Dancing in the Waves {Our Newport Vacay}

Every summer since Grace was born, we've taken a family vacation to Newport Beach. We weren't sure we were going to make it this year with a new baby, but Perry is so easy that we decided to go for it. I'm so glad we did, because we had the best time ever with our crazy girls.

We woke up early Sunday morning and headed west with the car packed full. Perry slept the entire way, except for a quick few minutes when I somehow managed to nurse her as we drove. The girls slept for a while, but as we got closer, they got more and more excited.

We stopped at a grocery store in Newport to fill up our ice chest, and then finally, we were at the beach. Our hotel room wasn't quite ready for us, so we changed in the car and went to look for a spot to hang. The beach was so crazy busy, that we were barely able to find a spot. We decided against putting our tent up and saved it for the next day. Once we were all settled in the sand, Grace made a run for the ocean and danced in the waves. Charley was more interested in playing in the sand. 

She joined Grace for a quick second before falling face first in the water...typical Charley. She laughed it off, but decided to hang out with me and Perry.

Daddy took Gracie down to play in the waves. The water was super warm like bath water. I don't remember it ever feeling like that, as it's usually pretty cold.

Char Char collected seashells and soaked up some rays.

Perr Bear hung out in her 'Call Me on My Shell' onesie before she blew out her diaper and ruined it for the day. I think she really liked the sound of the waves, because she slept the entire time we were down there.

When our room was ready, we got all checked in and showered up. Perry was loving Newport and was all smiles after a quick snack.

The girls wanted to walk around the Balboa Fun Zone, so we got dressed and headed down there.

They decided to jump on the Ocean Motion, and Gracie went first. Char chickened out after seeing how high sister was going.

Gracie stole some kisses from Perry, who loved hanging facing forward in the baby wrap.

We made our way to the arcade, where the girls had a blast playing all of the games.

Perry stayed awake for two whole hours, while we walked around. Then she passed out as soon as we got back to the room.

Charley also fell asleep, so Grace and Daddy went across the street to Cali Shore Store where Grace got her first henna tattoo.

When they came back, we ordered dinner from this delicious Italian restaurant in our hotel and hung out in the room with the windows open, so we could listen to the waves crash on the shore. Our room was directly across from Cabo Cantina, which brought back some great memories with our best friends from summers past.

Perry woke for dinner and then went back to sleep. We made sure to bring her Dockatot, so she literally slept like a baby all night.

The next morning, Perr Bear did tummy time on Daddy's chest and loved looking out the windows.

We got up, grabbed some muffins and orange juice downstairs, and headed to the beach. We were going to make sure to get a spot that day. The girls played in the waves, while Isaac and I got all of our stuff set up.

We were finally ready for the day, and Perry decided to wake up and hang out under the tent, while Grace and Char played in the sand.

When they were finally hungry, Perry snuggled up in the Boppy, while the girls ate their muffins.

Apparently Char was still tired, so she napped with Perry. 

Meanwhile, Gracie played on the beach and had a blast in the waves and building sand castles with Daddy.

After Perry woke up and ate, we watched Daddy and Grace play in the water some more.

Char finally woke up and was ready to go. She and Gracie had so much fun playing by the water.

Daddy took them in the ocean, so they could swim and really get wet in the waves. I love watching them hang onto their Daddy and jump and laugh as the waves crash into them all.

Perry napped the entire time. I'm convinced it's something about the sound of the waves, because she's been staying awake for little bits of time here and there lately. Not at the beach.

Daddy came back to sit by the tent, but the girls talked him into taking them back in the water about two minutes later. They were just having so much fun!

They met a little friend and decided to play in the sand for a bit.

That didn't last too long, and they were back in the water.

Perry finally woke up and hung out with me watching her big sisters play.

The beach was crazy busy. I've never seen so many people here at once. Fourth of July must be a big weekend in Newport, and there was red, white, and blue all over every street.

The girls got really brave and sat on the shoreline to let the waves crash into them. Just look at those big smiles. They were having the best time.

Daddy hung out with Perry, while I stayed close to the water with Grace and Char.

It cracks me up when her hand flies in front of her face and her eyes catch it. She'll stare at it for a few minutes watching it and grabbing it with her other hand. Seeing her discover new things is the best.

As we were leaving, I realized that I didn't get any pictures of the girls all together, so we got a quick one before jumping in the car.

After our long day at the beach, we headed to the Unertls' for dinner. It was so nice to watch the kiddos play together and spend some time catching up with our best friends. It definitely made me miss our Friday night dinners with them. We love you guys so much! Thanks for having us over.

We had such a great weekend. I'm glad we were able to take a trip with the girls even if it was a short one. The smiles on their faces made it all worth it. It's fun to make new memories with them and watch them tell Perry about new things that they've experienced before. Everything is a first all over again with a baby tagging along <3