Category: california

Knowing that we would be making several pit stops on the way home, we got an early start (8am) and packed the van full of clothes, souvenirs, and us.

Given our boys’ love of all things prehistoric, we decided to stop at the La Brea Tar Pits on the way home.This is a recreation of some animals that got trapped in the tar pits tens of thousands of years ago.

There was also an enclosed area where you can see what some of the scientists who work there are doing – they each have a sign saying what they are currently working on.I asked my oldest if that’s what he wanted to do and he said no, he wants to be the guy who finds the animal fossils, not the guy who analyzes them ;D

We made a couple more stops for food and leg-stretching, and got home around dinner time. It was a lovely trip, but like my mother-in-law said, it’s nice to sleep in your own bed!

Have a great weekend!

There’s a joke about Latinos that says, if you live in California, you’re automatically considered Mexican; if you live in New York, you’re Puerto Rican, and if you live in Miami, you’re Cuban. So yes, people usually assume I’m Mexican – but today, on Cinco de Mayo, aren’t we all? ;D Hope you have a happy and safe one!

Back to our trip – I love this pic of my boys. I have no clue what the thing in the background is supposed to be, so if anyone knows, could ya let me know?
My oldest is (mostly) a protective big brother, and I love how in pics he always embraces his little brother with such affection.

Here are my men during an ice cream break:
It was a welcome respite from the Southern California heat.

My oldest with “the ladies” – that’s what he calls girls.
“Yeah mom, the ladies like to chase us during recess”.

Surprisingly, my youngest did NOT face plant after this:
Although I was worried.

Another busy day, then back to the rooms for a much-needed bath and night’s sleep.

We arrived in Carlsbad Wednesday evening. My in-laws had rented a minivan and it was super comfy and spacious – we also brought movies for the boys so they were reasonably entertained.

There was a Brewery/restaurant next door with awesome food, so we filled up our bellies and then it was time to wind down for the boys’ night-night. Next morning, it was time . . . for Legoland! But first, some face-painting:
I was surprised to hear how well my youngest did. He’s autistic and not prone to sit down patiently, but he did so well and became a very cute Batman!

The boys loved the level of detail on all the animals and displays – I think that they have gotten a lot of inspiration for their Lego creations.
The elephant was a hit, of course. Both my boys had love for all things elephant for over a year. Now it’s dinosaurs, but elephants still hold a special place in their hearts.

One of my favorite displays was MiniLand. OMG, I loved seeing all these places recreated in Legos. Of course, this was my favorite:
It is part of the Las Vegas area but still, it counts as part of France for me!

After our busy day we had pizza by the pool and then headed back to our rooms. As tired as I was, and knowing that the next day (Friday) would be just as busy, there’s no way I was waking up at 2am to watch the Royal Wedding!!