Ventura, California

Joe and I took a canoe out and I peeled this starfish off the side of a boat. Then we paddled until we found our resort and I hopped out to grab our kids and the camera to document my bravery! Joe was too scared to grab it! :-) I had to reach into the water and it was so pokey it actually hurt to hold it - plus it was really heavy! I wanted to keep it, but Joe is so sweet and convince me to put it back into it natural habitat so it would die.

The water was soooo cold, but none the less, the girls had a fun time on the beach!

We had so much fun on our trip to California this year. We stayed right on the Bay in Ventura and our room views were so picture perfect. Joe and the girls even saw dolphins and seals right from our room! The beach was right across from the bay, so you had to drive a few minutes to get to it, but was still super close. We stayed for a week and also went to Knottsberry Farm, The Aquarium of the Pacific and our favorite was strawberry picking at Underwood Family Farms. The kids had a blast and I think Ava ate a pound of strawberries while we picked. Joe's parents stayed there too and brought one of the Grandkids - Tylo. So she's in a lot of our pictures in case you're wondering who that cutie pie is! She was such a help with our girls and even spent the night with Annalise a few times in our room. All in all, it was a great family memory and we can't wait to go back next year!