CALIFORNIA 2013

June 9-16th we headed for Southern Californina for a week full of family and fun in the sun.  When we left home it was 103  and it never got above 75 the whole week we were in Cali! Since we did Disneyland last September, we took the kids to Legoland and Seaworld.  Tanner was just learning to crawl the last time we went to both places, and I'm sure we'll go back again when Kason is older to make it fair for everyone! Lots of fun and time to plan for the next vacation!

Here's what we did: 

SUNDAY: stayed in Anaheim

  MONDAY:  Huntington Beach.....

Troy and I have always wanted to rent a beach buggy...they are so fun and good exercise! whoever was in the front basket was in charge of ringing the bell.

Tanner and Braxton building their sand castle hood



A little beach picnic, I think we had more 'sand' in our sandwiches than I cared to eat!

We stopped at the Newport temple on our way to San Diego to walk around the grounds but the gates were locked.  Guess you have to do that in this neck of the woods when the temple is closed for the day....so pretty though!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TUESDAY:  LEGOLAND

We stayed in San Diego Tues-Thurs

They all sucessfully completed the Volvo drivers course and got their licenses. 

Driving school is 3 and up - Kason barely even looks like he is 2, but they let him go anyway.  He could reach the gas pedal with his tippy toes and had a fun time.

Me and Kason waiting for Dad and our taller kids on some rides.  He was giving me his best pirate look since we were by the pirate rides. I have a picture of Tanner in this same swing 5 years ago....awe, sentimental, I know!

Look who we ran into at Legoland!

 

Jumping on the circles to make the instrument fountains play music

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 WEDNESDAY: SEAWORLD

Holding the Starfish

 

The Sea Lion show is always my favorite

Hanging out with the dolphins

Shamo show



We loved watching the penguins!

  

The kids loved chasing the birds, and they were EVERYWHERE!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

THURSDAY: USS MIDWAY AIRCRAFT CARRIER/ LEGOLAND WATER PARK

Sitting on the chains, each link weighs 130 lbs

In the ship's brig- living on that ship would be bad enough, Let alone spending time in jail!

We stopped at Legoland again to play at the new waterpark, it's amazing! The weather was too cold on Tuesday for us St. Georgians to play in the water, so we stopped to use our hopper ticket Thursday afternoon on the way back to Anaheim. Tanner left his dry shorts in the car, so he sported my cover up to walk back out to the car!



This picture won't go away without deleting others, so here's me and Tanner at Legoland earlier in the week.  We stood in line and visited with some nice people from SLC while waiting for this ride.

Tanner getting his picture drawn at Legoland

This was my splurge for the trip, I think it turned out pretty cute and just need to get it framed

Love this! If only they could be like this all the time!

We had to stop at our favorite strawberry field right by the turnoff to Legoland.  We made smoothies, strawberry shortcake, and ate them non stop the rest of the trip!  Nothing beats these red, sweet beauties!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FRIDAY: Anaheim

We have stayed at our Anaheim condo several times, but were always so busy that we've never just hung out there.  We had the whole day to just relax so we swam and played lots of ping pong and pool in the rec room.

We took the city bus over to Disneyland and walked to Downtown Disney just to browse around the shops and had some ice cream.  Camrie discovered the rolly pollys in the planter and then they all got in on the action. I think we left with 6 bugs from Disneyland...not the kind of souveniers you'd expect.  I was sure they'd want to go into the park, but either since we'd just been there or because we'd told them enough times we weren't going this trip, they didn't even bug us about going in.  We had great views of the fireworks from the roof of our condo that we went up and watched.

Later that evening was the Anaheim Angles Vs. New York Yankees game. I supported my Yankees and the rest wore their Angles shirts and hats.  Troy was nervous that I wore my Yankees shirt, but I was more worried for them when we found our seats in the middle of a big Yankees section! It was a fun game and the Angels won, so I wore my Angels shirt the next day for my kids.

View from our seats

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SATURDAY: CALICO GHOST TOWN / Vegas

I was 7 the last time I've been to Calico and have wanted to take the kids, but it's always been too late when we've passed by.  So this trip we finally got to stop on our way back to Vegas.  It was a fun little stop walking through all the shops, going through the Mystery House of illusions which messes with your equal librium, and would like to go back and do the little train ride up to the mines

Welcome to Calico!

 

Braxton walking up the plank

How is the broom standing straight up?

Bad picture....but there is water running out of a faucet into a barrel, but there are no water pipes connected to the faucet????
~~~~~~~~~~~

SATURDAY/SUNDAY: VEGAS

It was a little later when we got here, so the plan was swim first, eat later. We played until the pools closed then sat down to eat grilled pizza and strawberry shortcake at MIDNIGHT!  Isn't that what vacation is all about??  We played in the pools Sunday morning,  headed to Cheesecake Factory to celebrate Father's day, then home and back to reality..... 

Me and Braxton basking in the sunshine on the lazy river at the condo in Vegas

 
 

We love the pools here