About a hundred million...

Pictures - 

and reasons we loved our week at Newport Beach.

Especially Noah.  The kid was in heaven.  The entire week.  Loved the beach, the water, the sea creatures.  The family, the attention, the junk food grandma kept giving him : )

Alex wasn't quite a beach babe.  She liked it for the first hour or two everyday and then she'd had it.  With the sun, the sand the wind.  So we'd bury her in towels and she'd fall asleep under the canopy to the sound of the waves.  But I think her favorite part of the day was going back up to the beach house for her bath : )

Me?  Well I'm not gonna lie and say it was easy.  Being 5 1/2 months pregnant with baby #3, having constant Braxton Hicks contractions, suffering from Plantar fasciitis, dealing with 2 jet-lagged children, and being without my husband was no piece of cake.  Not to mention the traveling, about 12 hours door to door (but I'm not even gonna go there).  Lucky for me, I've got great in-laws from Grandma and Grandpa to the aunts, uncles, and cousins who helped out and were of course fun to be with.

To be honest with you, Noah alone would have made the trip worth it.  It was so fun to see him having the time of his life.

Noah, Alex, and Cousin Jack our first morning in Newport

Noah, of course, was immediately searching for sea creatures among the rocks

And he took to the waves like a pro.

The kids loved building sandcastles with Grandma

and just chillin' together on the beach.

Noah and Jack in their sandpit.

Grandma took Noah down under the pier early one morning to catch starfish - a highlight of his week, he can't stop talking about it.

His other favorite activity?  Catching crabs - with pinchers (he would want me to specify)

He was brave - got pinched a couple times by some big ones, and one tried crawling up his arm under his swimshirt

And let me tell you, he was good at it!

He was also a pro at digging for sand crabs - even managed to impress some girls he met on the beach one day : )

Noah tried to teach me how to play tennis, but decided I wasn't very good at it.  He also learned how to throw a frisbee, thanks to his uncles.  I'm NO help in the sports department...

Just enjoying a diet coke on the beach

Kidding - it's mine.  Although I'm sure he stole a sip or two...or three or four.

And here's me and Alex, warming up after playing in the waves.

We have to thank Aunt Ginger for our beautifully painted toenails and for doing Alex's hair.  The "paint nails" was a highlight for Alex.

In the mornings and evenings we'd sit outside the beach house, blow bubbles with the kids and watch the grown ups jumprope.

Yeah, I said that right - but I missed out on those action shots.

Noah was pretty easy on this trip - Alex, on the other hand, was a little crazy.

Can you tell?

That's what I felt like too by the end of the week with her.

More fun in the waves - Alex got braver as the week went on.  But her favorite was when I held her in the waves.  She squeezed my neck, kissed my face, and said, "Mommy you're so fun!"  The next day my back was killing me, but it was worth it : )

Alex in action.

And then there's Alex and her infamous naps on the beach.  A few times I think she slept for at least three hours - I kept checking to see if she was breathing.

Yeah, that's her under there.

And of course she's hanging on tight to "Little Deery"

Traumatic incident of the week - which occurred on the first day of the trip before we'd even arrived - Alex losing her blanky for good when she dropped it over a ledge at the Denver airport during our layover.

"Little Deery" (her affectionate name for one of her favorite stuffed animals) has become the replacement.

And here's a belly shot for you - it might be the only one you get.  I wish it wasn't me in a swimsuit but - who am I kidding?  I've been to the beach, the lake and the pool enough times already that way too many people have seen me pregnant in a swimsuit for me to care that much anymore.

Rolling in the sand - a great way to warm up, give yourself a rash and get sand in your eyes and so you cry for the next hour.  A daily occurrence.  

Noah being super cooperative for a picture, as usual.

How cute is she?

And I love the look on this kids face.

Walking the pier one evening.

Searching for more crabs and starfish - he also loved sticking his fingers in the sea urchins.  He made me do it once - ew, so creepy.

I told you Aunt Ging was good at hair didn't I?  

I love it!

Last day at the beach...

Other things we loved about the beach:

The morning walk to the donut shop

walking the pier every evening and stopping for ice cream

corn dogs

The Crab Cooker (sans kids)

my first taste of Pinkberry

Alright, it wasn't ALL about the food...

Although Noah did say at one point, "Mom, why is Grandma just giving me all the junk food?"

This was not a complaint, just confusion, happy confusion.

The trip was equal parts

Family

Beach

and Food

And it was awesome.

Thanks Gunn Family, we love and miss you!