Summer Vacation 2011: Car Day

Friday was Car Day.  We started off the morning visiting the auto mechanic shop that is literally across the street from Joe and Jenny's house.  The mechanics there love Cate and they revved up an engine for us and chatted.  My boys loved looking around in the shop.  Like Doc's shop from Cars! 

We drove into L.A. to go to the Petersen Automotive Museum.  Can I just say my boys (all four of them) were in heaven?!  So many cars, so little time to drool...

We arrived later than we originally planned, at about 11:00am.  L.A. traffic is no joke!  There were so many cars and exhibits to explore.  The boys were completely mesmorized and I was a bit surprised at how well behaved they were with all the looking and no touching.  It helped that there was an escalator and an elevator and few people inside so they had a wider area to explore under our supervision.

There is a classic car area at the beginning of the museum that takes you through a history of the automobile, with lots of vintage automobiles and a Southern California streetscape.

We saw lots of super cars.

I would like one of these please!

This photo is for Clayton, the Lamborghini Countach.

Mike would like this one under the tree from Santa...

We even saw one of Elvis's cars that he shot in frustration.  The bullet holes are still there.

There is a whole Hollywood exhibit with famous cars from films.

A car from The Great Race.  Classic car movie.

Of course, one of the Batmobiles.

We even saw the Speed Racer, but somehow forgot to snap a picture of it.   

There were lots of motocycles and scooters.

Then there was the Hot Wheels exhibit. 

All time seemed to stand still for a bit while the adult boys reminisced about past cars and childhood adventures, and the little boys dreamed of playing with all of the cars. 

They had every model ever made from the beginning of Hot Wheels on display (not every paint job, but every model).  They had some molds that were used to cast the cars and videos showing the process. 

The boys were mesmorized by the giant tire track in the entrance that lit up and had hundreds of cars adhered to the tracks. 

After peeling the boys away from the Hot Wheels, we headed back downstairs to Johnny Rockets.  It was perfect to have a diner inside the museum.  With the weather so beautiful, we ate outside.  This is a great choice for families.  The prices were reasonable, and what kid doesn't love diner fare?  Hot dogs, burgers, sandwiches, fries and shakes all around!

Hmm... What to get...

Yummy!

Peanut butter fudge shake heaven!

Mr. Three is plain worn out with all this eating and looking at cars.

With everyone happy and fed again, we ventured to the third floor of the museum with the kids' exhibits. 

There was a police motorcycle to sit on (we all had to have a turn), hot wheel and pinewood derby tracks, and other interactive opportunities.

Mr. One and Mr. Two loved putting on a helmet and riding in a real race car.  Mr. One sat in this a long time, dreaming of racing on a track. 

Mr. Three liked the mini fire engine, but wouldn't stay sitting for a photo once he discovered the bell in the front. 

There were markers to color on the walls, toy cars to play with, and car books to read.  This was the perfect last stop for our car day.

Reluctantly, we gathered the worn out, but happy children and got a quick souvenir (a flat penny with the museum name and a car or motorcycle imprinted) and a promise to let them choose a Hot Wheel at the nearby Target. 

They slumbered, dreaming of roads and speed as we navigated the thick L.A. rush hour traffic to get back.

That evening, after our Target stop, all of Mike's family that are in California came over to celebrate Cate's 2nd birthday with a pizza dinner at the park, singing and presents, with cupcakes afterwards.  Joe and Jenny even found Cars cupcakes, so my boys were beyond happy.  It was fun to have everyone together and to visit some more.

The next morning, we packed up and headed for hot Arizona again, thankful for a fun vacation with family and the memories we were able to create together.  We are so blessed to have family that graciously welcomes us to stay and for the good times we always have.

Summer Vacation 2011: Kickin' it in LaVerne

On Thursday, we drove to stay with Mike's brother and sister-in-law, Joe and Jenny and their cute Cate.  We stopped for McDonald's on the way and they gave us "girl toys" in the boys' happy meals.  Big disappointment.  Apparently they ran out of the Star Wars toys.  We were told we could exchange their toys at any other McDonald's.  Out with Strawberry Shortcake and in with Smurfs.  What's up with the 80's revival kid stuff?

When we got to Joe and Jenny's we went to a nearby splash pad/park and let the kids play.  What little boy can resist riding a shark?!

 They loved getting wet and running about with their little cousin. 

All bundled up and drying off.  I love this shot.

The boys also had fun in Joe and Jenny's back yard, playing with the water and sand toys. 

My sister in law is so good at finding inexpensive things and using them for play.  She is also a talented thrift/consigment/yard sale hunter.  I'm a little jealous of her great finds!  Great tip:  Buy big paint brushes at the dollar store and let the kids paint with water outside.  They loved doing this, and using the big "real" brushes was better fun than the wimpy watercolor brushes I gave them at our house to paint the sidewalk with.

We had a quiet dinner and then put the kiddos to bed so the adults could stay up and play games.  We had so much fun laughing and playing Blokus and Quiddler, staying up a little too late.  At least the kids were better rested for the next big day of fun!

Summer Vacation: Wednesday at Old Town and the Beach

Wednesday was going to be our "spend the day at the beach" day.  Renee and Kamuela's family drove over to hang out for the day and go to the beach with us.  My boys were thrilled to have their cousins there to spend another day together.  Their kids are quite a bit older than ours, but that doesn't matter one bit when they are together.  They just play and enjoy being kids, regardless of age.  I love that.

Well, it started out totally overcast and foggy.  The weather report predicted the sun coming out only later in the day, so we headed off to Old Town for the late morning/early afternoon.  There are lots of little museums and shops in Old Town. 

We found the little Mason School (first public school) and a big garden behind the La Casa de Machado y Stewart, an original adobe home. 

They boys loved the blacksmith shop, where they were doing some metal work demonstrations.

They also spent some time climbing on an old out of use cannon in the middle of the square.

We headed back to Carla's for a quick lunch and then drove to the beach.  We got there after 2 pm and the sun was out.  The water was the same temperature as the air (in the 70's), so it was just a tad cold for this desert girl, but not uncomfortable.  We weren't there for as long as we had hoped we could be, due to the fog, but we took advantage of the afternoon we had there.

The boys loved digging and splashing in the waves with their cousins.

Mr. Two actually boogie boarded and was quite the little "surfer dude," thanks to help from Auntie Carla.  He seemed to just float on top of the waves like a feather.  He loved it.  Mr. One tried to stand on a boogie board as the waves came in, toppled over, declared there was salt water in his mouth and put his surfing aspirations on hold yet again (remember this is the child who declared he would only go boogie boarding when he was thirty?).  He decided that standing in the waves on his own two feet was adventure in the ocean enough. 

Mr. Three did not like walking in the sand, but did like the water and the wet sand along the beach.  We were hard pressed to get him out of the water.

The kids also had fun riding in an inflatable boat that Carla had brought.  Mike got to go out boogie boarding and I watched the kids play.  I love sitting on the beach and getting my feet wet, but no swimming or boogie boarding for me!  We got the kiddos exhausted and then grilled a simple hot dog and veggie dinner and put them to bed with little complaint.

One more item of note:  Mr. One lost his second front top tooth (with a little help from Daddy).  Don't you just love that smile?  The tooth fairy almost forgot to stop by, but luckily made a quick dash for the tooth in the morning after everyone was out of the bedroom.  ;)

Something I love about having Mike's sister Carla around is that she really listens to my kids and spends time being on their level.  They love to bombard her with stories and questions and she takes it all in and savors being in the moment with them.  I always leave her house with a renewed desire to be more like that with my family.  She just loves my kids and makes them feel so important.  We always look forward to visits with her.

Summer Vacation Continued: Tuesday in San Diego

We drove to San Diego to stay with my sister in law for the next part of our trip.  Carla just purchased a home in San Diego, and even though it is still in the middle of renovation, it is already so cute!

Tuesday after lunch, we headed down to Imperial Beach, along with Mike's brothers Dan and Josh.

 First stop, Cow-A-Bunga Micro Ice Creamery.  Oh yummy!

I had peanut butter brownie and mint cookie in a waffle cone.  Mr. Three loved it as well!

The boys gobbled up some rainbow sherbet.

Mike had the cheesecake and pistachio.  Their flavors are not overly sweet, but full of flavor.  After our ice cream, we wandered along the pier and saw a group of dolphins.

Can you see them in the picture?  Squint a bit.  There they are!  There were lots of people fishing off the pier.  My kids were so excited to see some freshly caught fish as we wandered.

We had to play around on the rocks and sand and then pose for the camera at the Imperial Beach entry sculpture.  It was much too breezy to get in the water.

Next stop was the Mormon Battalion Museum.  They have recently redone the entire building and it is more kid-friendly.  The first thing you do is to go on an interactive video tour of the Mormon Battalion trail. There are talking pictures and sister missionaries who guide you along the trail and explain some of the things that happened.  You move through rooms, representing the different points of the journey, and at the end, there is a picture spot, some computers set up to see more history and geneology of members of the Mormon Battalion.  Lastly, outside, you can wash some clothes on a wash board, pump water, pan for gold, build with bricks and take a climb up to a lookout tower to see all of Old Town.

My boys loved the outdoor activities. 

Mr. One and Mr. Two had fun panning for gold and building with the bricks.

It's never too early to instill the importance of washing the laundry.

I couldn't get Mr. Three away from the water.

Outside the museum is a covered wagon and statues, so of course, we had to take a few pictures.

That evening, we met up with Mike's parents for dinner at Casa Guadalajara.  All of the reviews were positive, praising the authentic Guadalajara cuisine.  The place was very busy, and the building was lovely, so we thought this would be a great spot to eat.  Mike and his dad (who both served missions in Guadalajara, Mexico) were especially looking forward to the food.

Patiently waiting.

Still waiting...

Let's just say the wait was long (as in over an hour to get seated).  The service was really awful (30 minutes just to get drinks and take our order).  The food was ok (definitely not authentic), but the restaurant itself was beautiful.  The weather was perfect, and the company was wonderful.  Next time, we'll be researching for a better dinner spot.  The rest of the day certainly made up for the little disappointment in our end of day meal.

Summer Vacation 2011

Excuse my lack of posting for the past few weeks.  Last week, we spent time in California with family and I have spent the majority of this week getting settled back in and getting ready for school to start NEXT WEEK!

Our first vacation stop was in Calimesa to spend a few days with family there.  We drove over late Sunday night and crashed.  On Monday, we basically hung out, playing games and visiting all day.  Mike got his Risk fix with a marathon game that lasted hours and hours.  The boys loved playing Legos and running around with cousins.  We headed to a nearby park for a picnic with hot dogs and s'mores.  Wow, was it amazing to be outside in the early evening and have such perfect weather! 

The kids loved playing on playground equipment that didn't scorch their little rumps and climbing the trees. 

I loved sitting in the sunshine without sweating and watching my kids have so much fun.  Of course the chatting and the s'mores were a big bonus as well. 

The boys may have eaten more than their fair share of the marshmallows during the s'mores cooking.

Lego Tips from my sister-in-law!!

While in Calimesa, my boys poured over some Lego magazines that their cousins had in the house.  My sister in law clued me in on some great Lego "insider" tips.  Did you know that Lego puts out a magazine, and you can order a FREE 2 year subscription here?  Yes, it's mainly a big advertisement for their products, but my boys loved reading and rereading them at their cousins' home.  There are building tips and comics and lots of other Lego activities inside.  They have a version for younger children and one for the 7+ set.  Also, if you have lost or have broken Lego pieces from recently produced sets, you can reorder those pieces here.  Hooray for that!  Thanks, Renee!