With rising summer temperatures and not a drop of beach water in sight, we eagerly set out for our California vacation in early June. A full-day drive by car, Tom and Angela wondered how the car ride would be with baby Luke and Maddie strapped in the back seat for 6+ hours. Not surprising (okay, maybe a little surprising) both kids did awesome! Luke had two short naps, but they were just enough to get him through the long drive without any fussiness. Maddie entertained herself with a combination of reading, video games, and DVD watching.
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| Maddie, Angela and Luke prepare to search the tide pools at the beach |
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| Tom, Luke and Maddie dig in the sand at the beach |
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| Sister and brother pose at the beach |
We arrived at our ocean view condo in the late afternoon. It was a fantastic 3-BR condo so everyone had their own bedroom. We unpacked, spread out, and made ourselves at home. Tom and the kids went to the pool while Angela made a trip to the local grocery store. Even though it wasn't "pool weather" by our standards (it was only about 67 degrees every day at the condo), the pool was heated and we all enjoyed splashing around after a long day in the car.
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| Luke wastes no time after arriving at condo - toilet inspection! |
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| Maddie unwinds before bed one evening |
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| Luke enjoys dinner one evening... don't worry, he washed his hands after the toilet inspection |
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| Luke in PJs looking up at Angela... is it time for bed? |
The first 3 days were spent relaxing mostly around the condo, at the beach (about a 2 minute walk across the street from the condo) and at the pool. We took a whale and dolphin boat tour one day where we saw a pod of over 500 dolphins! They were swimming all around the boat. The boat had a underwater glass viewing "bubble" large enough for 2-3 people to fit in. See the amazing dolphin video we recorded! We were disappointed not to see any whales, but seeing so many dolphins made up for it. It was an amazing sight!
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| We arrive at the marina before our boat tour |
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| Dolphins, dolphins, everywhere! |
We also found a nice tide pool area along the beach and spent some time searching for (and finding) sea life hidden within the rocks. Sea anemones are one of Maddie's favorites to find and there were lots of them in this tide pool area. We also saw lots of crabs and some fish.
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| All smiles at the beach |
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| Luke helps adjust Maddie's shirt before the photo shoot |
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| Sitting on the rocks and pondering... I wonder what's for dinner tonight? |
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| Vacation is a time for lots of laughs |
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| Let's play! |
What trip to California would be complete without a visit to the theme parks! We spent one day at Disneyland and one day at California Adventure. Angela and Tom mostly took turns on rides with Maddie while the other stayed with Luke. Tom and Maddie rode all of the thrill rides. Maddie's favorite was California Screamin' (a loop roller coaster) which she is now just tall enough to ride. There were a few rides that Luke tried and he seemed to enjoy them. He was a really good boy those two days (and they were both long 12-hour days at each park, too) taking some long naps in his stroller and otherwise just enjoyed all of the interesting sights and sounds. He was a real trooper and never really got fussy at all!
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| Maddie and Angela are soaking wet (and cold) after riding the Grizzly River Rapids |
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| Maddie and Luke in Pixie Hollow |
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| Maddie waits for the raft to Tom's Sawyer's Island |
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| Luke is anxious as he waits to visit Tom Sawyer's Island |
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| Luke clapping and feeling happy in Pixie Hollow |
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| Maddie gives Luke a drink of water "baby bird" style at Disneyland |
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| Maddie and Tom complete their third ride on California Screamin' |
On one of our last days in California, Maddie asked to try stand-up paddle boarding. It's basically a large surfboard that you stand up on and paddle. There was a beach-like area by the marina that offered a perfect place to learn. We gave it a try, and although Maddie was a bit too small to do it alone, she and Tom made a great team! Even Angela gave it a try (but didn't like it too much).
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| Luke explores the ocean for the first time |
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| Tom and Maddie carefully balance on the stand up paddle board |
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| Maddie and Luke play in the grass at a beach park |
The vacation ended way too soon and before we knew it we were on the road again. Thankfully our drive back home went as smoothly as our drive out. We're always grateful to return home safely from a vacation, but as we unpacked we were already missing the beach, fun, and cool California weather. Time to start looking forward to the next vacation adventure!
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Could these two be any cuter? |
