We had our Spring Break last week and it was fantastic!  We drove to Santa Barbara and camped at our favorite beach Refugio State beach.  It is right on the beach and so much fun!  

We stopped in Ventura and Danny bought a couple of  surf boards etc.. then we stopped at Costco for food etc.. then headed to the campsite. We set up camp and had Costco pizza for dinner that night! We woke up early on Monday and headed right for the Ocean. The kids all had wetsuits, booties and were really happy to be in the water all day long! 

We surfed, boogie boarded, body surfed, swam, snorkeled, played in the sand, and just really enjoyed being outside alllll day long - everyday of the week! 

The views were incredible especially at sunrise and sunset! The starts over the ocean were incredible! So many stars and no lights so you can see them so well! I loved going out for a walk after the kids went to bed at night.
We loved being at the ocean right when the sun went down and soaking on the golden sunshine. 

We had three tents and a hammock for all of us to sleep in. The kids divided up tents Danny and I had our own tent. The sleeping temperature was so perfect every night! One day we woke up to a rainstorm and it was stressful, but the kids just put on their wet suits and got in the ocean. I took a couple of kids to Starbucks for hot cocoa etc.. and we waited the storm out. Later it cleared up and it was a beautiful day! 

Every morning we ate breakfast, put on our wetsuits, and sunscreen and then headed out to the water. 

Lizzie spent hours looking for shells and gathering her stuff from the ocean. She loved dancing in the waves, doing handstands and having fun! She took to boogie boarding too and had a great time! 

Emily was really into boogie boarding! She got really good and had fun surfing too. She had fun playing VB on the beach and we called her "Sea Monster" all week. Her hair loves the moisture and sand/salt form the ocean and she started to get dreads! 

One day we went downtown and walked around, shopped at a surf shop and at a late lunch at a delicious fish restaurant! Then we watched the boats unload their shrimp and fish hauls from the day. We ended the day with ice cream from Rite Aid. We spent everyday going to Rite aid we needed advil, tums, benadryl, etc.. it was kinda hilarious. 

Isaac got a brand new skim board for his birthday from Danny and he got really good at it! The beach was perfect for him to practice skim boarding. He was low on energy some days because of a cold, but he was a really good sport. He loves the water! 

Richard drove up from Ventura one day and we had dinner together. It was really great to see him, and catch up we miss him!

Taylor got really good at surfing, he really improved at paddling out and getting the waves! He spent SO many hours out in the water and got pretty sun burnt on his hands and face (the only places not covered up by his wet suit) I am proud of all the kids and for their sense of adventure and getting right into the water and having fun in the ocean! 

Danny was so good at helping all the kids get comfortable in the water and having fun with everyone! He LOVES the ocean so much and really find his happy place at this beach! I am happy we could work hard together to pull this camping trip together and make it a success! It was a very memorable trip!
Such a great spring break! 

The kids all had super white faces from the heavy duty sunscreen they put on their faces everyday. They looked like clowns! But it helped their faces not get burned. 

We absolutely love Refugio beach! It's such  nice, comfortable, quiet campground! So many nice moments - some moments that are not great (the wind that blew ALL thursday night, Isaac/Lizzie coughing, rain and kids fighting)
But overall it was a fantastic trip!! 

The beach is definitely our HAPPY PLACE!