At some point during our first day in Santa Cruz I waged a full-on war with all male McKee's over an inflatable pink flamingo. It started with my loud-mouth son and his loud-mouth cousin chanting "Boys rule, girls drool" about a gazillion times (loud, if you didn't already catch on to that) and oh heeecccckkk no was I going to let my little ladies think that's the way it was around these parts. First came the PR campaign with a rockin' "Girls are Awesome" chant, and then came the part where I picked up those boys by their ankles and threw them off the flamingo and into the deep blue because I'm like quadruple their size and they deserved it!
Avery and I were pretty much killing the competition for a hot second there and were enjoying our perch on the flamingos back, but then the adult men started joining the ranks one by one and even with a little assistance from Aunt Ash I got freaking clobbered. T, Ev and Kai were one thing but add Chase, Jord and Dad and holy hannah there was a lot of water up my nose. But did I give up? NO! I would be choking and gagging and dunking and still hanging on to my giant pink flamingo for dear life yelling, "Girls are Awesome!" And we are, even if we probably did end up losing that epic battle.
This little situation had me hoping that there are some more McKee females in our future in the form of nieces...lots and lots of nieces (you hear that Mad and Meg?!) They're both preggo right now so they sat on the sidelines and Mom basically gets a by from everything in life right now because she's an Ironman, but shoot darn heck we needed some more estrogen to bail me out! Soon boys, revenge will be mine!!!
The funniest part of the day came when feisty little Quinn, who sang-song "Girls are Awesome" with deep conviction all afternoon, looked at those brothers and cousins of hers and said, "Girls DO NOT drool!" And then, as if she just then realized what she had said, looked at her uncles with her signature impish grin and said, "but I do drool." I don't know if you had to be there to see the cuteness but oh my goodness it was darling!
The Santa Cruz bit of our grand California adventure was absolutely perfect, that's the only word that does it justice. We stayed in a sprawling AirBNB in Soquel which overlooked the beaches of Santa Cruz and as if the house and view were not enough, it was set on at least an acre of manicured gardens where we could pick fresh fruit and vegetables all day, run through hand-made paths to see fish and statues and water fountains and some of the most interesting and unusual plants in existence and of course I already mentioned the pool--what a pool! But what I didn't mention yet and should have? Chickens with their dozens of freshly laid eggs, and bees with their freshly made honey, and hummingbirds who didn't freshly deliver anything but did entertain us for hours at their feeders outside the kitchen window. It felt like we were living in the Garden of Eden and if I ever have a chance to go back, you know that I will. (And in full disclosure, if I ever have a chance to buy that place, it's got my name written all over it!)
I love when the McKee clan gets together because it's so easy. We eat, we play, we laugh and joke and it's all so much fun but it's also all so chill. This little reunion after Mom's big race was a great way for the family to spend a few days together without a worry in the world and to really enjoy each other's company, which we did! I'm so, SO grateful for my parents for providing such a comfortable (and at the sake of sounding redundant) perfect place for us to get away. I never knew my heart belonged in Santa Cruz but after this vacation, it's longing to go back.
Seven of the nine grandkids getting ready for their inaugural jump in the pool. Later this year the McKee family will be growing by two when both of my brothers' wives have babies. This will bring our total to 11 (with the oldest, Talmage, being just 8). I love that all of these cousins are so close together and will have each other for life. We're living the dream with this family, that's for sure.
Speaking of dreams coming true, once again there was a flamingo! I don't believe in lightning striking twice, unless of course we're referring to the flamingo variety. This was left in the pool by the last tenants so the owner of the Air BNB left it for us and basically made my lifetime!!!
Ever-beautiful and ever-photogenic Madelyne in the comfiest avocado!
James and I took turns holding Coco while the other one swam with the kids. He definitely let me have a longer playtime and I'm so grateful because I haven't known fun like that since I was a kid swimming my summer away!
One second I'm being all sweet and loving that Kai-Kai...
...and the very next I'm tossing that traitor head-first into the pool. He deserved it for sure!
Do you see poor little Avery getting pushed down deep in the water?! Oh dear things got ugly!
Sometimes there would be two dozen hummingbirds having a nightcap outside our kitchen window. We're impressed with our one little hummingbird friend in Los Angeles, so you can imagine our glee at this party!
A house built of nothing but windows and a good view is my happy place.
Fresh peaches and plums, pluots and apricots, berries and basil, tomatoes and more. My dream has always been to move into a home with mature fruit trees and this one definitely had those in plenty.
I had this grand plan to have a pinata for all the kids and while it probably won me cool aunt points in their eyes it pretty much made me a nervous wreck the entire time. I learned that A) kids don't listen when you say stay behind this line and B) giving a child a stick and telling them to smash something doesn't always invite the warmest of feelings.
The kids had fun and were pleased as punch with their "earnings" but I'm thinking next time I'm just going to buy them each a big bag of treats! I don't have pictures of all of the kids (where is my picture of Lucy Lu?) but the ones I have of the other littles makes me laugh!
This angry Ever picture was the inspiration for many-a-meme during our vacation!
I finally couldn't take it anymore and had Logan deliver the final blow! We were all cracking up at his killing form but the kids were basically fixated on the candy.
Natural Arches beach was even more beautiful than I imagined it would be. We were originally hoping to visit the adjacent tide pools but when we learned that the water was a little higher than expected we decided to just take a moment and enjoy the view. And boy was it worth it!
My girls are so lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful men, my brothers and my dad are some of the best I know.
This little chica went from licking ice cream in real life...
...to licking ice cream in her dreams in approximately two and a half seconds. No longer a napper but a decent car snoozer.
After we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways (and shed some serious tears) the lil Wigs found ourselves on a small two-lane highway with a fruit stand every 100 yards--and I wanted to try them all. I only stopped at two but it gave me the yummiest watermelon I've ever had in my entire life, and for that I am grateful. (Not to mention those pistachios, and holy hannah the peaches!)
Next stop, Yosemite ya'll!
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