September started off with a road trip straight to the beach!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1lE0hFYjDBRrBhx4g0aJ_P3rfkFp6jHCsh-4lBZPFhsjUdVd3Bhm1fVrJQkD2BlziXqCTZLgo95JWK71yEsKePSls-nEDYli3OyPcoxsCjAd-GgTbfRr-31PbjfwgUfEZujGALT0Dj42/s320/laguan+beach.jpg)
one of our favs, Laguna Beach!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-imhPzqYyYoCqQ45kmXPojaR2ED1ZCUh19RgxRHwbl79fI_OwSUoIxzsA5kUrZBgajxbmMNXMYR341FlIuGixaMmYUY9Oidc_hn3aRBqZj_fWS31fxqNnTG02fsqQ1wMS04naclGaJb8/s320/big+waves.jpg)
Crazy...first time we've gone and there was an advisory, red flag because the waves were so big, so you couldn't go that far into the water, not that we wanted to, it was freezing!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdt68n2EK8G2B07PFztluRkCmbP9JLkGqpLO2R-3cdEAmvCw9Kpl4q9X4aXN3aVgrik0E2rbhovm6ukTBTjaUQyppKvtWusCpECO8NScW5V05PKjWmtbHvQvSkjpZNymdZI2ut53F5lFZ/s320/round+and+round.jpg)
so mostly running around, away from the waves
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgBnsdC4XFxHBjVJHOHsrVQvfQzxYO4yB3kbgT1xCQh290Y0B69uVmX3rp29njirB1EVkJsvBkxzBFnt1T0JV3bea7qZA3sncV-HiH6TOO5vWeUzO_FKPWNgrtADTd1guQ6PhyphenhyphenNsTBpB2/s320/surprised.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9d4_Ppvmvpq1HefZMLSUf7cPyatwKWQ9ks-vKTZgL6eGK71v-XbRnZ-opfnhap0Z5txd-MQnJFHeGqBQWPTvC5HUNLTfzYgRS8ngcPTEaJHQzOj7tHf0spFrur1QbOn_xeTH8VD9sTL4F/s320/scooping.jpg)
working hard
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8L7RiTnwRwz3NcgLVMnvyRAtXhBZC8ZKlREDt2vhvF5TQhMVznEQhnxlyi4C8NoFfREVeGz4eSV0WzEAbKD2ie6SnwB-ykrOoGl-i9fXe3R5PwZ0lkS8eEVRdD5ElYkwV_J2VpcDCasm/s320/September+2011+023.jpg)
hardly working
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikYsbnyCXTFfO03Z6Vddw4nNCcDoyK-cUaS0mBCUzaF3hGMi8OMPv04bp_al3r51JqqfA_kUxWBNhawuze38WT4_xNXtgSdq3qyAPUhBrBqJL9sMEMYGHroHgdb2doHFw5h4XPBDf5IH8K/s320/mickies.jpg)
the best part of our hotel in Costa Mesa was having Mcdonald's across the street :) Also close to South Coast Plaza...they had these cute displays of cans and capri-sun, you had to adjust your eyes for a sec to realize it
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLWJDfF4GNamWqK7tbU-vsCIqEk33FFrLAgHbEhjRzUj3OlVho4KMDpagsK_MptXNqWUDBSC3g9cp34Mz2hF5d-JUArahdn8wHz7wtqwMs4Ickx5RCOTWellxmm9szhPM6Ejkb0xs-BqB/s320/hello+kitty.JPG)
took us a while to see the little mermaid friends
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbuQko-XU_kYNgGEyzb3b9ylYY7El_3cVbigAppgLQVJGKQ54JWGN2cQNe5V0-eHGxLkSp4f773WKo7HU078m_zyHtAQEW8Kn3BerDeju4ytfZ9YWSfuvQ0yEYhyphenhyphen8k1FmZfbvbhlXlNzs/s320/fish.JPG)
the next day we were up at dawn and went swimming at the hotel pool since it was heated
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtzWipeNFYGjqNp-u9JRwSGd0LwOPqWAFrzk8Bzq4A4evk67Teh1zggEFjN93itdh0jcgRKgYe7VdOPEUf2_B-crLg0QBtIgFMcP5FQjJtjQ28cpmE2qF0jAHqWVtsQ3FsjV23QLVvU-Z2/s320/hotel+pool.jpg)
did some chicken fighting
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEYUdhs4dYTK3QeB-twwDLCMjmbN752W9w8__0ix1oDHlud3xMsD9EU7gCe4HMaMBI32buDa9a0VSjkv263kPUOpJxIi-JAu0-FGNEE_Jid3ZE8LpxiifzNBxq-QFDOPXVZlwuc2wixjC/s320/September+2011+037.jpg)
and relaxing in the jacuzzi
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgloDgGKzNaZSD2AreFDVtntvZ9znydfp1kZ-xL-8scrS6sF4x5rnf1jhhx2qBJgbwG11h4921l-gQ-y9dFx75LCZyHwj2-NgmD5-bz6WjUt_8UrDDcWXBBerGhfHa7p4BggS8T0945CtW8/s320/September+2011+042.jpg)
and the kids learned from their daddy what planking was :)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_uj_AYm8vjWtw_tgpkQKJg8H-HQUAnSZklt2ZRxbr5H-ggHbceV7Ee0HuADW1KU37wgSzZuRh1mXJ2eh5Q02iZo4ZnT7Sjh9ED5sobWXZnDRv3qZAWxuU7d4FuW0nd2MpKOtao1f86_kS/s320/jayson+plank.jpg)
spent the rest of the day walking around...checked out the Santa Monica promenade and Pier
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsS2YVXNdqniTPSxtHV7fD-mcxsoQpMKHyb5wrexxtW_mbzUirqbAHRdPAUHnjGtJbbrC4f56JYnZW6CbtcgacKw4ZfF0uIMeooSfXrxjiZ-GLIGGz0O4b08ToJjPtmhuNBvMHsEafcfo/s320/September+2011+049.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPVZrEl4RCh55XHDv1qN2PSkeG-lHUDb6IxDXsMsISULqLESiNWOn7VamOl-xZK7pLdSOJsmayDKxnP4pOmqRvhVux61DiwJux4koiOgt4xy71LiKc1y5LIOEemZIoPfYRmiXbu6I4Wpo0/s320/September+2011+052.jpg)
and our trip wouldn't be complete if we didn't stop at Irvine Spectrum on our way home :)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGzfwR7BMZVqqPaPe9supaR6xtTo-aFNdTiQRZI0BQb5HXGR_cqrSzETCP327-_0u7gc0dYWJB8Dvd3p3Y8JXf2DyfdF9RBb0_lq5wTTq2KpOQXz6mtOCuSGbefZecWJtC3KJ72eN3jWF/s320/September+2011+061.jpg)