Winter Wanderings part 3 - A valentine suprise

Once in a blue moon, we do something really special together, just our family. Most of our vacations involve travelling to visit extended family. That's just how we want to spend most of our free time, with the people we love! And, sometimes it's nice to just be away as a little family unit. So we planned a little getaway down to the Monterey Peninsula last weekend, and it was awesome! Charles & Mara told us about a place called Asilomar, a conference/retreat center in Pacific Grove that has rooms available anytime for visitors. It's right on the beach and very affordable (especially this time of year). It had such a calm, rejuvenating atmosphere.

We told the kids that we had a special valentines surprise for them, and didn't tell them what it was until right before we left. When they found out, they were so ecstatic!!

Interestingly, the reading Natalie and I had done with her Ambleside class that morning was about a caterpillar who learned to have faith that it could turn into a butterfly - a beautiful story from Parables of Nature by Margaret Gatty. When I told her we were going specifically to Pacific Grove for the monarch migration, she was doubly excited.

We arrived late afternoon on Friday and the kids were so excited to see that the room had a queen and 3 twin beds! Perfect for our family. I forgot to get a picture of the rooms, but they were comfortable, no frills, rustic. A balcony in the back. Just perfect.

As soon as we got situated, we headed to the beach to catch the sunset.

It was low tide right when we got there, perfect time for exploring the tide pools

There were hundreds of these cute little hermit crabs

Our boys are always building roads...even  here at the edge of the earth!

Just. Heaven.

Why don't you stop taking pictures and go play, mom?

Now this is more like it!

Let the mud slinging begin!

Since it was a state beach we couldn't take anything with us but pictures...here was Natalie's shell collection.

Check out this wall of anemones!

A really huge one!

What a lovely place to be with my valentine!

After dinner on Friday night we walked around the conference grounds and enjoyed the roaring bonfires they had set up in two different locations, one conveniently right outside our room. And who should be there but one of Nate's coworkers and his family! We had a really nice time visiting with them and getting to know each other...it's always nice for Nate to see the 'other side' of his coworkers.

Everyone slept pretty well that night. Christian woke up at the crack of dawn but was pretty pleasant despite that. On Saturday we had a leisurely breakfast of cold cereal in our hotel room and then went back to the beach for a morning swim... and believe it or not, we ALL got in the water! No pictures to prove it, you'll just have to trust me on this one. The coworker family we'd seen the night before arrived at the beach all bundled up in their winter coats, and there we were, a bunch of crazy people wet in our swimsuits in February. Our feet were pretty frozen by the time we headed back, and we were VERY grateful to be able to take warm showers. It was fun to play board games in the room while everyone took turns getting ready.

We went to the local Museum of Natural History. I was loving learning about all the birds!! Lucas had a time out for some infraction. The bear helped me keep watch :)

The kids loved the monarch exhibit, very interactive.

How these little caterpillars survive to adulthood is a miracle to me! :)

Next we went to the monarch sanctuary and were greeted by this beautiful specimen.

You're the best, daddy!

The red-headed pupa emerging!

I've never seen anything like this before! It totally amazed me to see how the monarchs cluster together like this like jewels on the eucalyptus leaves.

It was fascinating to learn about their migratory story. This is the tail end of their stay in Pacific Grove. They are expected to make their way back north in the next few weeks.

The monarch population has been declining due to drought, heat, and other conditions. 

Natalie had incredible luck. Once, a butterfly came and landed right on her. Later, one flew down right next to her and allowed her to hold it.

What a magic moment!!

She held this butterfly so tenderly. It really was amazing to see how content it was to just stay there on her hand (until the docent told her she needed to let it go).

After the butterflies, we went to another spot to do a little more tide-pooling before heading home. It was a much bigger area, and we got there a little before low tide so we could see some of the transition from higher to lower tide. There were even more amazing finds than the night before!

As if one lucky find wasn't enough, Natalie got her second wish...to find a starfish. She found several that were orange in color.

We spent several hours taking turns exploring with the kids and letting Christian sleep. Tidepooling is so fascinating because there are so many hidden treasures lurking between the rocks. We saw a live black abalone, some larger crabs, and Nate saw several whales (we think they were blue whales) in the distance.

I love watching the waves crash over these rocks with their spectacular spray!

This getaway was such a terrific adventure in every respect. Such a refreshing break. Packing and unpacking was a breeze. All our activities were free and very kid friendly.  Even the drive down was enjoyable too, listening to Nate read "A Little Princess" to the kids on the way there and back while I drove. Definitely something we are going to make a tradition of!