Road Warriors 6: Homeward Bound

Our next stop on our way north was my mom's home in Los Osos.  On the way, we decided to stop in Santa Barbara and visit a brand new (had only been open for 5 days) children's museum, the MOXI (making the most of our PSC reciprocity benefits!).  

As you might expect from something so new, the technological aspects were phenomenal.  One of our favorite parts was the Pinewood Derby style race track.  The kids got to assemble their own cars, then race them down the adjustable track.  Then they could watch instant replays of their races.  Thane made a car so long it got stuck at the top of the track.  One of the workers asked to take a picture of Thane with his car because, "no one has ever made a car that long before!" (A slightly less impressive feat when you consider how long the museum had been in operation).

Another favorite exhibit had the kids jump in front of an enormous ruler, then replayed their jumps in slow motion. Endless entertainment! 
Nellie and Graham thought the life-size Doodle Buddies were a dream come true.

Aubree and Bryce figured out how to make mosaic portraits of themselves.

We were anxious to make it to my mom's, so our visit was short, but it was a lot of fun.

After a stop at In-N-Out for lunch (a requirement for any visit to California, or so Aubree insists), we finally made it to my mom and Steve's.  They live in a cute little house just a block from the "Elfin Forest," right next to the beach.  

After hugs and hello's, our first order of business was taking a walk out to view the gorgeous scenery.  

The rock in the distance is Morro Rock, which, my mom explained, is the core of an extinct volcano. 

The area is called the "Elfin Forest" because of these Dwarf Oak Trees, which are full grown but only about 12 ft. tall. 

After the hike, we turned our attention to dinner.  Mom suggested we consider going out to eat, but after two weeks on the road, we really just wanted vegetables (and by we, I mean me).  So Mom made stir fry.  Hurrah!

None of the kids wanted to stop playing with the fun collection of "Grandma toys " and go to bed, but soon it was time to send them on their way.   Mark and I stayed up late talking to my mom, but not too late because Aubree was sleeping on the pull-out bed in the living room and couldn't  (or wouldn't) fall asleep with us chatting. 

In the morning, Aubree and Bryce helped make delicious french toast roll-ups.  They were a hit all around!  The only problem was that they were so good, everyone wanted more and we ran out.

We needed to be back on the road relatively early because we had a lot scheduled that day, but we were all reluctant to leave.  Especially when Steve pulled out his Didgeridoos and gave an impromptu concert.

The kids had just a minute to try them out themselves, before we had to pile back in the car.  It was way too short of a visit.

For lunch, we stopped at my Uncle John's home in San Jose.  John has two kids who are roughly the same age as Graham and Nellie.  My kids had never met John's girls before, but that didn't bother them at all. Graham and Addy soon discovered they had the same Brainquest workbook, so they sat down and started doing their "work."

From that auspicious beginning, they were fast friends.

Making carpet angels

Little Emily has a cup just like Nellie's, but Emily's is connected to her high chair.  Nellie thought it was hilarious, and had even more fun helping Emily drink. I love watching toddlers play together!

We were only able to stay at John's for a little over an hour, but it was a joy to reconnect.  When I was growing up, John was always a very involved, generous, and fun uncle. My best memories of him involve trying to play tennis on our ranch (which mostly involved a lot of running down the hills after balls), bugging him while he tried to sleep on our couch, and flying in his plane.  We loved being able to see his family, hear what they've been up to, and renew relationships.

Our final stop for the day was my Aunt Becky's home outside of Sacramento.  We ran into evening rush hour traffic, which made for a long day in the car.  All was made right, however, when we arrived at Becky and Rick's and the kids found a treasure box of toys.

Nellie was especially fond of the beaded necklaces.  She refused to take them off all evening.

Aubree jumped right in and helped Becky and Rick make mouth-watering tacos for dinner.  Aubree loves chopping vegetables (seriously! Celery is her favorite to chop).  My cousins, Tina and Jessica made a special trip over to visit with us.  They are wonderful!

Nellie had a rough evening and refused to go to sleep no matter what I tried.  I think the long string of going to sleep in different places finally caught up to her.  I can't say I blame her.  On this trip I frequently woke up feeling disoriented and it would take me a few minutes to figure out where I was that morning.

Once Nell konked out, the adults and Aubree played a round of Munchkin, which is our cousins' favorite game.  Aubree loved it (and ended up winning), but I admit by that point, my brain was frazzled and wasn't quite up to the task of figuring out the all the complicated aspects of the game.  

In the morning, the boys were up bright and early.  Uncle Rick has a workroom full of boy-enticing model cars, airplanes, and figurines.  He let them watch car fix-it shows, and Bryce was hooked.

After breakfast, Rick further earned the boys' admiration by pulling out light saber swords and teaching them some boffering skills (though he did chastise Bryce pretty intensely for being mean to Thane).  As we prepared to leave, Uncle Rick let each of the kids choose a brand new hot wheel car.  It was a small thing, but the kids were so grateful and the cars kept them happily occupied on that day's drive.

As we headed north towards that day's Oregon destination, we stopped in Redding to visit the Turtle Bay Museum. We weren't sure what to expect, but it was on our way and free to visit with our reciprocity privileges, so we figured we'd check it out. 

The museum is best known for it's unique sundial bridge.  The kids were not happy I made them pose for a picture.

The museum made for a nice stop, but was just mediocre as far as museums go.  The highlight was getting to go into the parrot house.

all fun and games till he got pooped on (by the bird)

I was impressed that Thane was so brave about letting the parrot land on his head. 

The museum was in the midst of some serious renovations, so a year from now it might be worth checking out again.

That night we stayed at a hotel in Roseburg, Oregon.  Our hotel room only had two queen beds and no pull out couch.  We should have made up some beds for kids on the floor, but instead we tried to squeeze everyone into the beds.  That was a mistake.  It got so bad that Nellie (who had gotten in the habit on this trip of coming to sleep with me), jumped out of bed and insisted I put her back in the pack and play. I didn't argue!

Finally we were on our last leg of the trip, and we were ready to be home. Up to this point, we'd all been pretty content in the car.  On this day, we were a mess.  There was a lot of arguing, and complaining, and quick tempers, and whining.  It was a relief to pull into the garage.  

Of course, life continued on without us while we were vacationing, so as soon as we got home we had to jump back in with both feet (grocery shopping, unpacking, Stake Conference, and a co-op field trip!).

Overall, we had such a blast on the trip.  While we were gone, I came across an article talking about how family vacations serve as "happiness anchors for kids until they grow up."  The article continues to explain, "reflecting on our happiest memories of joyful time spent together as a family can be extremely powerful in bringing relief and respite when faced with the darker times that life can bring."

I hope my kids remember this trip fondly.  I hope it helps increase familial bonds and strengthen relationships.  I hope it serves as a happiness anchor in their lives.