Mission Beach-Day 3

Nothing better than a giant sandbox to play in.....the boys told us the beach was the best part of the trip....next time we are just going to spend our time at the beach

being brave and getting his toes wet by the cold ocean

Finally convinced Brandon to put his toes in the water....he was more content in the sand

We found a couple live starfish this morning on the beach!  In all my trips to the beach, I have never found a live/dead starfish.....they are way more beautiful than the pink colored ones a Seaworld.  This starfish has six legs and is a bright blue color!

Another starfish!  I also found whole sand dollars and TONS of shells, both large and small.  A local told us there had been storms the prior weeks and it's unusual to find starfish and large shells washing up on the beach. 

We stayed at the Catamaran Resort and Spa right on Mission Bay!  It was great and just as I remembered!  We were a five minute walk to the beach and just a ten minute drive to Sea World.  Although we wrapped up this trip in three days, it was a very fun first family trip to California!  Next time I want to stay for five days so we can spend more time relaxing on the beach.

San Diego-Day 2....Sea World

Watching the dolphins....

 Waiting to get splashed by the orcas.  It was hotter than we had expected, so Brandon and Kevin wanted to get cooled off but poor Mason was surprised when he was hit with ice cold water!  Had to bribe him with cotton candy to keep his clothes on, literally!

 We really liked the tide pools.  Brandon's favorite was the Manta Ray.  Mason really liked the star fish. 

 Had to take a break in the lush grass, where the boys discovered a bunny eating nibbling on the grass.  They tried to coax it out of the bushes but no luck!

 It was a fun day but the boys were both super tired by late afternoon so we missed a few of the shows!  Oh well, next time.

San Diego-Day 1...Legoland

The boys were impressed with all the items around the park made out of legos!

The boys had a blast at Legoland.....Kevin was especially impressed with at the animals made out of legos (go figure, right?).   Brandon and Mason both liked the roller coaster, and Brandon REALLY liked the Lego "factory" they had.  Pretty sure he would have stood in there and watched all day if he could!
I was surprised with how many rides they had, some with longer wait times than others, but the boys did great.  It was a long day but so much fun. 

Cali here we come!

Kevin, being the super smart hubby that he is, hooked up the boys wireless headphones so we (the adults) could listen to the radio on the six hour car ride to San Diego while the boys passed the time watching some movies!  Don't get me wrong, I love the movie Tangled and The Letter Factory but not for six hours!
Reminds me of the days that Gram would load us three girls in her Buick and take us to Scottsdale for the summer.  I fondly remember listening to my Walkman, trying to pass the two to two and a half hour carride (thanks to a lower speed limit back then) until we reached their house.

boys will be boys

Piggy, piggy....reminds me of my favorite movie, A Christmas Story.

Caught on camera with parm all over his face!

 Yes, he still loves all things with wheels!

"Piper" & Mason....getting snugly for bed

"Take my picture too"

Updated Laundry Room!!!!

 Above are the pre-update photos.  The previous owners really did not maximize space will in this room, nor did they seem to use a level while adding shelves and cabinets! 

 Here is the completed room!  Kevin did a great job gutting the room, re-insulating and drywalling, not to mention redoing some of the plumbing to add a sink in the garage!  He is my handy-man.  As any good handy-man should, he knew we would be better off hiring someone to texture the walls.
So here is the finished product, complete with a wall decal, thanks to my friend Aleyna for the idea.  As a side note, a special thank you to my Dad for "securing" use some beautiful cabinets!

Story of my life, always a pile of laundry to do........