Southern California Days 1-3

Our goal was to leave the house by 9am on Friday the 2nd for our 12:40pm flight out of Denver.  We actually got out of the house slightly early (we needed gas and a quick trip to the library) and were on the road right on time.  We pulled into long-term parking around 10:15am and took the shuttle to the airport.  After getting our bags checked-in (5 suitcases--3 were kid sized--and 3 car seats!) we were off to security.  We always know that we will take longer at security.  With all of Finn's meds and machines that we carry on, it's just a given.  This time, though, I was carrying on his feeding tube formula which added an extra layer of difficulty.  Because it is a liquid and is in 8 ounce containers (more than the 4 oz allowed) they were wanting to open every can and test it.  Um...no.  It goes bad in about 12 hours once you open it, and I had 8 nights worth with me and we needed it all.  So, instead Reid had to get a full pat down and they had to test the top of every container.  Fine by me.  We were progressing fairly well through the checks on other bags when somehow Finn's vest machine triggered some sort of alarm which meant they had to check ALL of our bags.  In the end, we had about 4 security guys working on just our stuff for nearly a half an hour.  A guy behind us was getting huffy and started swearing and approached a manager accusing 4 agents of not working.  I calmly approached him and apologized for taking so long to get through security and he wasn't having it.  He was late for his flight and was headed to a funeral.  I told him I was sorry for his loss and moved on.  An agent later approached me and said not to worry about it or apologize because everyone knows to come 2 hours early.  Really, I wasn't worried about that guy as much as I was frustrated he was accusing those 4 agents of not doing their job.  They were doing their job--really, really thoroughly.   Anyway, we were finally through and on to the train to our gate.

Finn and Bree insisted on standing in the train and Finn would run in place while the train was moving.

After getting to our concourse we grabbed a very quick lunch at McDonalds.

We arrived at the gate right as the plane was beginning to board.  Finn had preboarding rights in order to get his medical equipment on the plane so he went on with Reid, and Bree, Kai, and I waited patiently for family boarding.

Bree insisted on sitting with her dad on the plane so I got to sit with the boys.

Across the aisle Bree originally had the aisle seat but a nice young lady saw Bree and heard it was her first time and gave up the window seat so that Bree could have it.  I thanked her and truly meant it!

Reid's view

I wish you could see that we are flying above the clouds.  Finn loved watching out the window.  And about half way through our flight we pulled up the flight map right as we looked out the window and realized that we were flying directly over the Grand Canyon.  Super fun!

When we arrived in Burbank we found that we got to exit the plane right outside.  Here we are--our first picture in California!

We got in a little early on Friday the 2nd and began our drive to Oxnard, California where I had seen that there was a Walmart right off of the Interstate.  We needed to get some things for Finn, so after an hour and a half drive we stopped in Oxnard.  After visiting Walmart we decided to grab dinner right in the shopping center before heading on.  The kids loved Dairy Queen for dinner.  From there we drove a portion of the Pacific Coastal Highway on our way to Santa Maria, California.  We got into the hotel, ran treatments, and headed to bed.

The morning of the 3rd we headed into Solvang for breakfast at Paula's Pancake House.  While we were waiting for a seat the kids and I walked around just a bit.

We found this parking garage hidden by bushes which the kids described as "the biggest bush in the world".

Waiting for breakfast

Chocolate milk to go with her pancakes and bacon

After breakfast we explored Solvang a bit.  I could see myself spending quite a bit of time there just eating pastries and window shopping.  Good thing I had kids with me to prevent all of that!

Right on the edge of Solvang is Ostrich Land.  Bree was very excited about this stop and feeding the ostriches and emus.  When we pulled up I was skeptical but it turned out to be a lot of fun.  Sounds silly, but it was fun!

The bowls of food are bolted down to these metal dustpans and the birds just go at it.  It was neat to see them up close and to feel how strong their beaks are (through them eating off of the dustpan).  We could have fed them all day.

I had to help Bree with her bowl as it was quite heavy.

Baby ostrich

From Solvang we drove up to Pismo Beach to meet my sister Wendy and her husband Charlie.  They had stayed at a hotel close by that night and so we found ourselves a spot on the beach and then they joined us.  See how overcast it was?  Will you believe that we ALL got totally burnt?  I didn't put my kids in their swimsuits because I didn't think they'd get that wet (it was cold--I was in a hoodie) but I was wrong.  My kids got wet, loved the beach, and got burnt on a cloudy, cold day.  Lesson learned.

We had a late lunch/early dinner at Cool Cat Cafe, which was actually pretty good.  Notice Finn in his swimsuit?  That's because those were his only dry clothes!

After spending the day walking around Pismo Beach and getting ice cream, we headed back to the hotel.  There was a long drive ahead of us the next day and our kids were still on Colorado time (which means they woke up at 5:45 that morning and were getting worn out).  We were up early again on Sunday the 4th and were on the road by 8:15am.  Our first stop was to visit my Uncle Kyle who lives just outside of Solvang.  I met his girlfriend, who was very nice, and got a tour of their beautiful home.  The kids really liked his house and the fruit trees.  We visited for about an hour and right as we were getting ready to leave, Wendy and Charlie showed up for a visit.  We were on our way down to LA to do some sightseeing with them, so it was good that they caught up with us.  LA was another 2 1/2 hours away....

Me, Uncle Kyle, and my kids

We stopped at the La Brea Tar Pits with Wendy and Charlie.

It was very different than I expected.  Did you know the tar pits are just asphalt that comes up through cracks in the earth?  It was neat!

I love this picture because it shows just how small Bree is.  I call her my "Peanut" for a reason.

Finn wanted to give his brother a hug for the picture and Kai wanted nothing to do with it.

This is how it ended up!

This is the large pond/pit (it's not all "tar").

This is just random asphalt coming up as you walk through the park.

What a great shot!  I'm glad Wendy reminded us to get a picture in front of this iconic LA spot.

After the tar pits, we walked a ways to get some milk and cookies with Wendy and Charlie and then we headed slowly back to our cars.  We had to check into the Legoland hotel that night and still had 100 miles to go to get there.  So, we said our goodbyes and continued on our way.  I promised her I would keep her posted on our trip, but failed in that department.  I'm sorry Wendy!  My phone kept dying and my kids are a tad demanding when touring theme parks.  It just wasn't working out.

We stopped for dinner at a KFC on our way to Carlsbad and then finally arrived at Legoland around 7pm (or later).  While I set up the room for treatments, Reid took the kids on the welcome scavenger hunt.  They had to answer questions and then use the answers to unlock a treasure chest in our room.  The treasure inside was Lego kits for the kids.  They loved it!

Working together to open the treasure chest.

On to day 4.....