California (in a post)

About 2 months ago, we announced to the girls that we were heading to California. They were so excited and amazingly we didn't have to answer "when do we leave?" a million times a day (probably closer to a thousand). We started a countdown last week and when they had crossed off the last day, and helped pack up their clothes, containing their excitement was beyond difficult!

We had a full itinerary laid out; the only way I travel. Don't get me wrong, we had downtime built into the trip, but it started out heavy. 

A rocky start (nearly missing our plane due to an unorganized Terminal 2 and a promise to never return due to 90 minutes for check in/security, no breakfast, etc), we set out for the beach the second we landed. At 11am we were soaking in the California sun. 

Hermosa Beach is a lovely place to visit. Or live for that matter! I fell in love with the small beach city and so did the rest of the family!

 This guy hung out a little too close for our liking. Doing all sorts of yoga and what not....I couldn't help but laugh at him. 

 The girls went back and forth from ocean to sand. The waves were gigantic, occasionally crushing both of them to the ground and giving them the equivalent of a "snow wash". A visit to the beach is not complete without them both having a small taste of salt water! 

Not to mention sand on every inch of their bodies. 

Yes, every inch. 

 Throughout the trip, the girls were rock stars at napping when they had the chance. In the car, on my shoulder, wherever they could rest their sweet heads. 

 The next morning it was off to Disneyland! We slowly wandered the park, climbing on rides, taking it all in. Finally, when we couldn't stand it any longer, we made a bee line to meet Miss Minnie Mouse in hopes it would quiet Sidney for a while ("I wanna see Minnie Mouse!" and "where is Minnie Mouse?"). 

Alas, there she is!!! 

 The girls managed to meet many other Disney characters and although Regan continued to state "I don't like princesses", the way her face lit up during each interaction, has us thinking she's fibbing a little bit. They were both in their glory to meet a 'real' live princess! It was definitely worth the 45 minute wait. 

 The amount of time that each princess spends with the children is wonderful. They really make them feel like they are the only children in the park. They talk to them, ask them questions and get to know the kids (no wonder the lines are so long!). 

 Eventually Ryan went off with Regan on some big kid rides while Sidney and I met yet another princess (Tangled). She was so in love with Rapunzel though not so much with her side-kick prince: Flynn Ryder who kindly stepped aside when Rapunzel realized Sidney was apprehensive. 

 The girls lasted 11 hours at Disney! ELEVEN! 

Maybe it's more impressive that Ryan and I lasted that long! 

They were troopers, never whining or crying and just taking it all in. 

 The next morning, it was just me and the girls. We sent Ryan off to a golf club with his cousin and we headed down to San Diego for a visit to Sea World. What an amazing place! The forecast was 67 and sunny. Let's just say that 67 in California is NOT the same as Minnesota. We were roasting hot, purposely sitting in the splash zones of various shows in hopes to get wet! 

 Both girls agreed that the Sea Lion show was their favorite. I have to admit, it was incredibly entertaining. Not necessarily the animals themselves (then I would have to say Shamu or the dolphins), but the man narrating the show was hilarious! 

 I'm not sure how safe it is to be driving and taking pictures (while talking on the phone to my mom which I later learned was illegal!), but I had to capture the scenery! It was incredible. I think this highway was built by carving out mountains. Sure felt that way. Even the girls commented at just how beautiful our drive was (between their naps of course!). 

 After 3 days of excitement, we were ready for some downtime. Fortunately, we were staying with Ryan's cousin who had a lovely pool and back yard for us to enjoy. 

 We managed to climb out of the pool long enough to get dolled up and enjoy a Mother's Day meal at Danny's country club. It was the perfect way to spend Mother's Day---on vacation!

 Of course there was plenty of more time for the pool and having it all to ourselves really made it so much more enjoyable. Sidney gave us a run for our money as she had a Code Brown on the pool deck. 

Boy that wasn't fun. 

 A big thank you to Megan and Danny for letting us crash with them a few nights! We had a lovely California vacation and the girls are looking forward to our next visit!