Jenny and I decided to take the girls to Southern California for a week. This is our first family trip with just the four of us and it was a nice change. Note: Follow the links to check out the Kate’s World Adventures or Sophie’s Globe Trotting.
In planning our vacation, we wanted to return to Dana Point, CA. We love the beaches, the pace, the cleanliness and it’s proximity to what we like to do. We also wanted to expose our girls to new adventures, sites, sounds, creatures and more. So, here are the clift notes of our trip:
- Bye Bye Houston: We took the first trip out and landed just before lunch at John Wayne Airport (just a short trip to our hotel)
- Hello Parks & Pasta: After checking into our favorite hotel in the area, Marriott Laguna Cliffs, we headed down the street to Lantern Park to shake the girls’ sillies out. Fresh ocean air and playing drives hunger, so we grabs some pasta back at the hotel and hit the sack. Note: Here are some pictures from our 2013 Spring Vacation @ Lantern Park.
- Let’s Go to Disneyland: On Sunday, we loaded up the girls, grabbed some breakfast at Stacks Pancake House and then headed off to Disneyland. Note: Here are some pictures from our 2013 Spring Vacation @ Disneyland.
- No Beach, Hello Fishies: Waking up on a Monday and not having to go to work is amazing. We headed to the beach, but quickly changed planned due to an unseasonable cold-front that wasn’t here yesterday. So, we loaded up the car and headed to Long Beach to visit the Aquarium of the Pacific. Here’s a little summary of our. After a recharging nap on the ride home, the girls really wanted to stop at the park. We played, ate and then put the girls to bed early! Note: Here are some pictures from our 2013 Spring Vacation @ Aquarium of the Pacific.
- History First, Warm Sand Next: On Tuesday, we awoke to warm, sunny day in SoCal – the kind that makes you consider moving here. After another kid-friendly pancake breakfast at Stacks Pancake House, it was time for our history lesson at Mission San Juan Capistrano . The Mission is a must-see if you’re in the area. Not only is it amazingly peaceful, but it’s architecture, history and beauty make you want to stay. There are artifacts in every room shedding light on the lives of those who built it. The courtyard garden is expertly cultivated with various flowers and vegetables. Note: Here are some pictures from our 2013 Spring Vacation @ Mission San Juan Capistrano.
- Zoo & Surrey Time: We jumped on the 5 South and headed to the San Diego Zoo. The girls had a blast and spent the rest of the day making various noises while we guessed which animal they were impersonating. After the zoo, we headed over to Coronado Island’s Seaport Village. We rented a Surrey to tour the area, ate Mac-N-Cheese at Il Fornaio and then flew our kites by the beach. It is no wonder, the girls were ready for bed that night! Note: Here are some pictures from our 2013 Spring Vacation @ the San Diego Zoo.
- Seals & Sand Castles: On Thursday, we headed to the beach to make sand castles. After building our castle kingdom, we headed out for lunch and then spent part of the afternoon learning about seals upfront and personal at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center. As you may have noticed, our girls really like pasta. So, we took the girls back to a great little Italian restaurant named Luciana’s Ristorante. Note: Here are some pictures from our 2013 Spring Vacation’s Beach Play.
- Back To Reality: Time to return to reality…
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