Cayucus 2009

I can't believe that Cayucus has come and gone. Just a few weeks ago, we were talking about how we couldn't believe how quickly it was coming. . . and now. . . we are recovering from this annual retreat. Each year, Jon's family gathers at a beach house in Cayucus (this has been going on for a LONG time), and spends Labor Day weekend as a family.

Jon's grandparents give each of us 10 dollars to go to the Peddler's Faire and find some sort of fantastic deal. It is incredibly hard for me because I just can't stand buying trinkets and junk! But, it is fun. Usually, I come back with some children's books, marbles, or something. This year, I settled on some cinnamon coated almonds and pecans (they are awesome!) and Jon got a model sail boat to go with our nautical stuff. Ethan was able to get a sand castle building kit and bubble wand kit that came together in one package. Then we treated ourselves to a scrumptious peanut butter cookie from the Brown Butter Cookie Company (Delicious!).
Jon and some of the men went to Los Osos on Saturday afternoon to play some golf - John Dooley won and Jon's grandpa recieved the pink tee award (had something to do with him hitting a really bad shot into a street that bounced into a neighborhood and endangered the lives of many - or so goes the story!)

Saturday night was a night of Rock and Roll. . . literally. We experienced a 4.0 earthquake and then played some American Idol Kareoki on the PS2. It was a blast watching everyone sing their duets together. . . even Cooper and Logan got into it! It was great - and incredibly hillarious!

Sunday marked Ethan's very first birthday! We decided that it was the perfect time to take our little water boy to the beach. It was the perfect day for it, too! The sun was warm and the breeze was nice and cool - so cool that Ethan even shivered for a bit (that didn't stop him, though). He even got to play with his cousins. Cooper got burried and then he went exploring for crabs. He did a great job finding some live sand crabs and then set them free with his Uncle Jon.

Sunday marked Ethan's birthday, as well as Wanda's (Ethan's great grandma), so we celebrated with some presents, cake, and ice cream. We also let go of some balloons in memory of Jon's cousin Mike, who died several years ago. It was so much fun!

Monday, we packed up - ready to leave, yet sad to go. It is always a fantastic weekend, but like most vacations, it is always nice to go home and get back into routine. Before we left, Jon went and did some last minute geocaching, while I took Ethan down to the pier and treated myself to a tea. Ethan had a blast on the swings! We are are very thankful to Jon's grandparents who put together these fun family weekends!