Newport, and Laguna Beach
Michael and I had a random Thursday off together, and he was able to attend her gymnastics class with us. It was great because normally he works Thursdays and isn't able to go. We decided to make a day of it and had plans to grab lunch in Newport and drive through Laguna Beach. It was such a beautiful day, and I remember being in such awe of how gorgeous that area is and how fortunate we are to live so close.
First stop was lunch. Ella had a pasta dish, while Michael, Mia and I got food from the seafood place next door and shared a salmon, rice and veggie plate. After lunch we drove to Laguna and decided to park and walk around.
Ella and I headed down to the beach to feel the water.
Ella had the best time running around the sand and feeling the cold water with her toes.
We ended the afternoon by getting an ice cream cone. It was such a perfect little afternoon.
Medieval Times
I had been wanting to take Ella to Medieval Times, but I wanted to wait until I thought she was old enough to handle the entire show. I also enjoy spending one on one time with her. I think it's important that we spend our own quality time with the girls, and I know Ella really enjoys and treasure this. We did end up leaving the show a few minutes early because Ella got a tummy-ache, but otherwise Ella did great!
Of course Ella had to dress like a princess for her time at the castle.
A crown and a flag makes it even more fun!
Selfie while we waited for dinner.
Ella devoured the tomato soup and garlic bread. She thought it was so good and she did great without the utensils. (That's a thing at Medieval times... you eat like they did back then too. No forks/spoons.)
Ella caught a carnation thrown to her by our yellow-knight that we were cheering for. I was PSYCHED for her. She felt incredibly special. It was such a great time for the both of us.
Dinner & The Aquarium of the Pacific
If you have been reading our blog for a while, you know our love for the aquarium. We are no longer members, but are considering getting a membership after our latest visit. It's such a fun thing to do, even just for a couple of hours. Both girls loved it so much.
We stopped at 2nd and PCH in Long Beach for some Shake Shack before heading over to the aquarium.
Mia had her own foods we packed for her, but she was definitely trying to steal bites of fries.
Ella loves this feature of the aquarium... They have these little drawing stations where the kids can color a fish and then it pops up on this screen and their fish they just colored starts swimming around. Such a fun little feature for the kids.
We went in the evening so the pictures are a little bit dark.
Mia loved the fish!
We even got brave and took the kids to the new theater to watch a film on ocean pollution. Ella goes "Wow! This is amazing!" And it really was and I was super impressed.
I tried uploading a clip from the film so you could see the big screen, but it didn't work.
We ended the night watching the water fountain outside. Ella loves being out after dark because it's so rare for us. I definitely want to do it again and I think going in the evening made it even more fun. I was so impressed with how well the girls behaved despite it being later in the day. We all slept well that night, I remember!
Those are just a few of the fun things we've done recently. Thanks for reading! :)
-Ashley & family
xoxo
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