California Dreamin'

After moving into the new house last year, we thought we were going to have to pass on a big vacation this year.  However, due to the generosity of some relatives on the west coast, we were able to take a family trip to California!

Let's start with the anticipation.  Mudgie was more than a little excited about this trip. In fact, it seemed like we had a "California countdown" for months, but in the last few weeks leading up to the trip, every day we had a discussion on how many "K-K days," "Mommy days," and "Mommy and Daddy days" we had left before we got to head out to the west coast.  Dave and I were pretty excited too, but we were also a little unsure how the boys would handle the 6-hour plane ride.  We got them each new toy for the plane and gave it to them the night before the trip.  Aaron got a Bumblebee Rescuebot transformer, his favorite from the show, and the one he often claims to be.  Mudgie got a remake of the original Optimus Prime transformer, just like Dave had when he was a kid.  I can't say that I was in love with the idea, especially since it came with all sorts of guns that I don't think Mudgie should be playing with (and are now put away somewhere and he doesn't even miss them), but he was in heaven!  He had been watching You-Tube videos of this toy for weeks, and to actually have his own was so exciting he could barely contain himself.  And yes, we have it all on video.  So reluctantly, the kids went to bed that night, ready to wake up before "the sun turned to a sun," (Aaron speak for their nightlight telling them it's time to get up) and head to the airport.

The plane rides, both there and back, went amazingly well.  The kids were occupied by new shows and games on the iPad and iPhones, and we kept a steady supply of snacks flowing.  While I'm sure they would have preferred to spend some of that time running around, all that sitting didn't seem to bother them too much.  I think it helped that they both had their own seat.

Once in CA, we got our rental car and headed to my Uncle Chris's house.  We stayed with him for 4 nights, and he had 2 spare bedrooms we could use, meaning Dave and I got 1 room and the boys got another.  The boys crashed once we finally got there, and Aaron probably should have been left to just sleep the night, because when I woke him up he turned into a monster, screaming for over an hour before I relented and just put him back to bed.  As Chris said, "At least he didn't do it on the plane!"

The next morning we took our time getting up and out, and we headed to Newport Beach.  The sun was shining, it was in the mid-60's, and it was such a nice change from the snow!  We walked along the beach path, got some sand toys, and burned off a lot of pent up energy from having been stuck on the plane the day before.  After heading home for lunch and nap, we went back to the beach, this time armed with bathing suits.  The kids had a blast building sand castles, though they were both a little timid with water.  They got over that the next day, when we returned to the beach again.  Dave and Aaron found the joy in playing in the waves, and eventually Mudgie decided it was fun too.  The water was really cold, so they weren't swimming, but more chasing the waves as they came in and out.  That afternoon, Chris and Katie took Dave surfing.  The boys, Katie, and I watched from the shore while Uncle Chris and Daddy went surfing.  There were so many surfers we couldn't tell who was who, but boys were so busy playing in the sand that I don't think they cared!

On Monday, we went to Disneyland.  It was little more than any of us expected.  It was school vacation week in CA (who knew?), so it was mobbed!  There were long lines for everything from buying tickets, to getting in the entrance, to going on any ride in the park.  Aaron decided to have a meltdown in the "waiting to get inside the park" line.  It was less than fun, but once we got inside I sent Mudgie and Dave away to ride the train (always a hit with Mudgie), and Aaron I walked around for about half an hour when he finally decided to calm down.  Then we went on some rides (Dumbo for Aaron, The Little Engine that Could for Mudgie), and then we went to the haunted house.  Mudgie had seen it on the train ride around the park and was dying to go on.  We waited in line for almost an hour before we got inside.  Then the scarey music started, the lights flashed, and the floor started moving.  Mudgie started screaming, and I mean really screaming, when someone finally took pity on us and showed the escape route.  We got outside and Aaron says, "I want to do that again!"  Yup!  After that we walked around the crowded park to find someplace that had pizza for lunch, as we were all hungry and tired.  Aaron was a little over tired at this point, and was beyond the point of following directions, and pretty much just stirred the pot all during lunch.  When lunch was over, his meltdown #2 began.  We shoved him in the stroller, I sent the big boys to go on the monorail, and I walked around with a screaming 2-year-old...again.  After 20 minutes of kicking and screaming, I came upon a water fountain.  I filled up my water bottle and took the opportunity to adjust Aaron's stroller seat to a more laying down position. No joke, but literally 10 seconds later the screaming just stopped.  I peered into the stoller, and he was asleep.  It was so quick that I kept checking to make sure he was still breathing!  He slept for the next 2 hours, giving the big boys a chance to go on a really cool Buzz Lightyear ride, and then get some ice cream.  When Aaron woke up, we all went on the train ride around the park, watched the parade, got some souvenirs, and called it a day.

On Tuesday, we took our time packing up in the morning (we were still exhausted from the day before), and then headed about an hour south to visit Uncle David and Aunt Sandee in San Diego County.  They welcomed us into their lovely home, and Mudgie just fell in love with Aunt Sandee.  We went over their country club for a little swimming before heading back home for dinner.  It was a very (much needed) low-key day.

On Wednesday, we took the boys to Legoland, which was only about 15 minutes away.  This place was MUCH less crowded than Disney, and so much more geared for the younger kids.  The boys had a great time.  Everyone went on some really cool rides, and once again, after lunch, Aaron took a much needed nap in the stroller.  We were all impressed by the mini Lego cities (San Francisco, New York, Washington DC, Vegas), and Dave loved all the Star Wars stuff, but I think Mudgie's favorite part was building and racing his own Lego car.  I was walking around with a sleeping Aaron at the time, but Dave said he was the youngest kid in there, and his was the only car that didn't fall apart!  I was so proud of little man.

Thursday was zoo day. We took the boys to the San Diego Zoo, and while Aaron really liked the giraffes, I think Dave and I were more impressed with it than the boys were.  There was a LOT of walking involved, and Mudgie just got tired.  Aaron, who was worn out from the entire vacation, was ready for a nap by 11am and slept through most of the day.

On Friday we headed back to Uncle Chris's house, and then on Saturday we flew out early in the morning.  Again, the boys did amazing well on the plane, though Aaron did a meltdown at security when they made him put his peanut butter crackers through the x-ray scanner, but after 30 minutes or so he decided the episode was funny instead.

All in all, it was a fantastic trip!  We all had so much fun, and it was really great to visit with all the West Coast family.  But it was completely exhausting, and just a few days after we got back, I had to head back to CA (San Francisco area) for work.  It was the longest I'd ever been away from the boys, but they (and Dave) survived just fine without me.  But let me tell you, when I got back from that trip, it felt GOOD to be home!