Loving Legos

Our trip to Legoland was a blast. It fit well with our family and each kiddo's love of building. The park is very active. There are lots of opportunities to build, climb, play with water and explore. We rode the rides including the roller coasters. We marveled at all the creative sculptures and representations. Although it is centered around a consumer products (LEGOS), it seemed less glitzy and consumer focused than other amusement parks we have been.

Fish and Fowl

We spent a bit of time with Grandpa at the Long Beach Aquarium. It was our second visit with him. Dave and I were surprised the kids did not remember the last visit until we realized that the first time was several years ago.

Grandpa bought some food to feed the lorikeets which dazzled the small people. Mama was not so impressed when a snuggling pair pooped all over her. The birds were fairly active, so we got to see them moving around the inclosure, resting on overhead perches and moving near nesting boxes.

The stingrays and sharks were a little slower. Everyone leaned over the pools to touch the animals. A quick trip around the pools to the large tank rewarded us with close-up views of the large sharks feeding.

Before heading inside to view all the aquariums, Eamon and Aine stopped to view and touch the shark jaws. They were impressed with their size.

The interior of the aquarium was quite busy, but we were able to see quite a bit. Aine was captivated by several divers in a tank explaining the inhabitants. We also liked viewing the baby tiger sharks in their eggs.

We were all glad to spend the day with Grandpa and return tot he aquarium.

Best Gift

Every year when prompted for gift ideas, we ask for memberships for local museums for our family. I love these gifts. One of my favorites is our membership to the Arizona Science Center. This little membership card gives us access to many museums nationwide. We used our membership last year during our trip to the midwest and coastal plains visiting a children's museum, natural history museums and another science museum. This year we used it during our recent trip to California.

The first use was at the La Habra Children's Museum. This fun little hands-on museum is located in an old train depot. There are many rooms filled with items to explore. The path to the entrance was lined with dinosaur prints on the ground as well as a few to climb.

 Benton was pleased to find a carousel inside and rode it for as long as he could. Nearby his brother and sister played in an bus mock-up. Eamon pretended to be a crazy driver, while we pretended to fly off our seats or jump onto the swiftly moving vehicle.

An art room was next. Aine spent quite a bit of time in this room studying the works of art and creating her own. While she created, Eamon was drawn to the train display. He has consistently expressed an interest in locomotives. It was a test, but he waited patiently for the 10 minute train cool-down between one minute runs.

 The animal room proved to be exciting for all three kiddos. The coolest past was that you were able to touch the taxidermy. This was so exciting for Benton who showed a bit of trepidation when he touched the ferocious, bounding lion. Eamon thought the antlers were cool experimenting with them as his own headgear.

A room with a stage and a plethora of dress-up garb was next. I think this was Aine's favorite room. She performed several song and dance numbers. Her costume changes were fantastic, and she know wants her own pair of high heels. Eamon worked the sound booth and then joined her acting out a play. It was truly hysterical.

The final spot was full of a tree house, trucks, puppets and building materials. Eamon built a large house and then took turns with Benton building boxes in which to hide. Eamon performed a puppet show, and Aine read a few books in the lofty tree house.

We left only when they announced closing time. The kids had so much fun; they wanted to return the next day.

The second time we used our membership's reciprocity feature was during our visit to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. The trip to the museum was a bit arduous as we had to deal with LA traffic. The first portion of the exploration was a bit tough due to hungry bellies and too much time in the car. We stopped and ate our lunch in the open gallery area, and were recharged.

We were fortunate to view the new Dino Hall exhibit. It was chock fun of dinosaur bones and information. The coolest was a set of three T Rex skeletons. The kiddos were quite impressed, but the part that really amazed them was on the top floor.

 On the upper floor is a room with true paleontologists working. We watched two working on various dinosaur fossils. It was very interesting to see the tools in action. The kiddos wondered about the masks they wore and the loud machinery.

The upper floor also had a hands on children's area. Aine spent quite a bit of time assembling a dinosaur skeleton. Benton used the telescope to find birds and squirrels on the museum complex lawn. (yes, I did tell him to turn it around for better viewing).

This was another great trip due to our museum membership. The kiddos preferred the first museum. I think the combination of a long drive and hungry bellies overshadowed the dinosaurs.

On a Mission

While in California, we visited my brother and his family. The kiddos enjoyed playing with their young cousin, Beckett, and visiting with their aunt and uncle. They enjoyed running in the yard, picking fresh cucumbers and tomatoes from the garden and teaching Beckett all kinds of new tricks. My brother prepared a delicious spread, and we talked for quite awhile. Of course, I forgot the camera, but hopefully my wonderful sister in law will share some with us.

While visiting, my brother shared with us his interest in the San Juan Capistrano Mission. He encouraged us to visit the mission and even gave us guest passes. A few days later, we set out to find the mission and explore the grounds.

As part of our admission, we received audio guides. After paying for an additional child's guide, we began to look around the old mission. Dave was fascinated by a tree near the entrance. He called the kids over to take a look. The tree had huge spines coming out of the bark. We agreed that it was quite a tree and definitely not ideal for climbing. 

 The grounds of the mission are beautiful. The lush landscaping was blooming. We spent quite a bit of time marveling at all the color and smelling blossoms. A lot of the blooms lacked a pleasant scent, so we hypothesized that they attracted pollinators with color.

 The history of the mission was explained on the audio devices. Eamon and Aine eagerly listened to the recordings and tried to find each of the spots listed. The visit led to much exploration of religion, early settlers, exploration and architecture. In all, it was an interesting visit. We want to thank Uncle Petey for the recommendation and guest passes.