Long Trip (Part 2)

While still in San Diego we visited Justin's Dad's house. They had done some kitchen remodeling, which was fun to see and our boys always love to play with their 3 little guys, twins age 6 and one that is 3. They have a beautiful yard where we could set them free.

That night we had a surprise from the hotel. They upgraded our room to a fabulous suite. Extra space is always good when kids are involved. The next day was Valentine's. We all gave each other treats and the boys got Beauty and the Beast to enjoy in the car. We spent the day at Lake Miramar where we enjoyed the ducks and a long walk around the lake. So long, in fact, that we began to worry. Justin turned back to get the van to pick us up on the other side of the lake while I continued on with the kids. I probably walked nearly 2.5 miles before we finally met up. Turns out the lake is larger than we realized. But the weather was beautiful and it was good practice for the upcoming days of walking at Disneyland. Afterward, we headed to the beach near the UCSD campus where we had a picnic and enjoyed the ocean breeze. Justin even had me show the boys the UCSD (he went there for a year) library that is built like a giant tree.

On the drive to Anaheim, the boys thankfully slept for us. Always a blessing when they sleep in the car. Sometimes I don't really think my boys look much alike, but in that picture they definitely do!

After checking into our hotel, we discovered that we had the Disney channel. What joy! It turns out that Dad likes Handy Manny as much as the boys. Later, we walked around the Downtown Disney district. The highlight was the Lego store. I don't think Nolan realized there were entire stores devoted to Legos. What a thrill! We let him handpick his own collection of Legos to take home as an early birthday present. It was pretty fun choosing Lego bricks as if they were bulk candy.

We finished off the night with dinner at Buca di Beppo, near our hotel. Oddly enough, Justin and I decided this day was one of the best of our entire vacation. It's funny how it was the only day that wasn't really planned out, the kids were pleasant, and it didn't cost much money. Later you'll read about how we ran our kids ragged, pressured them into riding rides they don't like, and then tried to make them sit down for a nice meal at a restaurant. More to come!