2011 Summer Vacation–Mormon Battalion Museum

Someone at work told me that while we were in San Diego, we should check out the Mormon Battalion Museum.  So our last night there, we headed over to Old Town to check it out.

It was really well done.  We went through a series of rooms and watched a video that told us the story of the Battalion.  I learned a lot, and I think the kids did too.  At the end the kids played computer games and did Pioneer activities like pumping water….Panning for gold…..pulling water from a well….And making bricks.  It was a great, free adventure!  I highly recommend it if you are ever in the area.

2011 Summer Vacation–Aquarium and Beach

We took the kids to Scripps Aquarium.  It was small but nice.

Braden was such a good sport!  I really loved having him to myself without the older boys.  I saw a different side of him!

Then we headed over to La Jolla Beach.  It was sad that it was going to be our only time at the beach this year, but the kids made the most of it.  Parker really enjoyed the water like he never has before.  I don’t know if it was because the waters were not quite as crazy as San Clemente or if he is just getting older.

It was another great day in California.  Next year, we will have to hit the beach for a little longer though!

2011 Summer Vacation–Harbor Tour

While Rod was in class, the kids and I headed over to take a  boat tour of the harbor.  On our way over we saw this seal sunbathing near all the tuna boats.It was nice and cool in the morning, but since we took the 2 part tour, it got very hot towards the end!!

This boat has been in one of the Pirates movies and many other movies.

The tour guide was very excited that we were able to see this boat up so close.  I can’t remember what she called it, but she said that it is a very rare thing to see these guys coming home.You can buy one of these homes on Coronado Island for around 15 million!  Yikes!The two tall buildings behind Halle made up the room portion of our hotel. This is the USS Midway water view.On our way back to the hotel, we took a bike taxi.  The kids were super excited about getting a ride.  I was super excited about the taxi having a cover! I am considering becoming a bike taxi driver!  Can you imagine how strong their legs must be?!?!It was a fun morning.  We learned many interesting things about San Diego.

2011 Summer Vacation–USS midway

One day after Rod got out of class, we headed over to take a tour of the USS Midway.  It was really cool to be able to see how the sailors live when they are on the ship.  I personally could not live in the tight space (even though it is bigger than several buildings combined.)  I would definitely be claustrophobic!

This is where the sailors sleep, in bunks with their personal belongings in a drawer underneath.  This room is more spacious than some.  Some bunks were stacked three deep!The tour was self-guided.  We wore headsets.  There was a kids version and a more detailed version.This is one of the rooms where the pilots would go to be briefed.There were many planes!  Braden thought it was really cool.

It is like a city on a ship, with a post office, stores, doctors offices, operating rooms, and even their own jail for sailors who commit a crime.

They had a program where the kids could answer questions about things all over the ship.  If you did the whole tour and answered the questions, you “earned” your wings and one of the volunteers had them take an oath.  It was very cute and the kids took it very seriously!

Rod and Braden got to take a tour of the Bridge, no pictures, but they said it was really cool!  If you are ever in San Diego, go on this ship, but give yourself more than a couple of hours to go through it all.  There is so much to see!

2011 Summer Vacation–Our Hotel

We went to San Diego for the Utah Bar Convention.  Rod had to take classes for his continuing education.  The Convention was held at the Manchester Hyatt.  It was a great hotel with so much to do nearby.

Seafair Village was right by our hotel and of course we were right on the harbor.

The kids each found the boat they wanted!!

They had an area with all shorts of games for the kids to play.  (If you think checkers is boring, try playing it in the HOT sun! Whew!)

Rod really wanted to go to San Diego without kids, but since the older boys were going rafting with the church, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to “force” these three to interact with each other.  (My biggest concern is for Braden and Halle.)  My efforts worked.  They actually played together!  This was the view from our hotel window!

We ended up in a room with two beds and I started to feel very claustrophobic within a few minutes, so we splurged on this huge room.  We had a kitchen, living area, and two rooms.  It was so awesome.  We realized that because we have had the trailer all these years, Parker had never really stayed in a hotel before!  He definitely got a warped sense of what hotels are really like on this trip!  We were all very spoiled.

The smiles on their faces says it all….

So our last day at our hotel, we splurged again on lunch by the pool.  It was fun to be waited on and not have to go in search of a meal for a change!

They closed the pool early, so this wedding could take place.  It was a really pretty place to get married.  It was funny as we stood in the window watching, many of the other windows in the opposite tower from us were full of spectators too!

All in all it was a great hotel to spend a week in.  We were lucky to have such an awesome opportunity to do so!