Getting Our Fall on Ya’all!

We have so many Fall and Halloween events planned for this weekend that I might burst spewing forth pumpkin spice latte all over your knee high boots and scarves as golden, red and brown leaves rain down like fireworks! It’s gonna be effing fantastic. Between the hay rides, pumpkin picking, Monster Ball and pumpkin carving there are so many photos ops you would think that I might actually get a photo. Oh and my goal is to actually get a family photo where everyone is looking at the camera. Happily.

Which leads to me to my post about Carlsbad, where we did not accomplish that goal.

We made what is becoming our annual trip to Carlsbad, which is actually Carlsbad Village. We stay at a little barely three-star hotel that is fabulous. Which I talked about here.  We’re right across the street from the beach. We laid on our bed and could see the ocean. GLORIOUS! It rained while we were there, which was a welcomed sight to these desert rats. 

Cee, The Boy and Red

While we’ve been there before, everything was new to The Boy because face it everything is new when you’re two. This trip my sister, AJ, and her kids, Cee and Red, joined us. While this was Cee’s third trip to the beach, this was Red’s first trip to the ocean. Red claims she’s been to the beach before in Michigan but I gave her a geography lesson on how much better this was. After getting settled into our room we all walked over to the beach. It was wonderful to see everyone revel in the glory of the beach. The calm of the waves crashing on the sand and the gravitational pull of the tide in and out. It was so fun to see Red and Cee take it all in and play in the surf together. Meanwhile, The Boy was excited to be in the biggest sand box until he realized we were heading for the waves. He yelled at everyone to get out and come back. He was genuinely concerned about his cousins’ welfare. I told him it was ok and held his hand while we walked into the waves. His anxiety gave way to squealing and screeching and yelling in sheer, unadulterated happiness. 

My Salty Dog



The gravitational pull of the waves proved to be too much for him and he fell down in the waves. He giggled and spit the salt water out, just like Dad, and kept going. He continued to screech when the waves came in but now it was so we would swing him up and over the waves. Eventually his blue lips drove us back to the hotel. The rain the next morning, while delightful, did delay our beach going adventure. Luckily the rain stopped and the sun came out for the afternoon. It was perfect.

 

Unadulterated spinning happiness

I have to say that this was the most fulfilling trip I've had in a long time (Maybe since my Walden trip). I know that raising a child can be taxing and draining and tests you day in and day out and that a vacation with a child (regardless of what age) is far from relaxing.  But the rewards, the joy and the bliss can't be quantified and measured.  As a parent I might have new fears but also new delights.  And my delight now calls me Mommy and tucks in Alfie when he sleeps (which is all the time) and greats me arms open and running full speed when I come home. 

There are so many more things to share about the trip. (Like the seals! I loved the seals!) I went through the photos last night and started playing with them. I will share those and my pseudo-Fall adventures in due time! (aka when I have time so please be excited about my pumpkin patch pictures in the beginning of December.)