So, I am finally getting around to posting my pictures from our San Diego trip in June. This was our reunion with the Michel family. It was such a great trip! We headed down to California on Saturday, June 18th. Our family drove the whole thing straight through and it took us 13 hours! We only took a couple of stops and it was very long, so we were SO EXCITED when we finally arrived!
The first day after our drive was a Sunday, so after church we took a trip over to the San Diego Mormon Battalion visitor's center. I was so impressed with this place! The missionaries and the beautiful building made me feel like I was walking back in time. They had such touching movies and messages. At the end, there was an area where the kids could "mine" for gold in a little river and pun the water out. Close by the visitor center, there are markets where people are selling all kinds of mexican food and souvenirs.
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| I loved this picture- My mom, Candice, and Amanda, all walked into the visitor center with a sleeping child on their shoulder. Crazy, huh? Worn out on the first day?! |
On Monday of our trip we went to Lego land. This was a new experience for all of us, as none of us have ever been there before. I really liked it. We had 2 days there, and definitely needed both of them to see it all. Our kids are CRAZY about legos so it was fun for them to see amazing things built completely out of legos all over the park. We had to get pictures with a few of them.
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| Kyle, Logan, and Lucy by Darth Vader |
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| One of the rides at Lego- land. Looks like fun!! |
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Heidi was having a blast on the rides at Lego land!
The last time she went to a theme park, she was 1 year old! |
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| Heidi's very most favorite ride was this one. She absolutely loves lego horses and hordes them at home. She loves to play with them. So, when she saw she could actually ride one, she was in heaven!! |
Jared cried and cried when all the other kids went on the Lego horses. He was not quite tall enough and was devastated. He went on every ride he was tall enough for, though!!
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Jared had a blast driving the lego car. He couldn't really
figure out how to control it, but didn't seem to mind. |
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| Uh, oh.. Just a little too much for Jared... |
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| Nuts and bolts teacups with Oma |
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| Heidi was having the time of her life on the airplane ride! |
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This was one of the only rides Jordan got to go on, just a little train.
I don't think he really knew what he was missing, anyway.
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A quick review: We really enjoyed Lego land. I would say it compares more to Lagoon to me than Disneyland, though. In size, it is more like Lagoon although I think it had more "kiddie" rides that Lagoon does. Lego seems to be much more for younger kids and Lagoon caters to older kids and teenagers. One nice thing compared to Disneyland is that lego land also has a water park and an aquarium, to mix things up. You can pay for them separately, or get a package deal. One fun thing is that at most of the rides with longer lines, they have a lego building area for the kids to play while their adults wait in the line. Overall, though, I would say that Disneyland is still a personal favorite. There is just something magical about that place that is unique. While I think Disneyland is a place everyone should go at least once in their lifetime, Legoland was fun, but may just be a one-timer.
And then there was the BEACH!
It was so beautiful, almost like we were stepping into a magazine! My parents rented a beach house right on the bay, so we could just step out on the balcony and look out at it. WOW!
We spent two days just relaxing there, going out to the water whenever we wanted. Our older kids got a new experience going out to the ocean and jumping in the waves. They were in their clothes and got completely drenched! One thing about being by the beach- we had sand EVERYWHERE! It was great. I had the opportunity of jogging by the ocean two of the mornings we were there and it was so therapeutic!
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| Heidi and Jared buried in the sand |
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| Erika and Lucy playing in the sand |
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| Everyone wants to see the sand crabs the kids caught |
On Wednesday we went to the Safari park. It was really neat! It is similar to a zoo, but many of the animals are roaming free. They have tried to make it more like their natural habitat. They have different packages where you can get up closer to the animals. We rode in a tram/bus and got a tour around the park. It was really neat!
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I had Jared and Jordan dressed in their little safari outfits that day and I
just had to get their pictures because they looked so adorable!! |
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| Heidi found a spot to hide! |
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| Erika, Lucy, Kyle, and Logan- glad to be together. |
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Don't worry- this is not a real rhinoceros, although it certainly looks very real.
Jared was so excited to climb up on its back. |
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| Add caption |
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Jordan didn't like the water much,
but I got him to smile for this picture |
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| Ahh, he's finally sleeping- now I can take a rest, too! |
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| Kyle was a pro at catching sand crabs! |
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| Jared and Opa paddling around in the bay on a canoe. |
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| Heidi's favorite thing was just playing in the sand. |
It was a great trip with a lot of fun memories! I really liked staying in the beach house with all my siblings and parents. At night we got to visit, play games and relax. Aaron and I got to take a nice walk on the beach alone together. It was really a nice vacation! Thanks to those who made it happen for us!
At the end we were able to go to my sister's house and see Lucy get baptized. That was a really special day! We're glad that we could be there for it.
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| Havin' a great time on the road! |
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