The Queen Mary

Today we wanted to celebrate my mom's birthday by doing something fun and different. We have been talking about visiting the Queen Mary in Long Beach for a while, and decided today would be the perfect day. Joe left yesterday for a convention in Las Vegas, so the kids and I met up with Mimi, Gramps, Jeff, Cathy, and Jax.

 We also got to take the Ghosts and Legends tour which the kids thought was pretty cool, and a bit spooky!!

 It was a beautiful day in the harbor!

 The boys loved checking out the machinery.

 The kids were starving, and had to wait a while to eat, but the food was delicious and worth the wait!

 Gramps and the boys in front of the incredibly tall smoke stacks...

 The kids each got to learn Morse code, and were able to type out their names and S.O.S in the radio booth.

 Coop liked the old fashioned telephone booths...

 Jeff loved going deep into the engine room and learning about how all of the mechanics of the ship worked.

 We couldn't believe how big this propeller was!

 We learned so much about the history of the ship, from its glamour days of hosting British royalty and Hollywood cinema stars, to its years as the "Gray Ghost" where it transported more than 1 million soldiers during World War II. We couldn't believe how many soldiers had to share such confined spaces, including several men to a bunk, on these tiny cots.

After a great day learning and exploring, we ended the day with a yummy chocolate ice cream to celebrate Mimi's birthday.

Happy Birthday to the best mom a girl could ask for!! We love you!!

Another perfect beach day...almost!

We headed to Newport to escape the heat, once again, and enjoy another picture perfect beach day!

 Lacey came along for the day and the girls had a blast playing in the waves, and collecting many sand crabs!

The boys had a great time too, spending lots of time in the water. Cooper is trying to get the hang of using fins to body board. Jax has become an expert this summer, so Coop is trying to catch up!

 

 Joe decided to come with us too, since he hasn't had as many beach days, and was anxious to get in some body surfing. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out too well for him. He was stung by a sting ray in his foot, and spent a couple of hours in some pretty excruciating pain. Thankfully, he started to feel better towards the end of the day and enjoyed a little more time in the water.

 Although I am ready for these scorching days to end, I am thankful for all of the beach time we have been able to squeeze in!

Toasty beach day!

We have been dealing with some scorching temperatures the last few weeks! Since this was our last free Saturday of the year (Zoe begins Nutcracker rehearsals for dance next week), and it was going to be another day of 100+ temps, we decided to take advantage and head to Newport. It was even hot at that coast, but at least we had the ocean. The water was cold and refreshing, and we spent most of our day in it!

These two sure do love spending time together!

 After a fun day, we went to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner. The boys have become quite the crab connoisseurs lately!

 Zoe stuck with the clam chowder...

What a great day! Wish these weekends would last a little longer!!

Bulldog Pride Award

So far, 7th grade seems to be going pretty well for Miss Zoe. She likes most of her teachers, is working hard and succeeding. Her math teacher, Mrs. Williams, honored Zoe with the Bulldog Pride award for her strong dedication to school, effort, and achievement. She got her certificate, VRMS cup filled with candy and a smelly pencil. She also got to attend a pizza lunch with other award winners and teachers. Great job Zoe!

Wave House

 For Jax's birthday this year, he decided he wanted to go to The Wave House in San Diego. Boogie boarding and surfing are two of his favorite things, and the kids were all excited to have some water fun! Jax brought his friend Nolan, and the four of them had a fantastic day.

We enjoyed a great lunch before their session started. The kids had their own table, with their own waiter, and ate while watching some pretty amazing riders on the FlowBarrel.
After lunch, they had an hour session on the FlowRider, for some fun boogie boarding.

  

They had a blast, even when they were crashing hard!

Cooper was the first to attempt standing up on the board, and he was pretty successful. Not bad for his first time.

Zoe quickly followed!

 Next up, they tried the smaller wave board with the rope to help keep them steady in the strong current.

 Zoe was really good at this one, and stayed up for quite a long time! Between her incredible balance and strong dancer legs, we told her she should really take up surfing more.

 Then it was time to head over to the FlowBarrel, which creates a 10ft. barrel to board or surf through. The kids were all pretty intimidated by it, so they spent some time warming up in the jacuzzi and getting their nerves up to give it a try!

 Cathy and I sat in the heat, nervously watching to see if they would do it.

 After some heavy persuasion from Joe, Zoe was actually the first to try it! She started off ok in the smaller part, but once she got to the barrel it was over pretty quick!

Cooper managed an ok ride too, but boy do they get tumbled hard!

 Jeff always manages to have fantastic birthday parties for Jax! The kids sure had a blast, and followed up with some ice cream before heading home.

 Happy Birthday Jax!!