Weather: 70 degrees and overcast+Admission for family of 5: $42 (2 free adults, 1 free toddler, and 2 homeschool special kids)__________________________________________________________PERFECT DAY!!
Sierra is now exactly 34 inches; the minimum height for most of the rides. Thank goodness!
Sierra was a little nervous at first getting on most of the rides, but loved them once they were going. After all, she had her Papa to keep her safe!
Allison was finally too old for the little driving school, and moved up to the 6 - 12-year-old course. What a crack-up! I had to joke with Daniel that she got the Asian female driving genes. :)
We did a few new things this time, including watching a show. The girls now want to name our baby after the show's funniest character!
Oh my... I see the fatigue in my eyes!
Allison also reached a height milestone this time; 48 inches! Just tall enough to ride by herself... (or with the her sister and no adult!)
Ok, so I've always hated the swinging ship ride. Here they have a swinging AND turning ship. Just watching it makes me nauseous. I was shocked to see the height limit allowed for Sierra to ride. I tried to save my poor baby, but her daddy insisted. Both she and Natalie had the look of death when the ride started, and decided they would never do that again. Allison, on the other hand... not usually our daredevil... but look at her! Who knew what turning 6 would do!
Poor Sierra SO wanted to ride a horsie... I remember when Natalie was her age and she just cried and cried because she couldn't ride a horse. At least Sierra spared us the tears, but she did give me an idea for her birthday gift coming up!
Truly, it was a wonderful day. We finished it off with some apple fries, then headed home where all 3 conked out in the car. It's weird to think this was our last getaway as a family of 5! But, I am soooo excited to meet Yehbie #4!
I'm sure you've noticed by now, (if you've been reading this blog for a while), that San Diego is one of our favorite getaway spots. We're usually down there twice a year for a little mini-vacation. (Not sure you can call a vacation with little ones "r and r," but they're certainly fun, none-the-less).
We arrived around lunch time, and stopped at a Burger King, which also happened to be next to a frozen yogurt spot. We're huge froyo fans, so this seemed perfect. The funny thing is, our girls are not huge fast food fans, and had never been to a BK before. Allison said many times that it was the best lunch ever, and we needed to come here every time we go to San Diego. Daniel and I looked at each other and smiled!
After lunch, we dropped our stuff off at the hotel, then came straight to the beach. It was overcast, but not too chilly. If you ask me, it was the perfect weather!
Allison wasted no time running into the water. Now that seemed a little too cold for me; not-to-mention, I would be a whale in a swimsuit right now!
Natalie followed right after...
And Sierra was not too far behind! As you'll see from the pictures below, Sierra was quite happy to be at the beach; even if it meant skipping her nap! (Or, especially because it meant skipping her nap, I should say!)
Daniel decided he was going to build a giant butterfly. In digging, he discovered something even better: sand crabs! That began a wonderful search which turned up more and more crabs... and even some worms! I think they spent the next hour digging away. We had dozens! Even Allison and Natalie were able to catch some themselves!
I gave Natalie the camera to take a picture of me... she was so proud! But, alas, I couldn't post it. I really am feeling quite like a beached whale these days. Just over a month to go! Legoland pics to come...
...where we've been, we went on a little min-vacation this past weekend. Want to know where? Here is your clue:
As we were leaving the hotel, Daniel brought me this note he found in Allison's room. She and Natalie had actually written several notes; all were precious! They had such fun, and did a great job. I think it was the best hotel stay we've ever had -- not one single cry during the night! Anyway, I'll reveal the destination tomorrow. For now, I'd love to hear your guesses. :)
Friday morning was another glorious overcast fall morning. To be honest, I wasn't as prepared for school as I would have liked. So, we started with a tea party. I usually ask the girls what kind they want, but this time I had it ready for them when they came down for school... along with cookies at 8:30am. (Sometimes it's just fun to surprise them; and they were pleasantly surprised and ready for school!)
We always start with our Bible verse and devotions, and then move on to history. Allison is my history girl. She loves it, and never misses a beat. (That's my girl!) On this particular day, we read about the pilgrims putting up the frames of their homes. Here's where the spontanaeity comes in... I grabbed some straws, gave them tape, and told them to build a frame like the pilgrims. They enjoyed it so much, we pulled out the popsicle sticks and did the whole house.
Allison was beyond excited. She must have asked me 20 times if this was the most fun I had ever had. ** big smiles**
Meanwhile, Natalie was in her element. She drew pictures of pilgrims and colored them in for Allison to cut out and use as puppets for the new house. She used one of her "Draw, Write Now" books, and did an amazing job!
Both girls spent the afternoon painting their house. Sometimes spontanaeity is the best!
So, how did this begin? A dear friend of mine left a comment on my blog about how much she liked the "Oh How He Loves Us" canvas painting. So, I told her to come over and make one! We hardly ever get to see each other, but every time we do I feel so refreshed and joyful. She is the type of person who always encourages you and makes you feel special... the kind that even after a full day together, you think, "That wasn't enough time!"
So, I bought 6 more canvases and we had a blast. I was amazed at how well the girls did! (We had an extra girl over, as well, while her mommy was out to lunch!) Each girl picked a picture from a coloring book as Melissa and I drew it in pencil, and then they painted them. Surprisingly, my girls had less patience this time. Perhaps the newness wore off... but they still had a blast!
The other 2 girls put a lot of time and effort into theirs.
And, here are the results:
Allison: "Orange Blossom"
Courtney: "Hello Kitty"
Ella: "Hello Kitty"
Natalie: "Unicorn inside heart"
I was enjoying my company far too much to work on my painting. I wanted to do something for my friend's baby shower on Saturday. I began my work around 9:15pm on Friday night, and finished by 1:00am! Dr. Pepper saved the day. I was able to listen to some homeschooling conference cd's I'd been wanting to hear, and just enjoyed he peace of the night; it was wonderful!
And, here is the beautiful mama to be:
It was a beautiful shower with some of my favorite people! Looking forward to more opportunities to be creative!
Weather: 70 degrees and overcast
Sierra is now exactly 34 inches; the minimum height for most of the rides. Thank goodness!
Sierra was a little nervous at first getting on most of the rides, but loved them once they were going. After all, she had her Papa to keep her safe!
Allison was finally too old for the little driving school, and moved up to the 6 - 12-year-old course. What a crack-up! I had to joke with Daniel that she got the Asian female driving genes. :)
We did a few new things this time, including watching a show. The girls now want to name our baby after the show's funniest character!
Oh my... I see the fatigue in my eyes!
Allison also reached a height milestone this time; 48 inches! Just tall enough to ride by herself... (or with the her sister and no adult!)
Ok, so I've always hated the swinging ship ride. Here they have a swinging AND turning ship. Just watching it makes me nauseous. I was shocked to see the height limit allowed for Sierra to ride. I tried to save my poor baby, but her daddy insisted. Both she and Natalie had the look of death when the ride started, and decided they would never do that again. Allison, on the other hand... not usually our daredevil... but look at her! Who knew what turning 6 would do!
Poor Sierra SO wanted to ride a horsie... I remember when Natalie was her age and she just cried and cried because she couldn't ride a horse. At least Sierra spared us the tears, but she did give me an idea for her birthday gift coming up!
Truly, it was a wonderful day. We finished it off with some apple fries, then headed home where all 3 conked out in the car. It's weird to think this was our last getaway as a family of 5! But, I am soooo excited to meet Yehbie #4!
