Little Things and Bite-Size Moments

Last year we did a lot of ‘big things’ - all day events like Sea World, Legoland, Universal Studios, the American Girl Café… It was an absolute blast, but this year we did things at a slightly different pace with San Clemente camping being our ‘big thing’. When we weren’t in the pool or playing wii or shopping for necessities (which we were doing probably 50% of our waking moments), our days were full of relatively little things - bite size moments - that made our time together extra special.

 

We normally do a fire station visit complete with hats, badges and truck rides, but Matt was covering a different station and had lots of shifts with lots going on so we didn't get to do the full tour. However, when we first met up with him on our day three, it was only for 20-30 minutes at the park behind the station, but it was memorable.

Matt is very good about making big things out of little things (in the most positive way), so after a bit of a wrestle with Hunter and Helena, we all played 'butts up' with a ball he'd brought over. It was pretty fun playing with mom and dad and Travis... well, maybe not so much fun for Hunter who got 'butts up' at least 3 times... but thanks, Matt for creating a fun environment doing something so easy. 

It was Evan’s birthday on Tuesday and instead of doing a big party, Amber decided to just get pizza for lunch and spend the day at the pool together. Of course, before lunch there was a $1 showing of Turbo at the movie theatre so everyone besides Evan (who was at Kids Games) piled into Amber’s van and rocked over to Metro Point. Popcorn and a re-run movie on the big screen = a little big thing. Along with Evan’s birthday celebration – it was a great family day near home (with wii and pool time thrown in there just to keep it real)!

Happy 6th birthday, Evan - we love you!!!

And you can't really beat Lil' Caesar's pizza for quick, inexpensive and filling! Yum!

So as not to turn the kid's pocket money spending spree into a big thing, I decided to take them to Target early on before lunch at Grandma's on Wednesday. Each child had $30 to use on anything they wanted - which was just as exciting as the actual purchases. Allowing them to make choices and have options is a big thing in their childhood experience, so it was fun to watch them figure it out. They were both pretty quick to decide what it was they wanted.

Probably just as exciting for them was being able to pay for it all themselves at the self-checkout.

Hunter, who had been adjusting a bit slower to his surroundings, was in his sweet spot once he had new Minecraft Manuals and a Lego kit. We didn't see him much at Grandma's during that lunch time, but he was happy to have some time to himself. I'm learning that each of us have our own way to re-charge and sometimes I need to give them little things like space and time to be alone.

Helena's purchase required a bit of birthday assistance from her Grandma and a bit of safety precaution from us. She had been asking for roller blades for such a long time - these pink Shwinn expandable ones were the perfect choice! 

Aunt Tori was the right person at the right time to help Helena get her balance in her new gear! 

Amber had the rest of the day off of work, so she took us to a sculpture park in Newport Beach near the Civic Center. We let the kids run around and climb on the art pieces (which I wouldn't do again now that I know how expensive those pieces are) on a stunning afternoon.

These bite-size moments in nature... around art... together... are so special as we just don't have these opportunities very often. 

Our first Friday morning, the kids and I met up with Tori and Madie over at the Nehrig's place to gather up some gear for a little ride down to the pier. For one, I'm so grateful that we have so many resources available when we're home... we got to borrow bikes that fit each of us... plus we knew who to see for a bit of air for the tires. If we were just tourists, this would've been a big thing (read expensive), but having family live near each other means we've got an abundance of resources.

Grandpa hadn't used his tools in a while but he did manage to find the right ones to raise the seat so that Helena could comfortably ride Bob's bike. 

The five of us rode down Newland to the beach path - the funniest part was that both the kids automatically gravitated toward the sand thinking that the "beach cruiser" could ride on sand. Sorry guys - it doesn't really work like that. Once they were back on the path they were good to go...

We treated them to some classic beach food from Dwight's and Aunt Tori told them stories about her first job she'd ever had. We enjoyed the strips and cheese (better than the chile and cheese which for some odd reason I'd assumed was bean chile not meat - oops!) and the ice creams.

Seriously, summer - it doesn't get much better than this - 

bikes, beach, ice cream, family, salt-air, free public toilets! 

Ah yes, the little things!

I did find it a bit strange that people don't wear bike helmets unless they are serious cyclists... being so Kiwi now, I did wear mine, but it was a bit of a shock to see so many naked heads.

This was absolutely one of my favourite moments. 

I'd wanted to try to get Tony to do it with us, but it never happened... 

next time we'll have to prioritise it!

I love where my parents live! Twice we walked down the street to the pho shop for lunch! Big bowls of steamy, brothy, fresh Vietnamese noodles with a touch of spicy sciracha sauce - oh yes! Did I mention that it was only $3 per bowl? It's those little things indeed!



Matt and Tori are in the beginning stages of a very big thing for their family - a full renovation of their home! Basically they are doubling its original size - HUGE! But what I admire about Matt is that he can make his enormous thing smaller by inviting other friends into his world by just accepting whatever amount they have to share.
 

One morning, Tony took Hunter over to the house for an hour just to tidy up a bit of the concrete that had already been torn off. It was a bite-sized moment of father-son bonding while lending a hand to the family.

The next day we rocked up for another hour or so to pitch in with some of his buddies who also only had a spare 60-120 minutes. It's amazing how much demolition work can be done in such a short amount of time...

So this is it... the Ambrose home... from the front it truly is just a facade. Around the back the entire house is a skeleton just waiting for consents to be expanded into a dreamier version of home. I love these guys' vision, patience and ability to roll with it. Can't wait to see the results next time we visit. We should've ordered a spare guest suite...



After swimming, wii-ing and eating dinner, we decided to take a walk to the Prehistoric Pets shop down the street. It's always a good reminder of how little it takes to get the kids excited about things - $3 bought worms to feed the turtles which gave three kids pleasure and memories that hopefully lasted longer than the five minutes it took to walk there.

Ahhh... it's just so nice to be together for these little things and bite-size moments!