LB Fall Fest

A couple of weeks ago was my favorite LB day of the year -- the Fall Fest! It seems like we always get unseasonably warm weather that weekend and this year was no exception.  Lyla had a great day, but she definitely has very strong opinions on what she liked and did not like about this year's Fall Fest.

She liked being a butterfly. I gave her the choice of a butterfly or a doggie.  Without hesitation, she chose "'fly".

She loved dressing up, but did not like being unable to reach her wings.  She went round and round in circles trying to reach those things.  Oh and the headband -- that first picture is pretty much all we got before she yanked that thing off her head.

She liked hanging out with Oakley in her costume.


She was unsure about the merry-go-round, but Mark managed to get a few smiles.  And she just stared at the horsies when she had to get off.




She was sad we only got to see Frankie and Gretchen for a few minutes.


She liked picking her own pumpkin.


But definitely was not into the petting zoo (those ducks were agressive!)

She loved the big tortoise.

But most of all, she loved hanging with her cousins. She loved running wild with Nicolas.

She just loved Nicolas being there. Period.

Beach Girl

On Memorial Day, we had our first beach day of the season. I will admit it is hard work getting ready to have fun on the beach, but it is totally worth it! The weather was great with a bit of a breeze and Lyla took to the beach immediately. She played with her big bag of sand toys and is getting the knack of digging and filling up a bucket with sand. Kind of.





Sometimes she just tries to eat the bucket.


She ate a full sand-covered turkey sandwich and delighted in every bite. She also shared a generous helping of Pirate's Booty with her dad.





She started to get a little cranky so I thought if I held her and walked along the water, she would fall asleep (this was foolproof last summer). Well, as soon as she spotted the ocean she wanted down. I put her down and figured that when she felt the icy water on her little feet she would run away. Not exactly. She ran further in the water until a little baby wave knocked her down. I wasn't feeling it quite like Lyla, so I called in for reinforcement (aka Mark). He played with her in the water for awhile and she was as happy as a dolphin -- blue lips and all. The only thing that made her unhappy was when Mark tried to take her out. Mark thought people were looking at him for forcing her IN the water, but she only cried when he took her OUT of the water.











Did I mention the water was freezing? She was the ONLY person in the water on Neptune Beach.



What does the rest of the summer have in store? My guess is not a lot of relaxing on the beach.

My Crazy Sister

Here is my crazy sister and brother in-law running out of the Atlantic Ocean on a very frigid Superbowl Sunday last week.  It's part of the Long Beach Polar Bears annual swim to benefit the Make a Wish Foundation.  I have yet to try it and I don't have any intention of taking a dip in years to come.  Looks like fun though...maybe.