Wish You Were Here!

We're on Vacation! And we're having a blast! It's only been 3 days so far and we have fit enough in for a week! We made the drive from Utah to California on Wednesday. We made excellent time and were grateful for the new In & Out in St. George (cheaper gas, not as crowded and icky, much quicker than Las Vegas). The kids traveled great and we arrived at Grammy and Grandpa's house in record time. So, we decided to use our time well and get started on the fun!

Fashion Island

Wednesday (6/25)... This has always been one of our favorite places... even when I was a little girl. We decided to come here because the kids had been trapped in the car all day and we figured it was a good place or them to run around and release some pent up energy. We started with dinner at California Pizza Kitchen (we know there is one in Utah now, but it's not the same without an ocean view). Then we rode the carousel and played in the fountain. It was freezing cold but the kids had a blast. Afton wasn't quite as sure about it and it took her a while to get into it... besides the fact that she had to keep cuddling with dad to warm up. On the way home we drove through the neighborhood we lived in when Abby was born and also drove by the Newport Beach Temple. It was a great way to spend the evening and start our trip!

Universal Studios

Thursday (6/26)... If you've never been to Universal Studios you should definitely try it (better for older kids). I had been once when I was maybe 10 but didn't remember much about it and no one else had ever been. When we lived here we had Disney passes and decided we really wanted to try something new. The kids actually did the research and picked this park... and they chose well. It was a great day. The weather was perfect, the lines were short (5-15 minutes TOPS!) everyone was on their best behavior and we got to do everything we wanted to. It's not a very big park so you don't feel like you have to rush to do a million things and it's only open until 8 pm so you don't feel obligated to stay, even though you're exhausted, just to get your moneys worth. Definitely something we would like to do again.

Balboa Island

Friday (6/27)... we slept in to recover from our very fun day yesterday. We spent the evening with my mom and went down to lovely Balboa Island in Newport Beach. Another thing you should definitely do if you are ever visiting the area. It is such a cute little place and totally "Southern California". And it was seriously the most beautiful night. We rode the ferry, walked the pier, had dinner at Ruby's (one of our favorites... excellent shakes), and rode the Ferris Wheel. When we got home Nana played cards with the kids, which they love to do. It was an awesome night and we loved spending time with my mom.