Ocean Beast

We haven't done a family sunset trip in a long time.  Probably since last winter.  Okay so I just checked and it was March 6, 2013. 

In the summer the sunset is just too late to bring her.  But now that the days are getting shorter (which is sad, obviously) and we've been keeping her up a little later, we thought we would try again with a scheduled 7:21 sunset.

I was DESPERATE to get out of the house, so even though I detest eating out because I feel it is a colossal waste of money, we went out for dinner.  I thought we'd watch at either Sunset Cliffs or OB, so we chose a place close by.  And since I love my husband extra bunches, we finally tried out the OB Noodle House.

The atmosphere was super funky and I would definitely go back...without her.  She had zero interest in the veggie spring rolls, even though they contained her beloved tofu, and refused to eat the edamame.  I ordered Pho, and she liked my noodles, but by then she had already had a Screaming Attack followed by smacking her face on the edge of the table, so I was less than interested in sharing with her (and by sharing I mean pulling the noodles out of my bowl, blowing them off, cutting them, helping her arrange them "just so" on the deep broth spoon, watching her try and get them mostly unsuccessfully into her mouth, then plucking any sticky spilled noodles off of her arm before she noticed, lest she start SCREAMING, AGAIN, while she simultaneously whined for "morrre nooooooodlessss.")

So, right.  Clearly our experience at Tender Greens last week was a complete anomaly.  

She ended up eating four fortune cookies while we shoveled in what we could of our own meals.  

Then we walked to the beach.

ZOMG she was SO EXCITED.

Even though OB is like 75% super sketchy, I would consider moving there just to be able to live on the beach for her.

Running off those fortune cookies!

Matt being a super good sport while I barked out instructions about where to stand and how to hold her and what to do (he still needs some work).

Sweaty and sand-coated.

How am I supposed to sit here with these goddamn legs in the way??

All of a sudden now when asked she will pose for photos without smiling (or exaggerated frowning). 

The amazing jumping team!

When you're watching the sunset the light keeps changing and changing and changing.  

I wish I could say this was some sort of yoga pose, but it's not, and she was probably throwing sand. 

A bit less snotty of a face than the one I put on FB.

Can you see this here?  I'm not sure if you can.  About 15 or so minutes before the sunset, all the surfers stopped and just sat out in the water along some sort of imaginary line, waiting and watching toward the horizon.  For whatever reason I thought it was so cool (and wouldn't stop pointing it out) although this lens does a crummy job of capturing it.

We were having such a great time at the beach, and despite the snafu at dinner, I was feeling adventurous (and also still hungry because every time I stuff myself with Asian food I'm always hungry an hour later) so we went out for frozen yogurt.  Our stroller had long turned back into a pumpkin by that time, though, and she was a disaster in there.  Why do kids go from pretty agreeable to DRAMATIC IMPLOSION in less than 90 seconds?  And when they're tired, why couldn't they just get quiet, or slower, instead of infinitely louder and more spastic?  Bug and Matt had finished their shared cup already, ahead of me.  Bug asked to have some of mine but I told her no, she already ate hers, and this was mine to finish.  Not satisfied with this, she took her spoon and ninja-jammed it into my cup in an attempt to piss me off (and also steal M&Ms).  She was immediately informed that that was not OK, and that we needed to leave.  And then she let out one of those arcing, EAR-PIERCING SCREAMS that because we're in public, in a small enclosed space, seem to last five full-on minutes, grinning like an idiot the entire time.  

I pulled an amateur move and stage-whispered to her that she was going to lose her iPad if she kept this up, and she responded by stage-yelling, "I WANT MY IPAD," which, of course, was 100x more mortifying than the original scream, especially since I never want to be interpreted as one of those people who Parents by iPad.  GAH.  The whole time, too, she's still grinning, like, "your move, Mom."  And I can't decide if I want to laugh or throw her out the window.  Either way, though, we're now dragging (literally) her out the door and into the car, but not before she can get in some more yelling for the patrons sitting outside.  I know we handled that all sorts of the wrong way, but whatever.  We made it home, she made out with a dinner of fortune cookies and frozen yogurt, and needed only one threat to go to bed, which is like eight less than normal.

Then today we were at Sprouts and she was getting antsy so I suggested that she go and help Matt get some popcorn out of the bulk bins while I picked out a watermelon.  And all of a sudden I hear a scream and Matt has her by the waist and he's gritting his teeth and motioning to me where he will be abandoning the cart.

So I finish up, and grab a few extra chocolate malted milk balls for him.  I get to the car, where they have been sitting, and ask what happened.  Apparently she walked up to the green beans, took a handful, and then snapped the whole bunch in half.  WTF.  Who does that??  And when she was told not to do that, she grabbed another four and did it again.

So I ate my chocolate-covered raisins (her and my personal favorites) in front of her, because I'm SUPER MATURE, and raised my white flag in defeat.  Fine.  We will never go anywhere between the hours of 1:00 and 3:30, and anytime after 7:30.  Ever.