I like to make scrapbook albums of our family vacations but I also really want to record here some of the special things about our traveling adventures. We are lovers of Disney but have never taken the ladies to Disneyland so when we debated a winter vacation heading to California ended up the top of our list. There is an indescribable magic to the Disney parks!!
Travel took a new turn this year....the ladies can carry/wheel some of their own stuff!!!!! This really does feel like a milestone. We have moved past diaper bags and strollers, the girls are so much more independent. We are all eagerly waiting the day we can ditch the car seats, but our women are pretty small so we may have another year or two. A few times throughout our two weeks Graham and I would have our bedtime pillow talk discussing how our ladies are just amazing and what great travelers they have become! We loved to travel as individuals before we met. Then we had some travel adventures as a couple during our wait to become parents (30+ countries actually) and now we are lucky to have experiences with our girls.
Different families have different priorities and for us seeing the world, having adventures is near the top of things we want to do as a family! We joke but aren't really joking when we say having the privilege of travel is our consolation prize for only having two children - we feel INCREDIBLY BLESSED to have our two girls BUT would have loved more children! So we travel because we can.
We flew into LA, got into our rental and made our way south to Carlsbad checking into our hotel just as the sun was setting. What a welcome!? We fell asleep to the sound of the ocean.
Near the top of our to-do list was the San Diego Zoo because they have Panda's which are Stella's favourite animal, although Amelia really likes them too.
We made it a bit of a goal to be back each night to our hotel to watch the sun set....such an incredible place!
Legoland because of course when you are staying 15min away you simple must go! The girls have gotten more into Lego over the last few years so the LegoFriends were particularly fun to see. Oh and who doesn't love the LegoMovie, so pictures with Lucy Wild Style was a must.
The hot tub and a setting sun, yes we did that!
Also, the dad of our family really likes seafood much to the dismay of the rest of us. A recommendation brought us to Jay's and it was actually really good. When in Rome I think the saying goes, where better to have fish then when staying by the ocean. The thing I loved the best about the evening were the pictures we snapped of us with our women, oh my heart.
Had our souls fed and renewed our covenants when we attended church in Carlsbad. It always feels so comforting to attend church when we travel, it is like a piece of home. It was such a great testimony meeting, so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Also, how cool that we were able to all wear sandal's to church in February!!!!!!!!!
Old Town San Diego was one of my favourites, a personal highlight! We visited USS Midway on the recommendation of a friends, then made our way to Old Town. We knew that there was a church history site and were excited to visit. There was again that comfortable, peaceful feeling similar to what we had felt as we attended church in Carlsbad. The gospel of Jesus Chirst is good!! The museum was honestly quite incredible, the missionaries were wonderful guides through out the very interactive exhibit. Learning the role the Mormon Battalion had in the settlement of southern California and how the Battalion was an answer to the prayers of early saints in the church. It was wonderful!
On the recommendation of a few of the missionaries we made our way to a fantastic restaurant. We walked down the street to a bustling area full of unique shops and restaurants. The girls were thrilled with the pinatas they were given. The vibe in the area was so great! As the sun set and we hung out in the market square the live music got the girls and I dancing. We knew we should get going as we had a bit of a drive home but when your babies are laughing and smiling and dancing you live in the moment and forget the time.....a treasured memory!
We like to drive and as we made our way to or from our Carlsbad hotel, especially at night the view of the San Diego Temple was stunning.
DISNEYLAND
Oh how Disney get families, children and fun!!!!!!
The excitement from of our little ladies as we met characters and enjoyed rides is just indescribable. Such fun together! Star Wars was a big hit and Minnie's House.
We were able to spend one day with Grandpa Ed as he was spending some of the winter in Palm Springs. So for the day Graham had a ride buddy for the insane roller coaster and intense rides the little ladies and I won't ride ha. Disneyland was fantastic! We enjoyed Cars Land in the California Adventure Park and the Magical Kingdom is always, well magical. Always worth every penny visiting Disney. Some people say that this age or that is 'perfect' but Graham and I have come to feel that every age from 2 to 8 to 82 is a 'perfect' age.
For our final day in California Amelia had requested we see the Hollywood sign which was such a super fun day, the perfect way to wrap up our trip. Graham did some research and it turns out that the Griffith Conservatory is one of the recommended places to see the sign....it is also the setting for a very romantic scene in LALALAND. We drove up through the Hollywood hills, which was super neat. Once we parked, although busy we enjoyed the grounds taking in all of that California sunshine. It was actually a very interesting science museum and we took our time checking it out. Graham and I stole a few moments to pretend it was just us, we walked hand in hand and then would look at our girls and smile. So grateful to have them.
Being our last day we drove down Hollywood Blvd, saw the theatre where they have the Oscars (saw some scary stuff too) and made our way to Santa Monica to watch the sun set.
Incredible to see and do. Even more incredible that I get to do it with these folks.
~ Mrs. P
