California

We were all very excited to go to Southern California while in the States.  My grandma (Ya-Ya), aunts, uncle, and cousin live there and we hadn't been out to see them since Tommy was a baby.  We had been meaning to visit for awhile, but life kept getting in the way.  We decided it was a high priority while we were in the States this summer.

We also decided to spend a few extra days and visit Legoland.  Tommy has always loved Legos and wanted to go to Legoland.  The reviews said it was great for Lego fans, but was aimed at the younger (under 10) crowd so we thought it would be a good place to visit while they are young.

Tom ended up having to go out to LA for work a few days early, so the kids and I flew to San Diego by ourselves.  After stopping at In-N-Out Burger, we went to visit my Ya-Ya.  She and I had a good talk while the kids played.  Charlotte colored several pictures for Ya-Ya.  Thea Dana also came home from work during lunch so it was nice to have a short visit with her as well.

Tommy, Ya-Ya, and Charlotte

Tommy and Charlotte with Thea Dana

After our visit, the kids and I drove up to Oceanside, near Legoland, where we met Tom.  We spent 2 days at Legoland and had a great time (I will do a separate post about our visit).  On Saturday, we checked out of our hotel in Oceanside.  We made a brief stop at the ocean to play in the sand and at least put our feet in the Pacific Ocean (from this side) while we were so close.  The kids had a great time running away from the waves.  Tommy liked watching the surfers and asked Tom and I when we could teach him.  He was surprised to hear we didn't know how.

Here comes a wave!

Then we drove up to my Theo (Uncle) Mark and Aunt Nancy's house for a family get together.  It was really great to see everyone.  Thea Dana and my cousin Derek (who was working when we stopped by on Wednesday) drove up from Chula Vista as well.  Tommy had a lot of fun talking to Nancy's grandson who was only a few months older than he.  They spent over an hour talking about video games and roller coasters, two of his favorite subjects.  Charlotte had fun chasing the dogs around and feeding them who knows what.
We spent the night in San Diego that night.  Sunday morning, we stopped by to say good bye to Ya-Ya, Thea Dana and Derek before heading to the airport to fly home together.   It was sad to say good bye, but we had a wonderful trip with many great memories.