California!

to clarify: no, we didn't go to California AGAIN, although if someone were to inform me that they were heading there this weekend, I think I would drop everything and jump in the ride.  just like that.  oh right, I can't jump.  well then, maybe I could just roll myself... excuse me, what was that?  you're telling me I should stay home because I could like, HAVE THIS BABY ANY DAY?

UUURGH!

please don't remind me as my anxiety level has already soared into what surely must be outer space by now.  in fact, I've been giving myself daily pep talks in hopes that it will help ease my distress over having to give birth again, and it goes something like this: "look, Jessica.  you've done this nine times already.  NINE.  really, what's one more time?  I mean shoot, number ten should pretty much just "fall out" right?  and then you'll be all, hey that was such a breeze why did I waste all that time worrying when I could've been relaxing, like I could easily do that ten more times no problem-o...

UUURGH!

okay, so maybe the pep talk needs a little uh, fine tuning?

but, I digress.  let's see, we were talking about... um... not giving birth but... racking brain... uh... er...

oh yeah, our California trip!  how could I forget?

(please excuse my scattered thoughts as I'm currently suffering from a severe case of "Baby on the Brain" CAN YOU TELL?)

so, the KOA had these Banana Peel bikes that you could rent by the hour, etc.  the kids (and I confess, their mom and dad too!) had a blast cruising around on them.  we even held races to see who could do the loop around the KOA the fastest.  in fact, the bikes were such a hit that we actually considered buying one.  except after finding out that they cost $500 a piece (are you kidding?), we quickly changed our minds.  sorry kids, go ask your rich uncle... what's his name?  Don?  hahahaaa.  

I keep telling Gary, "you DO realize that your weird/funny faces are being posted for the whole world to see, right?"  obviously he doesn't care.

oops, this girl's not four anymore!

I would say this is by far one of the nicest KOA's we've stayed at.  there's a swimming pool and hot tub (relaxing), two playgrounds (great for burning off energy), laundry facilities (just in case), and showers (a must have.)  just about everything you'd ever need to keep the kids occupied and out of your hair.

*

I didn't take very many pictures at Sea World as we were too busy trying to keep the kids corralled and in our line of sight, especially the dynamic duo; Rowan and Scarlett. judging by the number of a.) stares b.) comments c.) questions or d.) all of the above we got by curious onlookers, I felt like we had our own show going on most of the time.  

"listen up folks!  come watch the Kesti's as they battle to keep nine kids under control at a huge theme park!  this is a most spectacular feat, I tell you!  one that you definitely won't want to miss!  and did I mention that the mom is huge and pregnant with, oh my goodness, number TEN?  craz-eee!  again, you don't want to miss this!"

would you believe me if I told you we were at Sea World for, wait for it... thirteen hours?  true story.  only I won't mention how many times I threatened to leave during those thirteen hours.

      

not sure who is having more fun here.  the dad, or the kids?

it was a hot day, so a few of the older kids sat in the soak zone at the Shamu show.  they got drenched!

this concludes the California posts.  we hope you enjoyed the "show!"

-jessica

we're still digging sand out of the kids' ears.

we spent one whole day at the beach, and would you believe, this was the FIRST TIME EVER in my entire history of California beach-going that I wasn't huddled beneath 37 towels/blankets/sweatshirts to keep from shivering to death and chattering my poor teeth to smithereens.          

yep.  in fact, it was rather HOT.  even so, I still didn't dare venture in past my ankles.  to be honest, I never even donned my suit.  I know, I'm a wimp when it comes to submerging myself into water that's less than 80 degrees.  so basically, that leaves me to do laps in the bathtub, what can I say?

the kids had a ball anyway.  they jumped and splashed in the waves, boogie-boarded, buried themselves in the sand, built sand castles, you name it.  when the kiddos got hungry, we set up our portable folding table and grill in the parking lot, and cooked up hamburgers and beans for dinner.

we stayed until the last light of the sun disappeared below the horizon.

ah, such fun memories.

are you guys sick of California pictures yet?  well, hang in there.  just one more post after this and I'll be done.  promise.

-jessica

just beach-y.

are you guys ready for a photo blast?

I'm going to keep my mouth shut this time and just let you enjoy the pictures.

10-4 over.

-jessica

La Jolla.

it's going on ten o'clock and this place is roaring.  

wait, make that roaring with no sign of winding down in sight.  never mind the fact that these kids will be starting school in a couple days and they should actually be in bed. you know, so they can get used to the idea of waking up at six (are you for real?) instead of like, noon.  but instead of beating a dead horse, I decided I'm just going to let them learn the hard way.  you wanna stay up until midnight, FINE.  see if I care.  just don't come whining to me about how you fell asleep in fourth hour and now the teacher is making you write a five page essay on the importance of getting a full night's sleep.  GO TEACHER!

any which way, I'm looking forward to establishing a routine again.  ah, routine.   such a lovely thing, isn't it?  maybe I'll actually be able to breathe again, what a concept!  uh wait, I take that back.  I won't be able to breathe for at least another six weeks, drat.  yeah, apparently little Alfie decided that I no longer need to use my lungs at full capcity, and therefore has permanently settled his rear end into them.  gasp, thanks a lot kid, wheeze.

and now, back to our California trip.

we spent one afternoon strolling around La Jolla (pronounced la hoy-ya.)  very beautiful.           

above: everyone minus Scarlett, although that wasn't intentional.  with such a brood, it's hard to tell if someone is missing or not.  meaning a crowd is a crowd.  actually, what I meant to say is that I always know where everyone is at all times.  period. 

the kids had fun watching the seals and laughed every time one barked.  I'm feeling a bit like this momma right about now.  like, don't bother me for the next six weeks, you hear?

we scouted around a few tide pools, but the only things we saw were a bunch of my relatives; aka, crabs.  kidding, guys.

Gary and I kicked back in the grass and people watched, while the older kids played frisbee and the younger ones burned off some energy.

because blogger is being its usual annoying self, I'm signing off.

but, stay tuned.  more pictures coming soon to a computer screen near you.

-jessica

obsessed with beach hair.

greetings from California, where we've been soaking up the sun, rolling in the sand (well, some of us), playing in the surf, and inhaling the salty air for the past few days. PURE BLISS.

next on the agenda: Sea World.

I know, it's a ROUGH LIFE, but someone's gotta do it, right? ;-)

-jessica

camping highlights.

I have made the executive decision to simply touch on a few highlights from our camping trip.  when I'm done babbling, I'll leave a link to the slideshow.  feel free to check it out, if you so wish.

The Campground

we stayed at Mavreeso Campground in the San Juan National Forest. (it's located 15 miles east of Dolores, Colorado and is situated on the West Dolores River.) the campground had been recommended to us by friends-- we were told it was a beautiful area, and pretty low key as there are only 20 sites total.  plus, it was a mere five and a half hour drive.  trust me, anything longer and I'm tempted to bail out and hitchhike.  not that I ever would, but you know, LAST RESORT.

after reading online that the campground was located on a river, I admit I was a wee bit skeptical.  all I could envision was this huge, raging river, and kids getting washed away downstream.  my stress level sky-rocketed.  I mean, do we keep a lifejacket on the kids 24/7, or what?  it didn't sound very relaxing.

well, come to find out the West Dolores River couldn't have been a more perfect one to camp on.  while the current was relatively swift, at the deepest, it was maybe up to my knees.  along the bank, the water barely covered the tops of my feet.  Scarlett and Rowan were content to throw rocks and splash in the shallow water, while the older kids built dams out of rocks, waded back and forth across the river, and went tubing (we drove to Cortez one afternoon and picked up a couple tubes from Big O' Tires.)  fun times.

view from campsite.  we weren't actually right on the river... maybe about 100 feet back.  it was indeed a beautiful area. 

looking at the campground from the other side of the river.

the above right photo gives you a good idea how shallow the river was.

the kids had a gas tubing.  they would hop in the river at our campsite, and then float downriver to Tom and Kristi's campsite.

Fireworks

we drove to Telluride on the evening of the 4th to watch fireworks.  one word: phenomenal.  in my 34.9 years of life, I have never witnessed such a display.  add in the stunning mountain backdrop while we sat nestled in the valley, and wow.  the blasts echoed off the mountains and literally shook the ground.  pure awesomeness.  a must see.  also, a ride on the free gondola is always fun, which we did beforehand.

waiting for fireworks.  you can see the clearing in the pines where the fireworks were launched from (center of pic), and they exploded directly over our heads.  SWEET.

Day Trips

on two of the days, we set off hiking and exploring for the afternoon.  the scenery was gorgeous, the wildflowers in full bloom.  we did have a few clouds and some occasional sprinkles, but fortunately, no torrential downpours.  that would've put a serious hamper on our activities.  we definitely lucked out weather wise.  

Trout Lake.

Lizard Head Trail.  

Fish Creek Trail.   

Activities

in between our little excursions, we played many-a-game of bocce ball, decorated cupcakes, ate s'mores and sipped hot cocoa, told stories around the campfire, laughed, swam, relaxed, and then relaxed some more.  in fact, we had planned on coming home Thursday, but we were having such a good time that we decided to stay an extra day.

there were no showers at the campground, so the river it was.

Four Corners

on the way home we stopped at Four Corners.  and while it was kind of "cool" to be in four states at once, I would definitely label it as one of those 'been-there-done-that-got-the-picture' type of stops. (FYI these three pictures cost $5 a piece, I better frame them, lol.)

lots of fun memories!      

and as promised, here's the link to the slideshow.  enjoy!

-jessica