Ever Went to Dance Camp

The week after we got back from Salinas, Ever went to a dance camp at Carlsbad Dance Centre. She was in a Minion-themed combo camp for three- to five-year-olds that included gymnastics, tap, and ballet. It was Monday-Friday from 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. I learned about it from an e-flyer distributed by Oceanside Unified. No one we knew was doing it, but Ever wanted to go alone. I'm so pleased she's like that.

The last day they did a performance for the parents.  First they did their little gymnastics segment.

Then they performed their dance. I ended up stuck on the opposite side of the room from Ever. The girl next to her wasn't good at staying in a straight line, so she blocked Ever a lot of the time. I videotaped it anyway.

They were presented with certificates and posed for a group picture.

Ever loved the camp and wants to do it again next year. She said the gymnastics part was her favorite. Girl after my own heart.

Salinas: Ranch Time and Family Pictures

Thursday most of the family went to San Francisco. Jim and I decided we wouldn't be able to keep up or enjoy ourselves if we took the littles, so we sent Ever in Tutu's charge and stayed back at the ranch with our babies, Pod, and the Homers (who also opted out because of young Antone).

Bear Bear played Mancala very nicely by herself that morning.

Wrenzonamous also bonded with her newest cousin. She did "This Little Piggy" on his toes, which he seemed to enjoy. Then she sat with her arm around him for some time.

Jim threatened a bakery crawl, but we really only made it to one Mexican bakery/restaurant, where we enjoyed amazing tacos, delicious cheesecake, and subpar (according to me; Jim thought they were good) other bakery items. Jim did his thing where he way overbuys treats on account of the fun tims, but then he accidentally left at the restaurant the ones we didn't eat there and was very sad about it.

We napped that afternoon, which was miraculous, and got to do some horseback riding. Coco and Dun Dun went first. Then Pod and I took a turn. Pod volunteered to take the feisty horse and ended up getting tossed off when the horse got a little crazy. That was scary. The dirt looked soft, but I was scared he'd get trampled. He survived relatively unscathed other than a small cut on his head where his glasses got him.

Coco, Papa, and I spent some amazing time in the pool while Wren and Tiny Tot finished their naps. I hadn't been on a diving board in about 20 years, so I tried to reteach myself some dives. I did back dives, back flips, front flips, and inward dives. I'd do one dive over and over until I did a good one, and then I'd move on. It was so fun for me. Coco and Papa worked on their back dives, too, and we had a great time. I wanted to keep going but had to get out to help with the littles.

We ordered disappointing food from an Italian restaurant for dinner and then stayed up late making chocolate chip cookies for the San Francisco crew per Deetrix's request.

Friday morning Margaret took the kids for a carriage.

We grown-ups tried to take a turn, but the carriage kept coming loose from the horse. After a couple of attempts, we gave up, and the men and Anna pulled the carriage back to the house. 

The kids did some more horseback riding. They started up top by the stables.

Then they went down to the lower area below the house. 

Heading back up:

We swam again. The orca wars were hilarious.

Bear is an amazing jumper, and she never tires.

We 

Bear got cozy with the Barlockers' giant dog while eating a banana. 

At one point she dropped part of the banana. I picked it up, and it was COVERED with dog hair. I don't know how people have pets, especially hairy ones.

Margaret said they put swings on all the trees they could. Tiny enjoyed the one closest to the house, courtesy of Betsy.

Coco insisted we take family photos since we're so rarely all together. She's right that we need to.

Unfortunately I made myself look like a burn victim, but hey - better luck next time.

Coco and Ann Marvin spearheaded a get-to-know-you game that night after dinner. Jim and I got our babies down early, pre-game. Ever stayed up until the bitter end, but she was pretty much passing out by the time we quit. We played boys v. girls and answered questions about ourselves such as: What food do you hate? What's your favorite thing to do in your spare time? What's your guilty pleasure? The other team had to guess who answered what. It was lots of fun. We didn't have nearly enough time to get through the questions and wished we'd started it on an earlier night. Rob made us fudge that evening, so we ate that and lots of other junk. That night was definitely a highlight.

The week went so quickly it was bizarre. I didn't feel as if I had much sit-around-and-chat time and realized it's probably because Jim and I still have to spend a lot of time dealing with two littles - feeding them (especially Tiny), cleaning them, changing their diapers, etc. Tiny's not walking is a killer, as it makes me feel unable to put her down most places on account of the filth and safety hazards. In two years, when we get together again, everyone will walk, eat regular food, go to the bathroom by herself (at least mostly), and otherwise be much more independent. I know that when they're bigger, I'll miss squeezing and holding them  (they are so freaking cute when they're little), but I do look forward to their being able to do more on their own. In any event, it was a lovely week at a lovely place with our fab family. Ever was forlorn when it ended. She needs more cousin time in her life. We're looking forward to 2019.

Salinas: Point Lobos

Tuesday we went to Point Lobos. We had a tailgate lunch and then hit the trails. Reading Wrenbow was being difficult. Tutu set out with her, and Coco took our empty backpack.

 

I didn't remember that Ever took that last pic above until I saw this pic of Anna's:

Wrenzy rode on Coco's back for a while and then started losing her mind. I can't remember why. I think she wanted me to hold her. She screamed and screamed. Dustin took her, and after a really long time, she calmed down. 

Coco with a sleeping (and hidden) Antone. 

At the end, there was much tidepool exploration.

Dustin had some alone time with the ocean.

After dinner, the kids and Dustin played hide and seek outside. The kids hid too long and too well. Dustin was seriously afraid he was going to lose someone, so first he made a rule that they couldn't go by the horses. When his fear did not subside, he switched the game to sardines. Ever was having the time of her life running around with her cousins. The rest of the adults got to hang out and talk. 

Salinas: Horseback Riding, Pool, and Monterey Bay Aquarium

We arrived at the Barlockers' ranch in Salinas on Sunday, July 30, and settled in. The girls and I had a snuggle sesh (dog pile?) on the living room floor.

By dinnertime, everyone had arrived. Hooray!

Monday we had a leisurely day at the ranch and in town. First thing in the A.M., the kids were out helping Margaret with the horses and other chores.  (Note: the kids ran free all week, feeding horses, checking for eggs in the chicken coop, playing hide and seek, etc. It was grand.) 

Ever had been dying to ride horses and hoping she'd be able to ride all by herself, and Margaret made her dreams come true. Horses officially became Ever's favorite thing. Jim and the littles watched the riders.

Ever rode with Clara (who recently became a pro at a Girl Scout camp) and alone.

Jim and I skipped the Steinbeck Museum that afternoon to let the littles nap. Ever went with the others, and Coco documented the cousin love we missed.

Rob and Anna made a Costco run. Others swam. 

The diving board provided the most entertainment, followed by the orcas.

Optical illusion: while Anders appears to be standing on the side of the pool, he is actually midair.

After dinner, Lucy did a slideshow with pictures from her Thailand trip. Super fun.

Tuesday we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Some people got breakfast burritos that morning in Salinas on the way. We Kringels did not, and we were sad about it. To compensate, Jim stopped at a pastry place in Monterey and bought chocolate croissants (which were consumed immediately) and a bunch of other fancy treats (which were then smuggled into the aquarium, making me very nervous because I assumed outside food was against the rules and I can't break rules). 

I'm sure I took at least a few pictures at the aquarium. I can't find any, however, so I'm stealing a few from Bags. 

After we'd been there a little while, the fancy treats were broken into, shared, and enjoyed. All the while, I was nervous we'd get in trouble for having them in there.

Ever, backward, on Anders's shoulders.

Contrary to what her name may imply, Wrenzypoo-lovey does not give her love very easily. Lucy really had to work at it, but she's good.

Waiting:

Maneuvering through the crowds with the giant double stroller was not ideal, and babies make everything hard. I was really glad Ever and Wren enjoyed it, though, and it was totally worth it - especially because Margaret Barlocker had enough tickets for us all to get in free!

After the aquarium, we walked to a restaurant Jim had found for dinner, stopping at the beach briefly to kill a little extra time.

Anson had a blowout mid-picture.

I have to say, although Jim and I are still the weakest link when it comes to doing anything or going anywhere since everything takes forever with three littles (two very littles), it's nice to have some company in the dealing-with-babies department.

Jim thought island-inspired cuisine was a fitting way to celebrate Mamo and Pod's 44th anniversary that evening. Some of the meals were better than others, but it was a good time.

Back at the ranch, we enjoyed a glorious slideshow courtesy of Court and Ann Marvin. Anna sent Bags all the old family pictures she'd scanned for a prior slideshow, and Bags scavenged files, blogs, and social media for more recent photos to create an up-to-date show. It was amazing. Love our fam.