Beach Day

Last weekend we headed down to North Beach in San Clemente with all the grandparents and my sister and her son.  We have never been to this beach but it is a very family friendly beach.  There are swings, a slide and picnic tables all right by the bathroom.  Every so often a commuter train goes by right behind the beach.  The kids loved it and would wave to the travelers.

  

The beach is short, so we didn't feel too far from our stuff or the water depending where we were.  It is pretty rocky though, so wearing sandals down to the water line made life easier. 

T had so much fun playing in the surf.  We were out there awhile holding hands as we ran toward the receding waves and then ran as the waves came crashing back at us.  The waves were a little more powerful than I was expecting but that wasn't a worry since the kids don't actually go in the water to swim.

Baby M got all dressed for the beach in her tutu bathing suit but didn't get to play in the water or the sand.  One of these days she'll have fun like her sisters.

Wine Tour

My sister-in-law is getting married next month and this past Monday we celebrated her impending nuptials with a few of her old friends and a bit of wine.  Five of us and baby M met at Leoness Cellars in Temecula for a winery tour.  We started out the earliest we could at 10 am, so we could beat the heat.  It was sunny and warm but not too hot yet.  Baby M got to check out the winery and vineyard from the comfort of her carrier.  I love her little eye peaking out.

We started off with a few tastings in the tasting room to see what we liked.  There were a variety of preferences among the five of us ranging from really sweet to really dry.  Some preferred reds; others wanted whites.  Once we found one we liked, we headed out with a glass of it to check out the view from the wedding lawn.  It does have a beautiful view of the vineyards below and would be a lovely place to get married.
 

 

I forget the acreage, but there was a lot of it  and it was dedicated to different varietals.  We were able to sample some as we walked through the vineyard down to a golf cart.  Outside the patio near where the golf cart was parked, they grow regular table grapes that you find in a store.  It was interesting to compare them to the ones we had just eaten.  The wine grapes are much smaller because they do not receive enough water to make them plump like store bought grapes.  This concentrates their sugars for the wine. 

Because of the warm winter and early harvest this year, we were able to see some of the wine production in action.  But it was a welcome relief from the warm sun to step into the air conditioned barrel room.  They keep a portion of their barrels in this room just for events.  The rest they store at a warehouse elsewhere. 

We headed back to the tasting room to round out our tastings.  Leoness was nice in that it was baby friendly.  I was able to nurse M on a very comfortable couch in the tasting room (most tasting rooms don't have places to sit) and their bathroom has a changing table (the rest of the day I changed M in the car).  I would consider joining the wine club here.

Following our tour, we headed over to Wilson Creek Winery for lunch.  The lunch was pricey but delicious.  We had a cheese plate appetizer, some sangria that I wasn't impressed with, a delicious penne dish with shaved ham and we shared a couple desserts.  Baby M napped for most of the lunch in her stroller so it was a nice relaxing meal.

After lunch we tasted a few of the wines.  Thanks to my sister, who is a wine club member there, we had a couple free tastings.  And I believe everyone was a fan of the orange mimosa champagne. 

We moved on to Foot Path Winery, which is very different from the other two we had seen.  Foot Path is the smallest winery and definitely no frills.  It is a ramshackled property compared to the landscaped wineries.  The tasting room is a shed with all sorts of odds and ends stored that reminded me of my dad's garage or my grandpa's shop.  There is no air conditioning; just a powerful fan that you can sit by which really does keep you cool. 

They are also a certified organic farm, although not all of their wines are organic.  We got to say hello to the horses on our way in and I think they were looking for a handout from us.  Foot Path only makes red wines.  I unfortunately can't say anything about them since I was designated driver and had reached my limit, but their grapefruits taste so good and are great price!  I only bought two and I regret that I did not buy a bunch more. 

For our last stop, we went to Danze del Sol Winery.  It does have a bit of an old world Spanish feel, especially with the patio.  It was cool enough in the shade by that point that Baby M and I could take breaks from the tasting room and sit down out there.  We had been tasting for 7-8 hours by that point and my back was so tired from carrying my little chunk around.  The sales sommelier enjoyed showing off his pours and smiles for a group of attractive ladies and he made it fun for everyone. 

The girls were so sweet and bought me a bottle to thank me for planning the day and driving them all around.  I will split it with my mother one of these evenings, since without her babysitting the twins, this day wouldn't have happened.  It was such a nice break from the usual routine and M was such a sweet, well-behaved baby the whole long day.  I look forward to next time I go wine tasting.

7 Months Old

 

It is hard to believe how fast the time is going.  My itty-bitty newborn is now a chunker almost ready to crawl.  She is teething but has yet to get any teeth in.  She hasn't been sleeping as well as she used to because of the teething pain.  Hopefully that will pass soon and we can all get more sleep.

 

She normally squawks and squeals but does unintentionally say a few D, G and N sounds now as she plays around.  She rolls and rotates easily.  She is very stable sitting but still falls over every once in awhile so I keep a pillow behind her on the hard floor.



Her sisters are so sweet with her.  They bring her toys and sometimes ask her permission to take a toy from her that she is playing with.  They give her kisses and make her laugh.  I'm sure that once she is crawling, getting into their things and taking their toys there will be fights and tears.  I'm going to enjoy this sweet phase while it lasts.

Pool Day

We are currently staying at my in-laws.  They have a beautiful pool.  So my husband's mother and I invited my sister and her two kids up for the day to swim.  It was fun but we probably won't try it again until next year.   I am exhausted.  Three adults, three 3 year olds, one 17 month old who is everywhere and into everything, and a 7 month old that decided to skip her naps today.  It was a long, tiring day.

We started the morning off cleaning, tidying and baking.  I made some zucchini tots and the twins helped me make coconut macaroons.  The tots tasted good but I think I'd halve the amount of eggs and bread crumbs I put in.  I wasn't really measuring that accurately so I'm not sure how well that reflects the recipe.  The macaroons were quick and easy to make.  It was one my mother-in-law's recipes, so I'll have to make sure to get a copy. 

My sister and the kids arrived around lunch time and we all ate before heading out to swim.  Baby M even joined us in the pool.  She liked it this time since the water is much warmer than it was at the beginning of June.  We have two inflatable Cars car floats.  She spent a bit of time floating around in one and little H briefly stayed in the other, but keeping her in one spot for long doesn't happen much these days.  D and T also climbed into them.  I didn't think they would fit but they still do.  They didn't stay in them that long though.  They prefer swimming around in their life jackets. 

The toddlers got to practice what they have learned in their summer swim lessons.  The girls have mostly forgotten theirs over the past two weeks.  But at least I know better how to approach teaching them to swim so they were not wasted.  Big H just came from a swim lesson earlier this morning and he really does well.  Not yet ready to really swim without floaties, but he is getting there.

As pool time encroached more and more into nap time and the whining and tears started, we got out and rinsed.  The kiddos watched some Cat in the Hat while we organized the swim gear and my sister packed up.  Unfortunately being Friday, their return trip took twice as long because of traffic.  It was also too late to put the girls down for a nap and expect them to sleep at their usual bedtime.  So we had some grumpy, fussy girls this evening.  But they are currently sound asleep and I get a chance to update my blog.  Nothing is ever perfect; it's all about tradeoffs.