July 4th fun

Waiting to go off the diving board.

Ben and Matt in the blow up pool.

Ben "monkeying" around the edge of the pool.

Chicken Annies for dinner.

We left July 3rd to meet up with our friends Scott and Jennifer and their sons, Joey and Matt in Pittsburg, KS where Scott's parents live. When we got there it was cloudy and rainy. They boys went swimming for a short time, while Jennifer and I hit the "mall." We rain cleared later in the afternoon, just in time to go eat at Chicken Annies. Apparently this restaurant is in an online competition on the travel channel, and is known all around for their fried chicken. The kids mostly liked the clucking chicken which in exchange for a quarter, would lay an egg filled with a little goodie (read junk). We went back to the Hudson's house and "shot off" a few dollars worth of fireworks that had been purchased when Jennifer and I were at the mall. The boys loved them, as did the bigger boys.

We spent the night in Joplin, MO at a very nice Hampton Inn. The Hudsons came to Joplin to meet up with us for lunch, and more shopping at the Joplin Mall while the boys found a shop that had inflatable bouncy things.

We returned to Pittsburg for a little swimming, then returned home, hitting just a small patch of thunderstorms. Unfortunately there was not enough rain in Wichita to keep our neighbors from shooting off 3 hours of illegal fireworks. Neither of the boys were able to sleep through all the noise, so we ended up not going to bed until close to midnight. Last year we spent the 4th of July with my Uncle Hugh at the monastery where it was delightfully quiet. That might be our plan for next year!

Sam jumping off the diving board.

The flight to California

The kids displaying their new laptops from Grandma and Grandpa Shaffer.

Ben eating beef jerky and playing on his laptop.

Ben on the airplane.

Ben looking out the window. Are we there yet?

Ben asleep at the Enterprise branch.

We went to church Sunday morning, then had some friends follow us to the airport to drive our car back home. There's nothing like hurrying up to wait. We had carefully packed our checked bag so that it would not exceed the 50 lb. limit. That meant each of us had a backback to carry on. The boys had a rolling backpack.

Since our flight left at 12:15, we got to the airport around 10:30, which meant that lunch was at the airport. We did not pay extra to have assigned seats, so the luck of the draw was that we sat up front in the second and third rows. Ben got a window seat next to mom, and dad and sam got the aisle and middle seat. Both boys spent the 2 1/2 hour trip watching DVD's and playing with their new laptop computers. Ben got a Handy Manny computer, and Sam got a Transformers laptop.

Our seats were conveniently located next to the bathroom. Sam thought it was pretty cool.

Ben fell asleep waiting for our luggage at the LA airport, stayed asleep all through the Enterprise shuttle to the rental location. We drove straight to Kevin's apartment, watched some Phinneas and Ferb episodes, then ate supper at Souplantation, a short walk to a buffet restaurant. We headed to our hotel to unpack and rest up for the next few days of activity.

Observatory, Zoo, Science Center, Monday 6/28/10

Griffith Observatory

Sam in front of a statue of Issac Newton. Sam said, "I think he invented gravity." Which afterwards he changed to "discovered."

Ben reading the map at the LA Zoo.

Sam reading the map.

Koalas

SR 71 Blackbird plane outside the Science Center.

Sam and Ben looking at the aquarium.

Waiting for the IMAX 3-D movie to begin.

Walking from the IMAX building back to the Science Center.

The house used in the movie, Father of the Bride. It was on our way back to Kevin's apartment.

Our first full day in California was busy. We started out with a visit to the Griffith Observatory which Sam was interested in visiting not only because it was about space and science, but because there is a scene from Transformers filmed in front of the Observatory. We enjoyed all the outdoor sights, then realized that the Observatory was closed on Mondays. That probably explained why there was plenty of parking close to the building. We were able to walk around it, and through the fog saw the Hollywood sign.

We had seen exit signs for the LA Zoo on the way to the observatory so we decided to go there. In the meantime, the sun decided to come out making it warm. We were excited to see the Koala bears, but after a lot of walking we decided to leave and head for our next stop. The California Science Center.

There were lots of fun things to see and do at the science center. But the best part was the IMAX 3-D movie about the Hubble Telescope. After the movie, we walked next door to the LA Coliseum where the 1932 and 1984 Olympics were held. While we couldn't go in, it was neat to see that part of history.

We headed back to Pasadena for our favorite Mexican restaurant at Sharkeys, and headed back to the hotel for a good nights rest in preparation for Legoland on Tuesday.

Legoland - Tuesday 6/29/10

We finally made it!

Ben and Bob the Builder.

The first ride of the day. One that spun around and around. That one is for you dad!

The Griffith Observatory made out of Legos.

New York City

Funtown Fire Academy. We had to pump the truck to get to the fire then shoot water from a hose to the window fire until it was out. Then pump the truck back. The kids were sitting on either end "steering."

Ben at driving school. Somehow he passed and got his Legoland drivers licence.

Sam creating with his newly purchased lego pieces while waiting for Ben to ride the helicopters.

Ben and mom riding the helicopters.

We waited to leave for Legoland in Carlsbad, CA until after the morning rush. After our 1 hour and 45 minute drive, we arrived ready to hit the rides. Thanks to 2 friends we were able to use 2 free children's admission with a paid adult admission.

We had fun riding the rides. Sam even ventured on the roller coaster with some considerable help from Dad. There were only a few rides both kids could do together, so Sam would wait while Ben rode and Ben waited while Sam rode. Uncle Kevin patiently waited all day.

Sam used some spending money from the grandparents to purchase some al a carte lego pieces which he has already used to create many things. Ben chose to buy a ice cube tray that makes lego brick ice cubes. We had to make some once we returned to the hotel. They are pretty cool.

Pacific Ocean - Wednesday 6/30

Sam's volcano/castle

Sam, Uncle Kevin, Ben with the Santa Monica Pier rides in the background.

We lounged around the hotel, swimming a bit waiting for the sun to come out before we went and picked up Kevin for the trip to Santa Monica Pier. By the time we got to the ocean, the skies had clouded over and the breeze was a bit cool. After walking most of the way down to the ocean, Ben finally decided that he could no longer hold out on waiting to poop, so while Dad and Ben searched for a restroom, Sam and Kevin and I started building a castle/volcano in the sand.

Once Ben returned, he was ready to play in the ocean. The boys went from standing in the edge of the waves, to throwing wet sand into the waves. Luckily we had a change of clothes in the car. After a quick change, Sam decided that he didn't want to ride any rides on the pier and Ben fell asleep in his stroller, we returned back to Pasadena to grab a quick bite to eat at Corner Bakery.

Kevin walked back to his apartment, and we returned to the hotel for 3 hours of swimming in the pool. Sam loves to dive in the deep end for his rings, and Ben likes the hot tub.

We put the wet beach clothes in ziploc bags and brought them home for washing. They were so heavy with water and sand that I was hoping it wouldn't add enough weight to our checked baggage to take us over the 50lbs limit. When we got home, I soaked them in the sink to try and get out all the sand. Ben's pants had a handful of sand in each pocket. After I drained the water, I actually collected enough sand left in the sink to fill a small tupperware container! Now we can always remember the beach!

Easter

Ok, these all loaded backwards. So start at the bottom and go up. Saturday night we made Resurrection cookies (the 3rd annual event). Then Easter lunch at the Shaffer grandparents house. Pre Easter egg hunting, and post easter egg hunting. Then time for family pictures.