Santa Cruz

Saturday we drove to Santa Cruz to let the girls experience the Boardwalk. This was definitely a car ride worth taking. Dave put the movie on and away we went. Traffic was smooth, coffee was hot, and girls never made a peep until they saw they ocean and then chanted, "we go beach" with their silly little screeches.

This is our arrival. Look at all the smiling faces. Time to go have fun.

Our first stop is bowling. Now I know that doesn't exactly sound too "Boardwalky" but the girls are really into bowling and have such a great time.

Dave bowled with Olivia. She could hardly wait until her turn came around again. She sat at the table playing with all the buttons on the console while eating a snack. Ava and I bowled together. Don't let her age fool you. Ava knows exactly what is going on all the time and can keep up with Olivia. She picked up her ball herself and rolled it down the lane. Afterwards we all would yell "yeaaa" and she would do her dancing feet and clap. They were so cute and together they bowled a 70. Not bad since I bowled a 100 and Dave bowled a 110.

Next we went to the beach and ate lunch. Bringing a double stroller down a sandy beach sure ain't easy but we got the job done. After lunch we swam in the ocean, built sand castles, threw a little sand around, reapplied sunscreen, checked out the seagulls and pigeons, and basically had a great afternoon at the beach for a few hours.

In the late afternoon we walked over to the wharf. Ava took a small cat nap in the stroller and Olivia and I browsed the shops for toys. We tested a few out, checked out the kites, and looked at the clothes. Then we watched some people cast out their fishing poles and listened to the seals below.

Dave and I decided to stop at a restaurant and get some clam chowder. Ava smelled the food and promptly woke up and demanded her fair share. Dinner was tasty but we had to go. It was time to ride some rides.

Here's each of the girls on the Carousel. We thought Ava might not enjoy the rides since the last time she was on a merry-go-round she cried but alas she is past that. The little baby is now the big girl toddler who can and will experiment on everything. She had a blast. Olivia of course loved it. She is definitely a theme park girl.

It was time to go and the girls waved goodbye. We climbed into the car, put on the movie, and started our journey home. Within fifteen minutes both girls were sound to sleep and we turned that damn movie off. It was a joyous ride home!