San Diego Bound

Mike presented at a conference this weekend, and as it was just down the road in San Diego, the rest of the fam came along for the trip.

It actually got (relatively) cold enough to justify turning on the fireplace. There’s a perverse irony in this considering that we did not have a fireplace in Michigan and probably would have happily used it all winter long. We may not have needed it if our heater worked. Once the landlords found out it didn’t work they replaced the thermostat and we now can take the chill of when needs be.

Landon attended his first pack meeting on Tuesday after Mom and the kids went to McTeacher Night, a fundraiser for his school. Eliza also wanted to participate in pack meeting, much to Landon’s annoyance. We’ll have to look into the Girl Scouts/Activity Days once she gets old enough.

On Wednesday during gymnastics, Hallie went over to drop off some things at Grandma M.’s, and the Eliza rolled around in the grass with their cousin. Eliza’s skin was a bit sensitive afterwards, and you could definitely see the difference on her skin where her shirt covered and where it did not.

Landon is mastering new skills on the bars. Coach Shane said Landon is close to getting his back handspring completed, and he let Hallie know some of the things he needs to work on.

Eliza showed off Thanksgiving-themed artwork. So much fun! 

We wish we had more to show from Landon’s 2nd grade endeavors. Maybe it will all come in a lump packet. He definitely enjoys whatever it is he is doing there.

Landon’s shoes have given up the ghost, but he was very sad to see them go – so much so, in fact, that tears were shed. Landon was willing to still wear his Vans with a giant hole across the toes.

Leading into Mike’s conference weekend, we went to Legoland California on Friday. With only a few thousand people attending, we were able to have our pick of activities. Hard to believe that the park has been around for over 16 years! The weather was an amazing 77 degrees (sorry Midwest)!

While the kids definitely enjoyed the roller coasters, they seemed to get the most out of the activities where they could climb and play and build.

They also really enjoyed walking through all the Miniland exhibits. Some were showing signs of prolonged exposure to that warm California sun, but they showed very many details and special touches that are hallmarks of LEGO creativity.

Another highlight of Legoland was the basement set from the LEGO Movie. The model citizen there had us play “I Spy” to find funny and amazing little details throughout the basement.

Mike had his presentation on Saturday, and while he was at the conference, Hallie and the kids went to the mall and watched Hotel Transylvania 2. There were not many folks in the theatre which was good, because Eliza was very antsy and kept walking around. Hallie also liked a theatre that showed a movie at 9:30 am. No treats were begged for! During the lunch break of Mike’s conference we all went to Coronado and enjoyed pizza at High Tide Bottle Shop & Kitchen.

The kids put together some sets they bought at the LEGO Store to round out their day.

On Sunday, we spent time exploring local history in the area, including visits to the San Diego Mission, the San Diego Temple, and the Mormon Battalion Historic Site. There we met up with the Turners, who have recently moved to the area from Camarillo. We had dinner at their fun new house, and the kids played in the back yard.