San Diego Christmas Trip

Christmas day we got up early, packed the car and the kids and left for the airport. It was cold and snowy with icy roads. We thought we were going to miss our flight, but managed to get there 10 minutes before boarding started. We've never been on an airplane when it's been snowing and got to experience deicing of the plane. It was a fascinating but long process.

We were thankful to arrive in San Diego with warm weather. However, leaving the cold was only the beginning of our adventure. The car rental agency overbooked rentals that day and set us up with another agency. The car was 4x the amount we budgeted, but we were promised that we'd be reimbursed for the difference. That night Benjamin got sick and ended throwing up. He was miserable and freaked out. Even later in the evening, I was sick going through the same thing Ben did.

We stayed at a vacation rental condo by the beach in Oceanside. The first two days of our trip we were recovering and relaxing. Finally everyone felt better and we ventured out to Old Town San Diego. We found the historic site of the Mormon Battalion. We went through the visitor center and enjoyed the presentation they had.

At the end, Ben got to pan for gold...

and pump water for washing.

I got Mike to pose with Ben.

Ben's highlight of the trip was the Old Town Model Railroad Depot. He ran around and around enjoying the trains. We even went back on the last day in San Diego and spent an hour there.

 The detail was amazing. There was even a hobo on the tracks.

The rest of the trip from here on out I was sick but managed to go along with our plans. I was able to enjoy the boys excitement of the things they got to see.

The San Diego Wild Safari Park was nice to see animals in as close to their own environment as possible.

We went to Sea World and saw several shows.

 Legoland was a fun place to take Benjamin. It was very interactive.

Ben got to build his own boat and float it down the water way.

Ben enjoyed going on rides all by himself. I think he felt all grown up. Good trip and it will be fun to take Levi again when he can go on rides and play with the Legos as well.

Colorado Adventure

We went to Durango, CO and met up with my parents. First day in Colorado we went to Mesa Verde National Park. To start the day, Mike showed Benjamin the proper way to eat a waffle.

 On our drive we stopped off at a scenic overlook. 

Here is my classic shot of Mike taking pictures. Benjamin also got a chance to take pictures. He managed to get a hold of my camera and took a picture of every single hiker on the way back up from seeing the Spruce Tree village. I think I deleted 50 pictures of people's waistlines.

Benjamin had a fun time visiting with Nonna and Abuelo. He thought Abuelo was the best for taking him up and down some of the stairs.

Here's a nice picture with my parents. Mom hung out with me and Benjamin while Mike and dad went on a tour of one of the bigger cliff villages. We watched chipmunks scurry across the parking lot looking for crumbs.

The next day we took it easy in Durango and went for a Sunday stroll along the Animas River.

We went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant and Benjamin got a hold of my camera again and took this lovely picture of me!

The following day, we boarded the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad train. This was the highlight of the trip for Benjamin.

In Silverton, we picked up a little choo-choo-train and here he is showing it off to our conductor.

Abuelo spent some time with Benjamin teaching him about cameras. He finally became so exhausted with the train rocking back and forth that fell asleep with camera in hand.

Outside the train station, Benjamin discovered a huge pumpkin that fascinated him.

Our final day we spent lunch in Ridgeway at the True Grit Cafe, surrounded by John Wayne memorabilia. Then we went to Ouray to walk Main Street and visit the gift shops. It was a pleasant trip!

Christmas ~ Disneyland ~ Case of the Disappearing Toothbrush

We had the opportunity to spend Christmas in California. We had a great time and loved seeing Benjamin enjoying himself. We didn't know what to expect with Benjamin's reactions to the rides and huge crowds, but he did well. He was very curious and did a lot of observing. We're thankful that my parents and sister came to meet up with us in Aneheim. Benjamin loved hanging out with Nonna, Abuelo and Aunt Ariana. They would stick around with Benjamin in the park so that Mike and I could enjoy a ride together.

Below are pictures from our trip. But first I have to tell about the missing toothbrush.

Our little Benjamin plays the part of a monkey very well. This little monkey was playing on the bed. Momma was in the bathroom washing her face and daddy was trying to get little monkey to brush his teeth. One little monkey started making a pile of pillows; jumped on top and bounced right off. Monkey's toothbrush flew out of daddy's hand as he dove after the little monkey. Momma came in the room and scooped monkey off the floor. No more monkey jumping on the bed for the rest of the trip! The little guy was comforted and checked for bumps and bruises. Only one bump on the forehead and thankfully nothing else. Once everyone was calmed down a thorough search of the hotel room was done for the toothbrush. It was never recovered. That night, the little monkey got away with getting his teeth brushed. And so, the Case of the Disappearing Toothbrush goes unsolved and will forever be a mystery.

  Benjamin's expression throughout our trip...wonder and amazement.

 Mater from Cars.

 Mickey after lighting the Christmas tree at California Adventure.

 Mike's childhood home in Thousand Oaks.

 Exhausted!

 Western town at Paradise Ranch in Malibu.

 Feet in sand at Zuma Beach.

 Waiting to go to the Tiki Room. Benjamin was fascinated and danced.

 Pirates of the Caribbean.

 Dancing to the 80z All Stars.

 Space Mountain is one of our favorites.

 Benjamin loved "it's a small world"!

 After the Disneyland Christmas Fantasy Parade...it snowed!

Tow Mater's Tractor Pull.

Fuego Pizza Boy

This past weekend we went to Park City. Mike had a photo gig up there, so we decided to stay the night over. We visited the outlet stores and, of course, bought some fun stuff for Benjamin. Then while Mike was doing his thing, I took Benjamin swimming at the hotel. Finally, we went out to eat at Fuego Bistro & Pizzaria. We were very happy with our BBQ pizza and Benjamin got a little cheese pizza for himself. Unfortunately, I left my camara at home for the trip, but the pictures here are of him enjoying his leftover pizza at home. I normally cut up his pizza into little pieces, but decided to let him enjoy a full slice. He took it very serious and gobbled it all up.

Manti Pageant

Last weekend we had a fun trip out to Manti, UT with the Gee's to see the Morman Miracle Pageant. We had a great time visiting with our friends. The boys were happy to play and entertain each other.

Oregon - Cannon Beach

The last week of May we took a family trip to Cannon Beach, OR. Benjamin did really well in the car and kept entertained with toys and such.

 We took a drive to Astoria and walked along the river. It was a bit chilly and rained off and on. 

 Since we were so close to Washington, we took a little detour to one of the state parks across the river. I got to try out the backpack for our first hike. Benjamin loved it! He was looking at everything and blabbing and laughing. So much fun!

 

 Benjamin got to go into the pool for the first time. He was splashing around and had the funnest time.

 

 On our way to Tillamook, we stopped at a scenic lookout.

 The cheese factory was one of our favorite stops. We had never seen so much cheese before.

 We sampled all kinds of cheddar cheeses and enjoyed hamburgers and cheese sandwiches for lunch.

 We found a light house on our way back to Cannon Beach. They are pretty cool.

 

 Seaside has an aquarium. We had never seen an octopus so close before. It was fascinating to see how it moved.

 Our last day in Cannon Beach we went to Ecola State Park. We hiked to Indian Beach. It was really pretty and peaceful.

 On the drive home we stopped off at the Multnomah Falls. I'm a sucker for falls.

Our drive home was a little more rough for Benjamin. He was tired of being strapped in the car. But we did manage to have fun playing peek-a-boo!

To see more pictures that Mike took on our trip go to his website here.