A very long post about a very fun trip

We spent seven glorious days in San Diego. Introducing our children to the place I lived as a child-- and again as a teenager-- was a great experience. As a parent, I saw my home in a new way. I laughed as I called the kids down from stair rails I often climbed myself. The best part of "going home" was spending time with my mom and stepdad.


The break from routine felt amazing. Our mornings were lazy. We chatted, ate breakfast, and lounged on the patio. In the afternoons, we played at the beach and the park. At night, we enjoyed delicious dinners cooked by Mutti & Humey, watched hot air balloons from the deck, and went on long walks.

The Park
Knowing the beaches would be crowded the first two days of our visit (Saturday and Sunday), we opted to spend those afternoons at the park. Oakcrest Park seemed especially quiet, and we had a blast.

 We loved Oakcrest so much that we went back often through the week.

 
The Beach
Moonlight and Solana Beach became our family-friendly favorites this visit. 

 Disneyland
Midway through the week, we took the boys to Disneyland. Mutti was kind enough to watch Libby for the day.

Scotty and Travis in line for Pirates (the first time):

 Waiting for the Haunted Mansion:

Dumbo:

Teacups:

Meeting Mickey. Remember once upon a time when you could walk up to him in the park and chat for a moment before snapping a picture? No more. Now, you wander through an indoor labyrinth (aka "Mickey's House"), waiting in line for your turn to rush through a staged pose with Mickey. Kind of a bummer. The kids still loved meeting him:

In all of the fun, I took very few pictures. We spent the day running from ride to ride, spending way too much money on food, and smiling from ear to ear. (There were a few mopey moments, but we won't focus on those.) Jamin even "officially" celebrated his birthday-- two months late (we were really sick, remember?)-- with chocolate mousse at the Blue Bayou. 


As evening came, I staked out a place by the river while Scotty took the boys to Pirates a few more times. They met up with me after the fireworks. Travis was asleep. Jamin watched Fantasmic by my side and dozed off during the show. 


We had a very cool spot, right behind the switchboard.

 The sign of a good, loooooong day at the Happiest Place on Earth:

Yes, we had a fantastic trip to San Diego. My mom and I even had a girls' afternoon in honor of her birthday. 


We left California sunburned and cheerful. Heavenly.