Meanwhile, Bug is a ride junkie! She loves the thrill of it, she may say,"I left my stomach behind" with stoicism but she giggles with delight as she recalls the sense of falling and the rush of the tilting rollercoaster. On this day Kent and I took turns riding every thrill seeking ride as much as possible. You can catch her and Kent in the very last cart.
Pumpkin roaring like a newly born dinosaur!
The other big hit was the driving test - at least for the oldest two. They got on over 6 times and actually got better at it as they went. A few moms and I on the side laughed at their driving on the wrong side of the road, making jokes as to what the real thing will look like not too long from now.
Driving boats was not anymore successful, at least from Bug's expression!
Bubby tried it too. He did figure out the gas but I think he was too startled with it and approaching the limit of his ablity to cope with the unfamiliar. Pumpkin had a better time of it but once was enough for her.
Bubby needed tons of his calming activities so he did lots of stacking and sorting and enjoyed his climbing of stairs and inclines.
The aquarium was nice, much quieter than the small one they have here in phoenix. It was calming for everyone who was feeling the fatigue of play. The obtaining of stamps along the way kept Pumpkin busy as she was determined to do it herself! Of course Bug HAD to pet everything over and over! She kept looking for ways to spend her money she had earned. She's not into Legos much, the candy was too expensive (especially when we went to a grocery store later and she bought a ton to share with her siblings) and the jewelry didn't appeal. She discovered that donated money to the aquarium goes to helping rescue injured sea life and it hit home to her animal loving soul. She promptly put in $2 and said she would have no regret, that somewhere, some 'cutie' living being needed it more than she!
Bug remarked that this pair of cuttle fish looked like dancers with their rippling skirts.
Another farmer's market where we purchase loquats, a Japanese plum. They were really good and Bud got a kick out of what he saw when he bit into it. (bathroom humor appeals to all boys!) Lucious greens, still 'living' with their roots attached, unique mushrooms which we bought and fried in butter to go with our eggs in the morning.
The following day we found an area where you could build your own cars and race them against others. Pumpkin is like a miniature version of Bud and started with a minimalist edition of her car that became more 'girly' as she sought out some pink and purple blocks. Bud raced a few times and was please his car won some of the races. Bubby and Bug were with me on the other side, he was upt to his usual sorting and she attempted an artistic building that didn't survive a major earthquake.
The years go by entirely too fast so I decided to re-enact some pictures I remember years ago. These are of Bug 6 years ago and now.
She's grown up so much and turned into such a beautiful young lady!
Pumpkin thought that if BBF is doing it, it must be cool! "Pitcher, Mama, pitcher!!!"
Living things make Bug happy. She's gotten over her fascination with pill bugs but Pumpkin hasn't. She moved on to slugs and thankfully California has plenty of those.
There's a great playground there that all of us happily played in for over an hour and a half. Pumpkin had made a friend with a little boy by bringing him Legos as he was building. They wouldn't leave each other but Pumpkin was nearly a year younger and had a hard time keeping up with him. Bubby ran up and down the ramps, Bud found a group of boys his age to play tag with and Bug collected snails and snail shells. The following video has got to be one of my favorites. I love how Pumpkin engages Bubby, how he is fully present and running to catch me.
THESE, these are the moments that fill me with joy!
On our final day we went into San Diego to the Mormon Battalion Museum. I had been before with a friend of mine which worked out well since Bubby wasn't going to sit through anything. We wandered the Victorian park across the street while the kids had fun panning for gold and learning more about our history.
While there we stopped in Balbo park in the Spanish Village - the art center of the area. Bud found a museum devoted to gems that actually has a club with weekly activities. For only $10 a year kids can come and learn and use their machines to cut, polish rocks for jewelry. The homeschooler in me wished we were closer because something like this would feed his soul! They have some amazing art classes and pottery classes for adults and kids so perhaps in the future we will find a way to make it a part of our schedule.
A last minute stop at the beach was a must.
It was a such a fun way to spend a week as a family. I know everyone says life is made of little moments, but sometimes these big ones are pretty awesome too! Love my family, love these kiddos and I'm so grateful we are blessed to make such fun memories!
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