Vacation, Part 2

Since John was the one who said he needed this vacation, I encouraged him to take a more active role in planning it. One of the things he said he wanted was to get to visit the Los Osos Church of Christ, and to be able to hear their preacher, Brent T. Willey speak. He is a great and encouraging speaker, and we always enjoy hearing him speak. We decided to head out early, early Sunday morning and to make it to the coast by morning worship. We were so glad we did! Brent recognized both of us (so funny how both of us used to worship there separately while vacationing there. Brent recognized John from all of years of going to Pismo with the guys, and then me from going with my whole family. I think he was surprised to see us there together that first time. In fact, the first time, John came to see me at the coast when we had just met, the next year for our honeymoon, and then this last time we had a baby. Kind of crazy) and instantly oohed and ahhed over Owen.

We went to the hotel after services and were glad we were able to check in. We threw everything in, and put on sweatshirts (the temperature had LITERALLY gone down by 40 degrees, btw) and headed over the the Blades/Browns' rental house for a lovely lunch.

I didn't think Owen or John could be any cuter, but put them both in hooded, comfy sweatshirts and I was proven wrong. :)

We stayed at the same hotel we've been at before, and we just love it. We made lots of big plans for buying it and living there and renting out the rooms.  :)

The weather was so perfect all week: cloudy/foggy at times, sunny and warm, and even a little rain. It was SO pleasant.

I think I have taken this picture of John and Delaney together every summer. Love that Owen is in it now.

Owen's summer hat didn't quite fit. He just ended up wearing sunscreen and his hood for protection. I think he and Gracie kind of like each other.

This was Owen's first time to the beach, and I knew he would love it, just because he was outside. He liked having so many people to hold him, and so much to hear and look at. I know that this time next year he will be running around and I will be trying to let him explore and not panic. :)

We went to the Los Osos farmers market, but I was disappointed that Owen got really upset about halfway through. He had done so well, that it surprised me. Oh well! I did get to buy some pastries and some fruit. I think we agreed that next year we will hit the Morro Bay Farmers market, which is exactly all the same stuff, but is closer and on Thursday.

It was nice to be able to spend a little time in a house with lots of voices. There was always someone to talk to or play a game with. John was happy to be able to go kayaking with Delaney, and they also decided to walk the entire 5 miles from Cayucos to Morro Bay! I drove there to pick them up, but promised myself that I would do it next year. Unfortunately my legs swelled up like tree trucks in the Fresno heat (the swelling from the end of pregnancy had improved before the trip, but hadn't completely gone away for some reason) which made lots of walking and standing uncomfortable. It also made me back out of going to Paso Robles to the Alabama concert with Justin, Kelly, Miller, Rob, Miranda, John (little) and John (mine). I really missed out on hanging out and seeing a live band, so I made sure to make a dr appointment for when we got home. My legs are much better now, and I am making all kinds of plans for our next vacation...

Owen seemed to enjoy hanging out with all of the kids. Even more, he loved watching them play video games on the ginormous screen in the living room. That is what he is looking at here.
Caleb was born just 10 days before our wedding, and now it is pretty crazy to see him being such a big kid holding Owen.

I love my camera, but it still can't capture this view and this feeling perfectly.

The rental house this year had an amazing view, and its own staircase down to the beach. It was a gorgeous house (go to Kim's blog for more pics) and would honestly be my dream beach cottage. It was nice to have such easy access to the beach, and I think we all went more because of it.

It was really nice to be able to experiment with "wearing" Owen. I generally like doing it when I need my hands, or when he doesn't want to be in his carseat. It was handy to be able to wear him while hiking down to the beach, or while we were walking around town. Sometimes he wants to be out and see what is going on around him, so that's when daddy carries him or he can observe the world (going backwards) in his stroller.

We met Grammy and Grandpa at Avila Beach because they had spent the night in Pismo. We went to Avila Barns first, and it was a lovely morning.

We discovered that Owen has his own kind of plum! He is holding an Owen Black Plum. I have Molly Delicious Apples, and now we need to find something for John. :)

I found this little sweatsuit at H & M a few weeks before and just loved how it fit him. He wore it everyday to the beach and around town. I am so bummed it won't fit him again if it ever gets cold enough here to wear it again.

We also enjoyed spending time just the three of us, on our first vacation. We walked around Cayucos, and John even rescued a seagull that was trapped in fishing line! It fell out of the sky because it's wing was all tangled up and John and 2 other strangers coaxed it into letting them gently cut the string out of his wing. John also bought Owen his first car at an antique store. We discovered that we love Skippers in Cayucos, and of course ate at Woodstock's, Margie's and the Brown Butter Cookie Company. We took lots of walks, and tried to explore and relax. I am so proud of how Owen did: he slept all night, every night. The only thing that was difficult was that he wanted to GET UP AND GO as soon as he was awake and fed, which meant he cried until someone took him outside. This is usually not a problem at home, but when you are staying in a small hotel (where you can hear your neighbors) and it is 6 am and you have to be dressed to go outside, it presents a bit of a problem. What ended up happening was I would wake up to feed him, while John got dressed, then he would take him for a walk while I got dressed. It actually worked out well to get us up and moving.

We just decided to go sit on the beach one of the nights and enjoy the cool air and the sound of the waves. Owen wore his fuzziest pajamas and the owl hat I made him before he was born. We ended up having a bonfire that night, and Owen just snuggled under his blankets and slept through all of it. He even stayed asleep back to the hotel and into his bed!

Happiness.

We brought his little bumbo seat hoping he would like sitting outside. He did like being outside, but not in his bumbo for very long. He loved being close to the waves and hearing the sound.

Proof that I went in the ocean and that I have learned my lesson about protecting my face from the sun. :)

Overall, it was a great and relaxing trip. It felt like we got to do nothing, but also like we got to do lots. Owen traveled so well, and it was so much fun to have him in our favorite place.

Last up, vacation, part 3: couples on the beach and more time in Fresno.