Flips off the board

Something I love so very much about Talmage Scott is that he's always surprising me with his enthusiasm, his confidence and his ability. He makes life so interesting because I never know exactly what he'll say, think or do next. Like when he started doing flips off the diving board...I definitely didn't see that coming! I know my reaction probably egged him on (and maybe I should have been more responsible and worried about his noggin) but I couldn't help but squeal and clap with delight every time that long and lean body flipped in the air and splashed into the water. Alls well that ends well and there were no ER visits so phew!, and he now has a new skill to add to his resume. That boy is full of adventure and I'm so glad he's mine.

Salty hair and sandy toes

We only have two beach days left this summer and I just found out one of them is going to be cut short because of a back-to-school event which makes me adore these pictures from last Friday even more (and also makes me just a tad bitter that schedules are messing with my precious summer, but you knew that). Last week was all about Quinny and the boogie board. She got smashed by a wave earlier this season so has been hesitant to get back on the board, but Friday she was all about catching waves with her girlfriends and it was so cute. Other notables from this beach trip were Everett talking a whole slew of kids into playing over/under with him, Talmage deciding he needs to sport the lifeguard/football player sunscreen under his eyes after another week of turning pink and Cora sporting some new and unwelcome 'tude. I love the beach!  

It's not that I don't want pictures of my boys, ah contraire I'll take a thousand please and thank you. It's just that my girls are always under toe since they're little while the boys are enjoying the independence that comes with age so they're not available when I pull out my camera. Oh well, here is a picture of them from afar playing with their buddies in the waves. 

See what I'm saying about attitude?! This girl is throwing shade in my direction.

Boarding Babes!

I love her concentration when she's waiting for a perfect wave. 

This little mama found a water gun somewhere on the beach and decided to go around spraying one and all. How she knew to hold it up to her eye for aim I'll just never know. She's getting spicier by the second, but boy is she cute. (And tan!)

Our Jam

Strawberries went on super sale at our local market so I decided to make a million jars of freezer jam because it's so easy and so good and pretending to be domestic makes me so proud. I enlisted three of my children to help, because I ain't no Little Red Hen, but also because they are obsessed with helping me in the kitchen but rarely get the chance since my cooking usually consists of throwing some cheese, crackers and veg on a plate and calling it dinner. The fourth kid would have helped also, but was at a friend's house when we started jamming. It actually made for a really fun FHE and all of them are so excited to eat a pb&j and know that they made the deliciousness happen! 

The ingredients, minus two more boxes of pectin we had to race to the store and buy mid jam-making.

 Cora's job: put the berries in the colander.

 Quinn's job: wash the berries.

 T's job: cut the berries and throw them in the blender.

My job: photograph these cuties....aaaaannnndddd...crush the berries and add an insane amount of sugar and stir, and stir, and stir. Although they mostly did the stirring. And then I added the pectin, and then they stirred again, because they're the best!

And wah lah, freezer jam a la the Wigs!

The best day in Balboa

We just had the best day. The very best day. Not even SoCal traffic could stop grateful tears from pouring down my cheeks as we drove home tonight because this life I live, these kids I love, this gosh-darn perfect day, I'm so grateful for the lot of it. I don't know why it hit me so hard tonight, but I'm willing to wager it has something to do with that dreadful thing happening exactly three weeks from today: the first day of school. {Cue more tears. Sobs actually. And if you think I'm joking, well I ain't joking.}

I love school for my children because it means learning and friendships and independence and growth, but I love summer for my children for all the same reasons, plus the added bonus that they're alllllll mine, all the time. I love them, and spending my weeks adventuring by their side is such a joy. It's the very best part of mothering for me, and summer is our time to shine. I've got three more weeks to enjoy the heck out of them (and you better believe I've already planned every one of those days) and then don't be surprised if muffled behind my proud-mom back-to-school posts you spot, or maybe hear, a melancholy Wiggy mama. Why does summer have to end so soon?

But for the moment, let's focus on the goodness at hand. And that, my friends, was our first ever visit to Balboa Island, which I now know to be the most charming place in the history of the world. How it took me almost three years of living in Los Angeles to visit Newport in earnest I do not know, but everyone's hype was not in vain. This place is legit!

We started at Marina Beach which is similar to Mother's Beach in LA except with a waaaaaaay better playground. I haven't visited Mother's in years and today had me questioning: why haven't I visited Mother's in years? The kids loved swimming around in their puddle jumpers and there were no scary waves knocking the little ones over. It was awesome! We lost some nap-needing friends after the beach and the playground, but a lot of the mamas thought all that play definitely warranted some sugar so we went in search of frozen bananas. And we found them. LOTS of them! And they were exactly the sweet treat we needed on this hot, sticky June day.

By this point all of our friends were ready to go home, but when I asked my crew they begged for more fun. Coco was literally chanting, "No go home! No go home!" Yep, I've created adventure-monsters! We bid the masses adieu and then took the ferry to Balboa Peninsula for scooter riding, wave watching, house hunting (I wish!) and carni ride testing. There was exactly one moment when the heat of the day was nothing compared to the heat of a child but just like the cool forgiving coastal winds gave relief to our bodies, slowly breathing them in cooled us right down on the inside. Bless that Daniel Tiger for providing us with the best (and our most used) advice--When you get frustrated and want to roar, take a deep breath and count to four. Raising children really is magical by the water, especially when Mr. Rogers sneaks his way in there!

Somehow it was nearly six before we reached our car again, and by that time the freeway was full of accidents and it was sure to take us twice as long as it should to get home. So we made the only rational choice and...went to adventure some more!!! Cafe Rio for dinner gave us some fuel and bought us some time not sitting in the 405 parking lot. Plus, does a Tuesday even count if you haven't eaten a taco or two?!

My babies are finally in bed now and I should be too, but I couldn't go to sleep without writing down a few words about today, because boy was it a day. I hope I never forget the sight of Everett bravely swimming out to the buoy, Cora realizing her love for the lighthouse slide for the first time, Talmage winning a free ride ticket in a game of musical chairs and Quinny dancing to Happy in the middle of the Boardwalk. I want to hear Quinn's giggles as she sees the fish jumping through the marina, I want to taste the rainbow sprinkles that Coco kept wanting to share from her frozen banana, I want to touch a brave-but-sad Everett who needed validation after a difficult loss and I want to smell the saltwater and sunscreen in T's summer-bleached hair. My heart is exploding from the love they showed me today, and I must have told them how much I adored them at least 100 times. And that's what I really hope we all never forget. Long after our memories of today have faded, I pray those heart-stretching feelings remain. Because that's what all these adventures are really about, aren't they.

 Marina Park, FTW.

 

 The big boys who took turns burying each other, and then attempted to each bury themselves. Why? Good question!

 Do you see that green puddle-jumper in the distance? I couldn't be prouder of Ever Knight swimming in deep water. You just have no idea how big that is! And of course cutie Quinny taking center stage!

Quinn has started making all sorts of funny poses when I ask for a picture, a lot of them include her "thumbs up" which she is still insanely proud of. 

  Dear Ever, Whatcha lookin' at?! Love, Mom

 Such a fun group of mamas to adventure with, and this is only half of them!

 Green fields full of playtime opportunities.

They all knew what they wanted: T got a Balboa bar with both rainbow and chocolate sprinkles, Evie a cup of cotton candy ice cream with rainbow sprinkles, Quinn a cone of cotton candy ice cream with no sprinkles and Coco a frozen banana with rainbow sprinkles. 

 And me? The yummiest frozen banana with toasted almonds. Oh gosh, give me another!

 

  My biker gang on the ferry to Balboa.

 

 T's ride of choice was the bungee-jumping. He really got the hang of those back flips.

 Ever and Quinny loved the Happy Swing!

They were all so hot and sweaty and tired by this point and yet they were still in such great moods. These kids are as good as they come, and Balboa was such a treat.

I love you mucher

Quinn fell today. She was scootering lightning fast down a hill in our neighborhood that T and Evie have rightly named "The Hot Wheel Track" and in the sincerest effort to keep up with those brothers of hers she lost track of her speed on a particularly rough patch and did a full flip in the air before sliding down the sidewalk and slamming her face into the handlebar, and then the cement.

She immediately started screaming and crying in pain and if you know her then you know this was a big fall, because Quinn's no sissy and neither blood nor bruise usually incite any reaction besides an "I'm OK" and business as usual. The boys were just ahead of her, Coco and I just behind, and within seconds she was scooped into my arms as I tried to assess the damage, a brother doting on her from each side. Even with blood streaming down her cheek and rocks cutting through her knee she was up within minutes to walk her scooter the mile back to our home. I kept looking at her scuffed up kitty helmet bravely bouncing just ahead of me and thinking, "You are the strongest girl I know." She really is. And that was before I knew the full extent of her owies. When we were a few blocks from our home she started whimpering in pain about her bum hurting and within seconds of being home she stripped down to her underoos to reveal the gnarliest road rash across her thigh any little Wig has ever known. It was around that time that I also noticed the bleeding under her eye was nothing to the bruising above and her knee was so raw that she sobbed while getting it washed. Calm as a cucumber on the outside, I was dying on the inside for the pain I would have gladly taken from her.

The good news is she's OK, really she is. When I saw her head bang against the scooter I thought she may have knocked her eye straight out of it's socket. In an instant I imagined rushing her to the ER, explaining the accident a million times, forever apologizing to Quinn that I wasn't there to catch her horrible fall. And while that may sound dramatic, it's nothing but truthful. But she kept her eye, even if it's sure to turn black, and after holding some ice on her boo-boo bum she gave me the most pitiful faker-pants look and said, "I think I need a show to make me better!" That's when I knew the little rascal was going to be juuuuuuuust fine. She cuddled up on my bed with her pink blanket wrapped close and I could have sworn I saw a twinkle in her eye when that Netflix screen popped up. Hey, I guess she earned her screen time today!

There are a few recent Quinnisms that are hard not to adore. She asks us to make her "bweakwast" in the morning and always says she needs to do her "sings" instead of things, and don't get me started about the cuteness that is her singing the Octonauts theme song or how she calls lunch meat "beef turkey." But my absolute favorite thing is that when I tell Quinn I love her, she without fail looks back at me and says, "I love you mucher, Mama!" Not more, not most, but mucher--and it doesn't get much better than that. That phrase, her love, this mother-daughter thing keep circling in my brain today. I'm so lucky to learn from this little lady of only three.

I love you mucher, Quinn, and that's the truth. I'm so glad you're OK.

Proud and gorgeous Quinny still in her jams, excited to show Daddy her chalk art from the night before. This is pre-owie, obviously. Now she's slightly gargoyle-ish!

A couple'a downtown days

Tuesday and Wednesday of last week were crazy-town in the very best ways. Our field trip was to the Central Library in downtown LA and then to the Grand Park splash pad in front of City Hall, one of my favorite adventures from last summer that I knew I wanted to repeat this year. I'm a sucker for the energy and excitement and beauty that is found when you're surrounded by skyscrapers so I was just living my very best life. We splash-padded the heck out of that place and then when I was sure we weren't going to get stuck in rush hour traffic (and I was sure we had taken full advantage of our flat-rate parking spot) we headed home to the Century City Mall, of course, to take full advantage of Chik Fil A's free meal offer. I hate cooking and I hate dishes so even though we were all pretty beat this was a total no-brainer. The kids were stoked to get their own meal, with ice cream to boot, and I ate my waffle fries in sweet silence. It was wonderful!

If you think we got our downtown fill on Tuesday you are wrong! The very next morning we found ourselves there once again, this time for a $1 movie showing and 7/11 free slurpees with friends. If you haven't gotten the memo, we Wigs love our free fun! And doing those things downtown, all the better. 

The murals outside the children's section of the library are incredible. Each wall is painted with unique and cultural art. I just love it!

 It's hard to see but the chandelier is a globe and the zodiac animals are surrounding it on all sides. It's amazing!

 My boys could sit and read for hours. (I wish I could too!)

This children's section puts every other library to shame, I'm willing to bet. I've visited a whole lotta libraries and this one is just in a league of its own.

 Everett found an Everett sign!

 Such a simple, beautiful splash pad that kept them occupied for hours on end.

The girls with City Hall.

 And here's the crazy boys!

 Sister shot, haha!

The cutest cows I've ever seen! Sometimes it totally pays to live in an area lacking families. There was no line at Chik Fil A and my kids were adored by all of the workers. I love Chik Fil A so much, this may be in the running for my favorite holiday. 

Movie time!!! We saw the Peanuts Movie and even though it's at least a year old, I had never seen it. It was so adorable! I pinpointed which character each of my kids could play and it was hilarious.

aaaaaannnnnndddddd...free slurpees! I almost got in line for Build-a-Bear the next day but then I thought better of that crazy plan! Two freebies in a row is good enough for me...at least this week!