The needle is threaded, a puddle of Tacky glue has spread across the table, the floor is littered with tiny triangles of Orange, Brown and Yellow…costuming is well underway!
I’ll be back Tuesday with a full “Friends Feast” rundown but until then there is much to do!
Whoa!
Give me a second here to catch my breath…Harper is how old? 9 no wait…10 months old already?
Month 9 went by in the blink of an eye (much like this entire year) that I didn’t even get a chance to write about it! I guess if you read through our vacation re-cap (here, here, here and here ) you pretty much get the jist of how Harper partied this past month…beach, sand, ocean, sunscreen slapped messily on the face, camping, surfing, more sand (always more sand) and lots of special time with friends and family.
Oh, and he also started in with this business:
Somewhere between the 9/10 month blur Harper decided that he can climb and stand up without holding on to anything. Our house is now lovingly referred to as Harper’s jungle gym and the bright squishy tiles and mess of pillows around all furniture are a testament to just how much this monkey likes to climb!
Fun things this month:
Harper’s signing has kicked into full gear! He now signs “More, “Please” (sometimes), “Milk” and “All Pau” (done). Grocery shopping is pretty hilarious since he signs “more” for everything he sees. We’ve had a few run ins with the grabbing and tossing things into the cart without mommy looking and just yesterday he dove in and snatched out a pear just after I had added it to the cart (note to self: feed baby before grocery store!)
The eating messes are getting better (remember these days?):
Harper imitates us…time to start watching what we do and say!
Hubby, Harper and I are hosting our annual Friends Feast this coming Monday and have been busy costuming, crafting and coming up with fun games for the night. This year we’ve planned a Pilgrims and Indians theme and will be teaming up to compete in a “Minute to Win it” style competition.
I don’t want to give away too many details in case there are any competitors out there reading this (don’t want to give them a leg up) but here are a few of the games we have planned:
Word Blitz- A “Catch Phrase” inspired game where you have to get your partner to guess the word by giving clues
(Download my list of Thanksgiving inspired words)
Tipsy Tepee- A Thanksgiving Day take on Jenga
Create your own Tipsy Tepee by using bamboo skewers (if playing with wee ones cut off the points), paper and glue- – It’s that easy!
Some other games we have planned:
Cross the Sea- Verbally navigate your partner through an obstacle course
Ring around the pumpkin- Kind of like horse shoes but with pumpkins and wreaths
Popcorn Toss- Catch popcorn in a cornucopia
Kiss the Pumpkin- Start with a pumpkin (ball) between you and your partners feet and work it up to your mouths
This Moment- A Friday ritual. A single photo- no words- capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
Ever have those days that are perfect in every single sense of the word? Well that is exactly the kind of day I had at Campus Point in Santa Barbara! I can seriously still get choked up thinking back to this day….the weather was a warm 85 degrees, the water was so unusually warm that I pulled half my wet suit off and surfed semi-topless, the waves were just the right size, consistency and shape and there was this guy cheering me on from the beach:
Continuing North our next surf destination was the popular Rincon. Known as the “Queen of the Coast” this spot sits between Ventura and Santa Barbara County and is most famous for it’s long, peeling and overcrowded rights. After a small but fun session at Malibu we had no idea what to expect from Rincon and after hiking down to the beach we were surprised when we saw this:
WAVES! BIG WAVES!
After picking up our rental van in Los Angeles we made our way North on highway 101 and landed ourselves in Malibu for a perfect sunset. With just enough light left to sneak in a few waves we dawned our wetsuits and headed out into the chilly waters of the Pacific.
Malibu is a dream wave, an iconic spot for surfing and California because of it’s perfect little rights rippling over a shallow and rocky bottom. This wave is ideal for perfecting your longboarding skills and trying out new maneuvers like hanging five or even ten if you’re really lucky! I’d been looking forward to surfing this spot since we first started planning our trip and man did it deliver!
Not only was the sunset glowing, the waves more than welcoming and the crowd non-existent but as the sky grew darker and darker we were surprised by something magical happening in the water all around us. A phenomenal algae bloom was causing a flurry of bioluminescence that made for one unforgettable, incredibly spiritual and lucky surf session! As we paddled, surfed and played in the water this incredible display of nature’s beauty literally took our breathe away. Between the surf, the magical water and laughs we shared, this trip was starting off on the right foot!
Unfortunately we weren’t able to catch any of this particular surf session or bioluminescent on camera but here is a glimpse of what the red tide looked like at it’s peak (thanks to Youtube):
Stoked from our experience we headed towards our first campground, set up shop and dozed off with dreams of Malibu surf and glowing waves in our minds. We awoke early (thanks to our favorite alarm clock Harper) and headed back to Malibu. Once again the surf delivered, the sun was out and the hours passed by as we traded beach time and babysitting for long rides and perfectly shaped waves.
Just thought I would pop in to let you all know that I am in sweatpants, a long t-shirt and contemplating putting on socks.
Why am I taking the time to tell you all this?
Well…because I just checked the weather and it is a chilly 72 degrees outside…you can go ahead and virtually slap me right now!
Sending warm thoughts to all you snow ridden, frost bit, wind chilled, winter suffering friends out there! And while your teeth are chattering and your hands are warming around a nice hot cup of cocoa, remember how lucky you are to have seasons and loved ones to snuggle close to!
I'm Heather Mohr, a mama to be and a chick who loves to surf. Here I jot down the adventures of an ocean loving, surf crazed, free spirit and the unfolding journey of mamahood... a collection of reflections on the life of diapers, messy spaghetti faces, finger paintings and a growing family by the sea.
Mama Surfs is all things beach, baby, surf, sun and sand. Come back often for entertainment, inspiration and your daily dose of life by the sea!
