill up her buckets with water.

This was also Madden's first trip to the beach and I was keeping my fingers crossed that he would keep on his best behavior.  I really wanted him to take good naps on the beach so I could stay down there more and get some sun.  Well, he wasn't horrible with napping on the beach, but he did end up taking most of his naps in his bed.  The first day I took him down to the sand he did great by taking a peaceful nap on the beach, the next time I hit the beach with him he refused to nap and I had to leave the beach to put him down in his own bed.  Either way, I can't complain, he was such a great baby while we were away from home.  He slept perfectly... even having his first full night sleep there!  He never got too fussy and  let my Mom and I take morning walks on the boardwalk without getting too crazy in the stroller.

One of the best things about being down in Newport was just being able to spend time with Matthew and Erin, as it had been almost two months since we had seen them last.  Having Skylar and Madden spend time with them was one of the things I was looking forward to most.  Skylar loves her Auntie more than anything! Every morning when Erin would be sleeping she would ask, "Where's Auntie Erin" and always want to wake her up.  She loved sitting on Erin's lap while Erin was in her wheel chair (side note: Erin broke her ankle a few weeks ago so she is out of commission for the summer) and posing for pictures with her.  She just seemed to always want to be with her.  I don't think Erin was even able to go to the bathroom without Skylar wanting to go in with her.  The two of them were like a two peas in a pod.  Don't get me wrong, Skylar loves her Uncle Matthew too, but I think she likes Auntie just a little bit more.

When you rent a beach house in Newport usually all the surrounding places have renters in them too, so you just never know who is going be next to you.  This year we had a really sweet family next door with 3 boys and, better yet for Skylar, we believe she found her first boy crush.  One of the boys was 5 year old Mason who Skylar was just obsessed with.  Mason wasn't shy about stopping by and was coming in and out of our place all week long wanting to see Skylar and what the rest of us were up to.  Skylar was a total stalker on Mason.  He, being your typical 5 year old boy, was all over the place and whenever he would leave our place she would get so upset and constantly be asking "Where's Mason Mama? Where's Mason Mama?"  She probably asked me that 500 times during the whole week.  She would even stand outside our door looking up at his door waiting for him to return.  It was all very cute to watch, especially how excited she would get whenever he came over...  To be young and in love!

Taking bike rides was definitely a highlight for Skylar.  She loved just going up and down the boardwalk seeing all the action, but surprisingly half the time we took her on bike rides she would pass out cold in her bike sit.

As the week drew to an end the weather took a turn for the worst. It started to get cooler and even rained one day, so we figured with the change of weather it would be a good day to take Skylar down to Balboa to the Fun Zone.  I could remember going as a kid myself playing all the arcade games and riding the rides and was hoping Skylar would get the same enjoyment out of it as I did.  I decided to stay home with Madden and let everyone else go.  They played games, took a fairy ride, and Skylar even enjoyed her first corn dog (well the bread on the corn dog).  She came home worn out and with a bunch of little toys in hand proving she had a fun time.

It ended up being another great week down in Newport.  It was so nice getting away for a week and being in different surroundings.  Big thanks to my parents for getting the place and letting us stay with them all week long.  I couldn't of asked of more from Skylar and Madden, they were great and made our time up there very easy and fun.  I can't wait until next year for when Madden will be a year old and able to actually enjoy the beach and sand with his sister.  Jake and I will be able to also enjoy the beach a bit more as one of us won't have to stay back as often while one of the kiddos is napping. 


Until next time Newport....see you next summer!!