Beach Time

Here's the last of the pictures for now. Just soome shots of where we stayed and the kids on the beach. We all really enjoyed the beach this time. Tbe weather was so nice and the wind was cooperative as well. Usually in October the weather is cold and the wind is out of control. Kayla ususally only last about 15 to 20 minutes of the besch before she's fozen to the core. This time we could stay out for several hours and still not be cold. It was a lot of fun and the kids are already asking "when can we go back."













It still amazes me how much fun the boys can have by digging hole after hole and burying each other in them. There is just something so fun about that. Hours upon hours can be spent digging and filling in holes. The best part is....there's no clean up for mom. Just toss them back in the ocean when they're done and they come out pretty clean. I don't have to pick up and fix the sand, the ocean takes care of all of that for me. I just love it. The next morning the beach is wiped clean and a fresh start begins. New holes to dig and people to bury.

Universal Studios

We decided to take the kids to Universal Studios this year. It was only a 2 hour drive up to LA in LA morning traffic. And on the way home only 1 and 1/2 hours. No traffic comming home. It was great. The kids all enjoyed Universal and they have all enjoyed telling everyone that mom got sick on the Simpson Ride. Yeah, I tried, thought I could keep my eyes closed and avoid most of the motion......NOT. It didn't work. Needless to say I'll never do that again. Everyone wanted me to go on it with them, but comming off the ride they were all changing their stories. "We told you not to go". Yeah sure. Oh well.

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words

Well this is my one picture that is worth more than 1,00 words. This is the roller coaster at Legoland called Project X. It's really not that bad or a roller coaster, it's really only the first drop. You go up a steep hill and then turn a corner and down you go. It's so much fun to watch.




We never buy the photos that they take of you on the actual coaster, but we couldn't resist this one.

Did Someone Say FIRE!

When we left Legoland on Monday we got out to the parking lot and saw smoke. I told Robert that it looked like it was close to the Condo where we were staying. Legoland is only about 10 minutes from the condo, so we got back on the freeway and headed to the condo. The closer we got, the closer the smoke got. We soon discovered that the fire was burning on Camp Pendelton which is just the next exit off the freeway after ours. The smoke was thick. Just as we got off the freeway two air tankers fighting the fire flew over head. They were going out to the ocean to fill up and then back across the freeway to dump. So they were making a round trip in less than 4 minutes. We hurried home and dropped off our stuff, put on our sand gear and headed out to the beach. It was quite an impressive sight to see two planes fly over the condo, circle out over the ocean and then descend to fill up their tanks. They probably made 5 or 6 trips before the sun was gone and it was too dark for them to continue. So here are some pictures of the action. I was really excited to show my photography teacher the last picture of the plane in the sunset. I wished I had had that photo for the last assignment when I needed a sunset shot. One week too late....oh well. He was still impressed.

Legoland - WARNING picture overload ahead

Yes, we did our annual trip to Legoland California. The kids just love this place and I have to say that I do to. I love a park that we can do in one day and say that we did every ride (even more than once). It is usally so quiet at Legoland in October, it's wonderful. There are no lines to speak of. I mean really, if you stand in line, it's only until the riders on the ride currently come off and then you're on. It's the best. Especially the roller coasters. The boys love to go on the roller coasters, but Kayla is by far Robert special Roller Coaster buddy. She loves them and loves to go on them with dad. I wish I could have gotten a picture of her on her favorite coaster, but there's not really a good spot to get a picture at. It goes by so fast that the pictures are always blurry. They all go on it over and over and over and over again. Just as soon as they come off of it, they get right back in line to go again. It's so much fun. This trip was especially nice for Kayla as she has grown significantly since last year. Now she meets all the height requirements on all the rides, so nothing if off limits....well except for mom. That's pretty much all rides. Oh well. I have a lot of fun watching their smiling faces.



This is the Bionicle ride. It's just like the teacups at Disneyland. It just goes round and round.







The boat rides are always a big hit. This was Kyle's favorite when he was little. I think it's still one of his favorite. I'm glad Kyle still hasn't outgrown his love for Legoland. It's nice that we can all go and enjoy it still.





Then there's always the famous.....I've been eaten by a shark snapshot. Can't go there without getting an updated picture.








There were mummys to be seen and I have to say they were pretty scary.....well, except for that last one. She's just too cute to be scary.











Get a load of all these characters. What a group. Kayla was excited to get her picture taken with Spongebob. She loves watching that show.



And who could forget the other Bob.....Bob the Buidler.




Happy Halloween to everyone. Yes that's right. Only 10 more days.

U.S. Midway

Okay, here's my first installment of our week in San Diego. We left on Friday after a 1/2 day of school and got out to San Diego that evening. It was so nice to just be there on Saturday so we could get an early start to our vacation.

We started out by going to see the U.S. Midway which is an air craft carrier that has been turned into a self touring museum. It is located near Sea Port Village in Downtown San Diego. We had a lot of fun there. We went about 3 years ago, but they have added a lot more to see and do.



At one point my family all got into a little bit of trouble and got thrown into the Brig. It took some sweet talking to get the captain to let them go.

Then the kids all took their turns in the cockpit of different airplanes. The boys really loved it.







Kayla had so much fun. This time she could walk up and down the stairs by herslef. Last time we had to carry her and those stairs are really shallow. She had fun in the ready room.





Well that's all for now. I've got hungry kids and homework waiting for me to help out with. Tomorrow hopefully I'll have more time to dedicate to some more pictures and post.

It's VACATION Time

That's right. We're on our way to sunny San Diego. It's fall break and the kids are out of school for the week so we're off to our favorite vacation location. We're so excited. Kayla is really looking forward to digging in the soft, soft sand. She just loves that. The boys are also looking forward to being able to boogie board in the ocean. Eveyone I'm sure will have a wonderful time. So for now this is my last post until we return. Hopefully there will be lots of fun things to post about.

Photography Assignment

Okay here's my pictures for my next photography assignment. I needed a picture using the sunset with a silohuette, and white background and a black background. They're much harder than it looks. I still need one more of just a sunset. We'll see if I get it or not.