Summer Vacation 2009 - Part III, Laguna Beach

So now that we’ve given you a few days to catch up on the first two legs of our trip (and a few extra photos) we’ll move on to the final part of our journey.

We left San Diego on Wednesday around mid-morning and took the scenic drive through La Jolla on our way out of town. It was really nice to see this part of San Diego, which is absolutely beautiful, and apparently WAAAY out of our price range! At least for now! J

The drive from San Diego to Laguna was only a little over an hour, so we were there in no time. In fact, we ended up getting there before Ramsey, Becca, Grayson and Miss Molly Mac arrived, so we hung out on the back porch of Ramsey’s parent’s Condo (which we’ll refer to as “Cloud 9” from here on out as they nicknamed it that after the street that it resides on…Flying Cloud), looking at the ocean and drinking some beers that we brought with us.

As a point of reference, Cloud 9 is about a 5 minute drive from the ocean, but they've got a great view of it from their big back porch. Ramsey's mother should be an interior decorator, as their place was really decked out in beach attire and was absolutely perfect for fitting 6 adults and 3 little kids comfortably....so we definitely wanted to give a big "Thank You!" to Scott and Marylyn. Marylyn even set out chocolates on our pillows and had a “goody bag” in each room for the kids, complete with a sand pail, shovel, beach ball and bubbles. Talk about nice accommodations!

Not long after we cracked the beer on their patio, we heard a car pull up and we knew that the McBurgorris family vacation was upon us! For those of you that don’t know, we have elected to call this vacation (and all those that follow) the McBurgorris vacations in honor of each of our last names (McIntier, Burgess, and Morris).

The first day was spent getting the lay of the land and catching up with everyone. Becca and Ramsey had elected to drive up early from Yuma with their kids Grayson (10 months) and Molly (4 months), while their husbands Jonny and Blaine were to follow in the evening. Landon and Grayson really hit it off, and Grayson was very interested to watch his older buddy and learn all kinds of new tricks. Molly was still very young, and she spent most of the trip watching the boys from afar (no doubt taking notes for how she will manipulate them later in life). Grayson already had a bunch of toys at the house, and he was gracious enough to share those with Landon (who had fun throwing them, chewing on them, and smacking people with them).

After getting settled (which included loading up at the grocery store), it was time to feed the boys and get them bathed and ready for bed. They had a ton of fun playing in the bath, and while we did get some pictures of them in their birthday suits, I thought it best to destroy all evidence for the sake of everyone involved. If you absolutely must-see those pics, I think Ramsey has a few that she is holding on to in order to humiliate the boys later. As Becca said, we’re saving them for Prom Dates and Weddings.

*On a side note, both Ramsey and Becca put up some great pics from our trip as well, so make sure you go check those out on their blogs! “Molly Mac” and “The Morris Family”.


Thursday was a big day, as we planned to spend a good chunk of time at the local beach. The beach that they took us to was awesome! It wasn’t too crowded (nothing like San Diego), had HUGE waves that broke very close to the shore, and the water was refreshing but not cold. We had a great day, with highlights that included: Landon’s first sand castle…which he smashed immediately, the three girls heading out into the ocean...only to get completely knocked around by the waves, getting myself sunburned even though I completely covered myself in sunscreen, and our first McBurgorris Vacation picture with everyone. The overall verdict was that it was a phenomenal day at the beach.

After the beach we were all pretty tuckered out, but we made some great Spaghetti (both Landon and Grayson loved it), and then with the kids bathed and put down, it was time for the adults to play a high stakes game of Yahtzee...which I can sadly say that I came in dead last and was forced to wear the “magic mullet”. It was a ton of fun hanging out and catching up, but eventually we all ran out of steam and called it a night.

Friday was a very low-key day for all of us. We did head over to a local park at one point where Blaine did some fishing and Ramsey, Michaela, and the boys fed the geese in the lake. This turned into a bit of a nightmare as geese are not very friendly and ended up taking over our little picnic spot. Landon thought it was hilarious and was dying to go play with them, but we thought it best not to let him get attacked by the local wildlife.

That night Blaine grilled up some chicken, sausages, and broccoli, which were excellent and we got in another round of Yahtzee (this time Jonny had to rock the mullet).

Before we knew it Saturday morning was upon us and it was time for the long drive home. We were fairly anxious to see how Landon was going to do, as we left around 8am (which meant that Landon was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed) and we were staring a 7 hour car ride straight in the face. There were a few tense moments where I had to jump in the backseat to calm him down, but all things considered, he did a great job. He spent a ton of time looking at books, and since we brought the portable DVD player, he got his fix of watching his Baby Einstein movie.

Once we walked in the door, we could tell how happy Landon was to see the dogs and feel the comfort and security that comes with being home. He ran into his play room and started looking at all of his toys that he hadn’t seen in a week, almost as if they were brand new all over again.

Michaela and I, on the other hand, were already thinking about the massive amount of work that we would have to catch up on starting on Monday.

This was really the first family vacation that we’ve had (not counting our holiday trips to Arizona), and I can honestly say that it was one we will never forget. We had such a great time, and it was so fun to show Landon new things like the ocean, the beach, animals at Sea World, etc.

It was also really great to catch up with the Morris and McIntier families (as well as all the family that we got to see in Pismo Beach), and we are really looking forward to our McBurgorris Family Vacation next year!

In the meantime, we’re going to keep working on our plan to move down to San Diego….who knows, maybe 5 years from now we’ll be living down there and will look back at this blog and laugh! Hey...a guy can dream, can't he? :) We also want to thank Aunt Nicole who stayed at our house to watch our other two boys and keep them company while we were gone. Thanks Nicole!

Finally here are some more pics that we wanted to fit in….hope you enjoy...

Grayson and his adorable smile!

I just love this picture of the beautiful Molly Mac too much not to share it...

Landon hanging on the beach. He was SO GREAT about wearing his hat the entire trip. This was a 1st for him!

Landon and Daddy at the Dana Point Harbor wearing IDENTICAL expressions!

Landon & "Cousin" Molly

Landon with "Aunt" Ramsey

Finally, one last one of The Burgess'. It was our first vacation as a family and we have so many wonderful memories we'll cherish for ever!