Newport Coast Part 2

30 June 2018

Well, I didn't think it was going to be over a month before I posted the rest of our Newport trip but life takes unexpected turns sometimes. Most notably, at the end of May, Morgan's dad suffered a stroke.
We thought it was mild at first and after spending a week in the hospital, he was discharged.
That evening, he passed away peacefully in his sleep.
God's grace was evident in all of the details that transpired that week and we couldn't be more thankful for His goodness.
Although we are so sad to see grandpa go, the thought of him being in heaven with our Lord and Savior and reunited with grandma gives us such great peace and joy. 

Consequently, the family has been busy planning his memorial service, which will take place next Saturday.
More on that later...
We love you, grandpa and will miss you dearly.

We took the ferry over to Balboa Island.


Two peas in a pod.


My men!


Love them all so much!


Twin dolphins.




Look at Zach's face. He wasn't sure about going on the Ferris Wheel. 😟




Salt Water Taffy is a must when we're near the ocean.


Notice his face now. He loved it so much he went back for round 2!  


Then he wanted to try the jumper. Look at how big he looks!




He absolutely loved it!
He kept saying, "I'm touching the clouds!
And then he would say, "Hey Faith! Look at me!"


Then he spotted his favorite kind of truck.


Learning to drive the ferry boat back.


 Hanging out at Newport Beach.


 The waves were loud and crashing onto the shore so he was hiding under the lifeguard stand.  


❤❤❤


A cloudy day at the beach is still a day at the beach. 😎
He's my favorite. 💘


Later in the afternoon, we went to Laguna Beach and the sun popped out!


Adventuring together. ❤


Super dad and his boy wonder.




So grateful to God for this family of mine and the time we got to spend just enjoying each other and playing outside.

Newport Coast Part 1

03 June 2018

 Zach said this statue in front of the lobby was Jesus. 🙈😂


Taking in the views of the pool area and the ocean beyond.


Let the first vacation of the summer begin!


View from our patio. Cloudy but still wonderful to see the ocean.


It was too cold for the pool so we headed to the OC Zoo.




Our little bear, seeing how he stacks up.


Peacocks make the loudest mating calls.


The family surrey was so much fun!
We're waiting for the train to cross and yes, that is Father Serra ringing the bell. 😄


Underage drivers gone wild. 😜


It started raining and we were FREEZING but that made the experience quite memorable.


It was the highlight of our day! We had a blast!


In the evening, the girls and I got to see "The Greatest Showman" at the resort's movie theatre.
We absolutely LOVED it!


The next morning, we took a hike up the canyon.
Btw... world's greatest dad right here!


Up the canyon and finally down again...


It led all the way to the beach!


Hiding from the waves.


We spotted a pod of dolphins right in front of us.


Cute boy. 😍 


Back at the resort and enjoying the kids area.


Corn hole, anyone?


Cowboy Zach.


Surfer Zach.



We're calling this the first of our summer vacations (even though technically, I guess it's still spring).
We finished up another school year so we wanted to take a little break and celebrate.
A few days at the beach was just the ticket!

We've stayed at Marriott's Newport Coast Villas before but the girls were very young.
In fact, they were the same age Zach is now.

   Here they are in front of that same fountain. 😄😄

There's much to do for everyone on the property and the villas can't be beat. With 2 bedrooms/2 baths and plenty of space to sprawl out, it's one of the most comfortable resorts we've ever stayed at.
In fact, we said we need to make this a yearly family trip! 

This time, we had a cold spell during our stay so we didn't see much sunshine or spend any time in the pool but nonetheless, we were thankful for a nice break from our desert heat and the quality time we got to spend as a family.

More pics to come...  

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