Crystal Cove State Park

On Saturday evening we went to what will likely be our new parish for Mass. The girls were pretty good, though Ava was a handful and a half. She just constantly wants out of my arms to go running every which way exploring her surroundings which she obviously can't do at Mass.

Sunday morning we decided to spend the day checking out another fun spot in the area - Crystal Cove State Park. A day pass costs $15, so we debated whether we should just start our exploring with free excursions, but the park is quite large and has a lot to do. Plus, we wanted to see if it's worth taking others when they come to see us, so we went. We didn't even go to the hiking areas so do any of that, but focused on the beach and the tide pools for this trip.

Chris and Kayla explored the tide pools. Elise tried for awhile, but was freaking out every time she got her feet wet and some of the slimy rocks weirded her out....so I took her and Ava to just walk along the sand instead.


Here are a few of the creatures we spotted in and around the tide pools yesterday.




The girls played and made sand castles for awhile and we played "tag" on the beach. Chris took Kayla and Elise to walk in the ocean for a bit and then we just took a little "hike" with Ava in the backpack carrier napping along the expansive beach before heading home for naps.


And in between all the fun we had, we unpacked a few boxes as well. My to-do list today includes more of that and exploring the nearby park with the girls...Happy Monday!