We spent our last day in California at the beach. (We were in Indian Wells for a week for a work gig for me – I think I haven’t really told this story in order. oh well).
Continuing on – our last day in California we drove to the beach. Mallory was NOT impressed with the big waves and would freak out when I started to get my feet near the water. I LOVE these pictures that Rick took of the kids and me checking out the surf. The water was freezing but I felt I just had to dip my toes in the ocean after traveling so far! 
We took Mallory up on the big ferris wheel at the Santa Monica Pier. She is a little too little to really see over the edge, and I was a little afraid of her falling out (I couldn’t even hold Carson because my heart started to race whenever he’d wiggle) so she didn’t get to see very much of the sights but she enjoyed the ride just the same. She & I even rode it a second time :-) 
We also ventured down to Venice Beach to check things out. There was a surprisingly nice and normal and somewhat clean playground there so Mallory got to play a bit before we headed to the hotel to hunker down for the night before our long trip home.
The trip was rough on Mallory. She doesn’t do well without a nap, and she doesn’t nap for us (only at school these days) so we had a tough week. I’m not proud of how I handled some things with her but I promised both of us (and Rick) that I would try to have more patience with her. She is such a sweet little girl almost all of the time and I have to remember that she’s not going to be little like this for very long, so we can’t get upset that she wants “just one more hug & a kiss” because in 10 years we will be BEGGING her to give us hugs and I can’t refuse to cover her up one more time because in 10 years she won’t let us in her room. I will say though that her “Let’s Make a Deal” routine is beyond aggravating and any suggestions on how to stop it would be greatly appreciated.
Carson was a fantastic traveler and adjusted well to the time change both coming & going; I think he was the best traveler out of all of us!
I know I am missing a ton of things from this trip and even the past month but I’ll get caught up, some day, some how.
Great pictures! I love them.
Now I miss LA a little bit. Chris still asks when we are moving back to “the white house.” Still wouldn’t want to live there anymore though.
GREAT pictures from the beach! Sounds like a great trip was had by all. And I TOTALLY know what your going through. I feel like all I do these days is negotiate with Kyle…food, sleep, play, everything! This too shall pass. Any day now :-) Hope to see you guys soon!
Jen
Love the pics. Can I get a copy?
I used to set a timer for my kids for 15 minutes before they went to bed. They had that 15 minutes to get a drink, read a story, a quick snack or whatever excuse they had. They knew that after the timer went off that was the end of the excuses. I was surprised at how well it worked. Timers are the best tool a mom can have. Buy a big one and use it often. It is difficult dealing with a strong-willed 3 year old, but they function better when they know what to expect and if they are allowed to make choices.
Hugs, Nina
These are totally some of my favorite shots… The time you have with your family and especially your children when they are young goes by so fast. These shots are collectables.