We have had a good 4th of July weekend so far. Yesterday we were able to meet our new nephew. (Haven’t asked my sister about posting his picture yet, so we’ll hold off on that). D & k were also able to go to the pool before dinner. k blew some bubbles in the water, and she is getting better at holding on to D and kicking.

Today we went to Crystal Cove for the Beachcomber Cafe’s OC Kid’s Restaurant Week. I looked on our blog, and the last time we went to Crystal Cove together was pre-kids, in 2006. A lot has changed since then, as the restaurant didn’t exist back then, and I remember the beach being pretty empty. And we have two kids now, that’s a big change too!

We parked in the Los Trancos parking lot, East of PCH. There is a Beachcomber bus for $1 each way per adult, but we decided to walk. It wasn’t too bad. You go through a tunnel with artwork, underneath PCH. Our 3.5 year old made it fine, and D carried n. So, the deal for Restaurant Week was at the Beachcomber Express, which is the takeout shack. It was $40 for 2 kids meals, 2 adult meals, 4 drinks, 2 beach chair rentals and 1 umbrella rental and voucher for the parking, which is usually $15 (ouch!). The Beachcomber normally validates the parking with a $15 purchase, so I would suggest buying $15 of food, since you would be getting it “free”. For the kids we ordered grilled cheese and a BBQ chicken wrap, and for us we ordered a kobe hamburger and grilled chicken caesar salad. D and I liked the hamburger the best (brioche bun, red onions, etc.). Surprisingly, k liked the salad (specifically the lettuce) the best. n ate some of the grilled chicken. They weren’t too into the kids meals, so D and I ended up eating a lot. The drink choices were just water, green tea or soda (I thought they should have had some sort of juice option, since it was KID’S restaurant week, but k and n seemed to enjoy the fancy water bottles). All in all, it was kind of expensive for what we got food-wise, but it was more the experience and beach atmosphere that made it worth it. We set up our towels, chairs, and umbrella and then they brought the food out to us on the beach. D chatted up this young family that was set up nearby because the dad was wearing a Cal hat. Turns out that he graduated a year before D (two years before me) and they live in Irvine. Anyway, we spent about 2.5 hours there, the weather was nice, and fun was had by all.

Miffy came with us to the beach. (Souvenir from Japan).

I tried calculating how much our outing would have cost without the family promotion, and I think it would be close to $80! That seems kind of outrageous to me. Even $40 was on the high side, but I guess we can consider it as a staycation. Aren’t we lucky that outings like this are less than 30 minutes away? Maybe we’ll try the actual restaurant during a regular Restaurant Week someday.

For dinner we went to my parent’s house and had the Summer Wellington that D’s dad won a couple of weeks back. We weren’t too impressed…not sure how anyone can be vegan. But, luckily my cousin who is vegetarian, came to dinner, so she was glad to take home the leftovers!

Tonight we trekked down the 241 toll road ($1.50 each way) to see the Christmas light displays on a cul-de-sac in RSM anchored by 20 El Corzo. We parked our car nearby and walked around from house to house and k had a lot of fun! I really enjoyed the attention to detail that a lot of the displays showed. The thought and work that this group of neighbors put into their displays is quite evident. We went early, just after 5 p.m., so not all of the lights were on yet. However, I think everyone had their lights on by 5:20, so we were able to see everything lit up, without all of the crowds.

Seriously, where do they keep all of these decorations when they are not on display?? This is the anchor house, which I believe started it all. They also had music piped through outdoor speakers.

Can you find Nemo?

D’s favorites: the gondolas (they move back and forth!)

and the snowboarders in a half-pipe

(they’re mechanized, too).

k liked the singing penguin and santa on one neighbor’s doorstep…here she is pretending to be a penguin.

n seemed quite interested in everything, too!

It was kind of interesting that in the midst of all of the santas, snowmen, reindeer, etc., there was a tasteful nativity scene at one of the homes. A nice reminder of the real reason for our celebration.

Afterward we went down Portola looking for a place to eat. This is highly unlike us, as we usually know exactly where we want to eat and do research beforehand. However, we took a gamble and decided on La Sirena Grill. D had the carne asada burrito and I had the grilled vegetable quesadilla. A little pricey for a fast-casual joint, but we enjoyed it. Everything tasted fresh, and not greasy. I really liked the generous scoop of fresh guacamole that came with both of our dishes. Afterward we shared Golden Spoon underneath the heat lamps in the nice outdoor seating area of the shopping center. It felt nice and cozy, even in the middle of December!