Summer family vacation (SoCal)

Last week (Sunday - Friday) we were in Southern California. When I say we, I mean everyone. All three boys included. And it was the first time any of the kids flew on an airplane so that was something new for all of us. It was pretty stressful, mainly worrying about every aspect relating to the kids (Are they hungry? Tired? Need to poo or pee?), but overall it was doable. Just exhausting.


Sunday
After getting to the airport, checking our luggage bags, going through airport security, waiting for our flight, going on the actual flight, getting our luggage at baggage claim, waiting forever for the rental car... all with three young kids... I was ready to call it a day. But no, we have to make the most of our time. After grabbing a quick lunch at In-N-Out, we headed to La Jolla. It was nice. The weather was awesome. Nothing like seeing seals right there at the beach.

They're ready for their first flight.

Lynn and Tyson (and Boo) at La Jolla.

A seal along side the paddle surfers.

We finally made it.

Afterward, we headed over to Chi Tram's place where they graciously let us stay for a couple of nights. She cooked an awesome dinner and Adrian introduced me to some new beer, Stone Brewery's specialty beers and Costco beer. Yes, Costco has their own generic looking beer. It's not bad.

Costco beer!

The kids bonded instantly. But as for Paula and Tyson, now that's a work in progress.

Rowdy kids.

Tyson squirming.

A surprisingly calm picture of the kids.

Monday
We went out to the San Diego Zoo during the day. The kids really enjoyed it but it was just too big to do everything we wanted in one day (that's the theme of this trip). I pushed them as long as I could but Andrew was already passed out and Jacob was soon to follow.

Polar bears!

After the kiddos napped and the adults rested, it was already time for dinner. Michael, who was also in town, joined us for dinner at URBN. Pizza and beer, my favorite combo. After dinner, the three guys went to Stone Brewery for more beer. I tried the Double Bastard Ale with chipotle. So good yet so sad that I can't get this stuff in Houston.

Oh Paula, what did you do to him?

The group at URBN.

So many choices, so little time.

Tuesday
It was time to leave San Diego and on the way to Los Angeles, we did some whale watching. We got to see a blue whale, which was pretty cool, but Jacob felt dizzy. He was probably feeling sea sick. Poor guy. After all the driving, waiting, whale watching, eating, we finally made it to my friend John's place to crash for the night. And I wanted to do things when we got into LA but there was no time.

Wednesday
This was Disneyland day. We got there when it first opened and had all these rides and activities we wanted to do. But there was just not enough time. There was a lot of time spent waiting. And walking. And napping. And eating. We left around 10:30 pm and still had a lot of things left to do. So much to do in so little time.

Thursday
It's my birthday. After driving through that shitty traffic from Anaheim to LA, which took over 1.5 hours, we finally made it to The Grove. I got to try Umami Burger, which was really good. It was on the fancy side, seemed like everything had truffles, but I wouldn't go there often if I had the choice. We browsed the shops and explored the Farmer's Market. We left around 4 pm and it took a good hour or so to get home. The LA traffic is just gross. I think it took me 15 minutes to drive a mile. Shit, I can just get out and walk faster than driving. I love the weather there but I would never live there. Too fucking congested.

It's 10:39 am and there's heavy traffic! Is anyone at work?

Tyson's hot dog from Umami's kids menu. Doesn't look very kid friendly.

The boys (and Boo) at The Grove.

Friday
This was "go home" day so after eating lunch in LA, we drove back to San Diego to fly out. Everything went smoothly at the airport, it seemed less chaotic. After the flight delay and time change, we didn't get home until after 11 pm. It was past 1 am and Tyson was still awake. Maybe he knew that he officially turned two years old at midnight and was ready to party. I don't know but I could not stay up to find out. I was exhausted.

Special thanks to Chi Tram and the Bertisan family for taking in our loud and crazy family. Thanks to John for letting us crash at his bachelor pad. It made things a little easier for all of us. :)