06.30.2011: LETS BOWL! Andrew's Kids Bday Party

For Andrew's 7th Birthday party, Alisa organized a little kid party at the bowling alley!  There were about 7 boys there and Nana.  They all had a blast!!!  Although the kids all saw the arcade when they walked in and after a few rounds of bowling they were wondering when they could be done with bowling and go in there! Haha!  They did get into the competition though and did bowl all their games.  Then they did cupcakes and presents.  Andrew got lots of Lego sets....so his friends must know him well!  He was pretty excited for them.  After presents, the kids got to go play in the arcade for a while.  All the other kids went home, but Drake, Andrew and Brianna hung out in there for a while and had a blast.

06.26.2011: Hotel Room Dance Party

After dinner and spending every waking hour on the beach, in the water, and full of sand, we all went back to our room to chill and wind down before bed.  Winding down ended up being winding up though!  Turned into a kids dance party and Nana singing session.  Avery just watched and enjoyed the show in awe.  The evening started with the kids just playing their DS's on the bed and us just talking.  Then Brianna decided to perform her Strawberry Shortcake performance for us....a few times!     After that she took over the headphones & iPod and started singing very loudly, very unihibited!  :)  Vince was playing DJ for the rest of us.....and ended up giving the boys some running man lessons. It was hilarious!!!  And if they were not exhausted enough, they were done after that.  Until Andrew busted out some of his new moves on us....the sprinkler & the lawn mower...and another one that I don't know the name of?!

 After another amazing day in CA, we all went to bed exhausted and mildly depressed thinking about getting up the next day and driving back to AZ.  While Alisa and the kids were excited to get back to see Brent, we were all bummed to leave CA.  The evening view from our room.....you will be missed Mr Pacific, you will be missed dearly!!  Until we meet again.................



06.26.2011: Beach Day All Day

Sunday, we all woke up and Vince went and got us some McD's instead of us all trying to converge on some breakfast joint in Coronado...especially when all the kids really wanted to do was hit the beach!  Turned out perfect with a bunch of McGriddles, coffee, OJ, and hash brown things.  We all ate, then went for a little walk around all the brand new bungalows.  They were amazing and Vince immediately went and booked a weekend for us all to go enjoy them.  They were not even completely yet, but were just days from opening.  Our walk was nice...but not long enough to walk off those McGriddles....but hey, we are on vacation!

The kids were crazy antsy to get in the water and do some more boogie boarding....so we prepped the stuff, prepped Avery, and got ready to walk to the water :)  The very long 2 minute walk out our door to our very own private ocean!!  Avery was awake and enjoying the breezy day...even though she was sand blasted once or twice...she still was happy and enjoying the moment.

 Andrew riding the waves

 Beach Beauty!

 Andrew trying to run Nana over

 Drake riding the waves

 Our lovely piggy....he was just so cute!!!!!

 Yes he was laying in sand....

 Frisbee lessons!!!

Andrew did pretty good!

 Vince gourmet grilling in the sand....

 Our hut....

 Three flies up...

Earlier in the day Drake found a huge clam in the sand that had washed up.....and the boys decided that it would be fun to grill it!  Andrew & Drake wanted it for dinner (however we had hot dogs as a standby just in case the whole clam thing didn't work out). It was creepy looking and smelled terrible.....but Vince threw it on the grill to see if he could steam it open somehow....no go.  Didn't really work....just kinda stunk up the place!!!  OH well...the kids LOVED the idea and were soooo excited to see it possibly happen.  



06.25.2011: Evening Beach Adventure

After the party at the park, Alisa and the kids followed us back to the base on Coronado to check into their hotel room.  As soon as the kids saw the sand and the ocean, they could not wait to get to the beach!  We got all checked in and settled.  Avery was ready to eat and nap, so Alisa took care of her while Vince and I took the kids to the beach for some evening swim/sand/sun/fun.  It was nice weather in the sun, a bit chilly in the shade.  Alisa eventually brought Avery out for her first trip to the beach!!  She was sound asleep and seemed to enjoy the cool ocean breezes.  We kept her pretty bundled and hidden from the direct sun....so really all you could see was her little face. :)  She smiled while she slept though, so I have a feeling she will end up being a beach baby like her brother and sister.

Drake boogie boarding....

Andrew testing the chilly water

Sand monster!!!

Sand baby!!

Golden boy!!

Golden girl....



06.25.2011: Spark Girls 1st Birthday Party

Saturday morning Vince and I woke up craving a great delicious breakfast before the Sparks party.  So, in my ongoing search to find new fun restaurants in every city, I found a little gem near Balboa Park called the Big Kitchen.  It is a true hole in the wall, and an amazing place to sit outside on the sidewalk tables for a great meal.  Check them out:  The Big Kitchen Cafe   From what I could tell, the owner is always there, and remembers everyone!  She is very eclectic, but nice & will join your table in a minute.  They have great buckets of toys for kids to play with...that she brings to your table.  Self-serve coffee outside while you wait (if you have to wait).  Sounded like they had a nice back patio for larger groups...which we didn't go see.  All in all, an amazing hole-in-the-wall experience and would do it again in a heartbeat!  Oh, and the food was fresh and GREAT!

After breakfast, we headed to Balboa Park for the Spark twin girls 1st Birthday party!!!  It was a gorgeous San Diego day and perfect for a day in the park!!!

 Grandpa & Gracie

 Birthday Girls!!!

 Sophia so chilled

 Gracie on the go!

In true old school birthday party fashion, there was a softball game during the party.  Growing up, every Durbin party we had (which was easily every other weekend...kids, adults, graduations, births...whatever!) involved some type of sporting event...softball, volleyball...whatever we could organize.  So Jason wanted a softball party for the girls 1st birthday :)  Yes, they enjoyed it!!!  It ended up being mostly just the guys playing...with most of the girls just watching....but was fun for everyone!  Kids all got to hit & run the bases in between each inning...which was probably enough for them, as it was a warm day!

Kids taking a break between innings.