Oak Glen

Merry Christmas! I know this is where I post about our Christmas but while I was attempting to do so, I realized I had a blog post from a couple weeks ago that, somehow, never got posted. So, I will say that our Christmas was amazing. It always is which is why it's my favorite day of the year. And pictures are definitely coming but, instead of Christmas photos, here's a look at our day trip to Oak Glen in the fall.

One of my favorite places to visit in the fall is Oak Glen. We were able to head up there when Liam had a few days off for Veterans Day in November. It was freezing and it was amazing. We visited the petting zoo, the bakery and the park before heading back down the mountain. Did you know you can buy an apple burrito? It's a bit like heaven and a bit like an incredibly flaky apple pie all wrapped up like a burrito.

We ended our day with our annual picture at the park. We try to take this picture in the same pose we did 4 years ago. Brygit wasn't too thrilled about it but, sometimes, you just have to do what your mom forces you to do. For posterity's sake. 

How we welcomed October

It's no secret that I love this time of year. It's also no secret that I kind of refer to this entire season as pre-Christmas. It's coming people! 

We greeted October with an early trip to the pumpkin patch. The kids got attacked by/ fed these crazy goats, took a lot of pictures and picked their own mini pumpkins that have been sitting on our fireplace ever since.

Brygit has pink hair in these photos because we tried to temporarily dye her hair red to go with her Ariel Halloween costume. Only the temporary dye wasn't so temporary and she had pink hair for about a week. 

This bunny loved Liam but wasn't paying Brygit the same attention.

It's all about the hotel

 

Traveling with my kids gets easier and more fun the older they get. Last month we took a trip to La Jolla to attempt to snorkel. The beach was crowded, super hot, and then there was a sighting of a hammerhead shark that made the snorkeling part of our trip pretty much non existent. Luckily we were staying at Embassy Suites which happens to be our favorite hotel. It's quiet at night, the beds are possibly more comfortable than my bed at home, and with a free cooked-to-order breakfast buffet, who can complain? The kids started off by unpacking their things and putting them where they belong around the room.

 

 

Then a ton of time was spent staring at the Koi pond they have in the lobby. In the morning the kids were actually given little cups of food to feed the fish which was, really, the highlight of their entire trip.

 

Time was spent climbing on furniture and dancing to music from the clock radio.

 

Then my little travelers packed up and said goodbye to their favorite hotel.

 

Have I mentioned we are taking these two on a plane ride to Disney World in a couple months? By the looks of this picture, I think they are ready.

Our day (and night) in Balboa

One of the things I was most looking forward to this summer was the whale watching trip I had planned for us to take. I bought discounted tickets on Groupon and figured that it would be a fun day out as a family but I had no idea how much fun we would actually have. We drove down to Balboa a few hours before our tour started, got our boarding passes, then did a bunch of touristy things. We took a walk down the peninsula and watched people ride the mechanical bull shark, we got hand dipped corn dogs that rivaled Disneyland's, rented a big family sized bike and rode down the coast and back up again, then finished it off with frozen bananas and ice cream before boarding the boat.

Then we said goodbye to the beautiful California shoreline and were surprised to find that the ocean is filled with animals as soon as you leave the harbor. We saw huge pods of dolphins, seals, and even whales just a couple miles away from the shore.

But the show-stopper was this humpback whale that Liam had been hoping to catch a glimpse of. He was massive and very intimidating in our small boat. 

  I would say our trip ended there but I have to tell the rest. The boat pulled back into the harbor just as the wind picked up and lightning started to strike. The captain warned us rain was coming and to get to our cars quickly. He was right and we ended up running to the parking lot through the rain then we sat in traffic since it turns out the beaches were closed and everyone was asked to leave. We sat in traffic for 2 hours and were still in Newport Beach. So, we booked a hotel and spent the night... with no luggage. It was very chaotic but also very spontaneous and super fun for the kids. It was definitely a first for us to literally be stranded an hour from home. And, though our Groupon purchased day at the beach turned into probably the most expensive day of the summer, I wouldn't trade the memories for anything. 

Berries and Goats

 

In case you haven't noticed, I'm all about tradition. The kids and I have gone berry picking in Oak Glen every year since I was pregnant with Brygit. Sometimes Paul is able to come with us and sometimes he isn't but I always love venturing up the mountain in the heat to get a few fresh strawberries. This time around we were warned that the crop was pretty much done but we went out anyway. As it turns out, they were right.

 

The kids flocked to the goats and sheep and fed them a few pieces of hay through the fence before we went into the strawberry patch. We sifted through the entire crop while Brygit complained about being thirsty and her pinky finger hurting for some reason. We got a few baby berries then went into the spiky blackberry area where the birds were eating all the good berries and I got bit by a horse fly before heading back to the goats.

 

The goats proved to be the highlight of the trip this year. Well, them and the chocolate caramel apples we came home with.