Two fun activities in one day! It's true. We really know how to have a good time. We made a trip to pick up play on the beach stuff at ten, and then headed to the USS Midway, an aircraft carrier that was commissioned just after the end of World War II and was decommissioned in 1991. It opened as a museum in 2004. Visitors can roam all over the ship, seeing crew quarters and the brig, engine rooms and the whole command center, as well as roam the decks and see all sorts of naval aircraft. It was fascinating. The ship is huge, though the common crew members accommodations are not, and we were all very interested in seeing all there was to see. We spent a couple of hours there, climbing in and out of planes and spinning knobs. We took the guided tour of the control tower and learned all about the different roles people played in the navigation and smooth running of an aircraft carrier. Most interesting to me was how the food prep people needed to pack the ship for a lengthy voyage. The enormous refrigerator would be stocked from the back forward, leaving no extra space anywhere, and packed in order of meal preparation needs. What a feat of planning that must have been.
The deck.
It seems long and vast until you realize a plane has to take off and land on it.
There is a huge statue of this sailor and nurse next to the ship.
The kids thought it was weird to have a huge statue of people kissing.
We tried to explain about the end of the war and the excitement.
They didn't get it.
It was just gross kissing.
From the Midway, we headed to the beach, with a short stop for some lunch. We had rented wet suits in the morning, as well as boogie boards, and we went to Coronado Beach. When I was looking at information about San Diego and which beach to go to, Coronado won the "best beach for kids." That's where we wanted to be, and I must say, we were not disappointed. The beach was long and wide, with nice sand and great waves. It was sunny and clear, and with the wet suits, it wasn't even that cold in the water. Practically everyone had a wet suit, so we were practically all in the water. It was super, super fun, catching the waves and being in the ocean.
We did boogie boarding for over an hour, took a short break to have a snack, then got right back in the water for more. It was just such a good time. Both Brandt and Blythe got out there and rode the waves. Christopher was good to help them get going as they were figuring it out, and even though they got whitewashed in the waves, they kept on. It was too fun not to. We all enjoyed ourselves, and although Kent didn't boogie board, he took all these great pictures. I was too busy in the water to take more than three or four. It was such a fun, fun afternoon, I can't say it enough. It made me want to move to California so we could play at the beach every week. And there will now follow many, many pictures of us in and out of the water.
As we were getting back into the water after our snack break, Brandt said we wanted to boogie board with me. I replied, "I want to boogie board with you too. I love being in the ocean with you."
Brandt said, "We're in the ocean?" Yes. Yes we are.
Playing at the beach was physically exhausting. With Mom, we took the kids to an Italian restaurant not far from where we were staying. We ordered, ate the bread they brought in the beginning, and about the time our salads came, the children both had their heads on our laps and were falling asleep. It was 7:15pm. They were so tired. We got our dinner to go and took it home to eat. Because Kent and I had been out alone on Monday night, Mom volunteered to watch the kids while the other adults went out, and Kent and I agreed that would be nice. They made an 8:00pm reservation at a steak house and left the kids with us. After all that beach playing, everyone was so wiped out, that by 8:30pm, everyone was in bed and asleep. Tysen put Rowen down before they went, so we didn't have to worry about him. Kent took care of our children, reading to them, but I read a quick story to Brick and put him down with his bottle--done. I went upstairs with Lyla, read her one story, rubbed her back a bit and put her in bed--done. Then I read two stories to Ava, Makenna, and Collin who were all sleeping in the same room. Collin wanted more stories, but he was tired and didn't put up too much fuss--done. Then I read a couple of stories to Luke, Crew, and Griffin, and they settled down too--done. Blake fell asleep on the couch and was out before I was finished with the other boys, so before the rest of them even had their entrees, the kids were out. I'd be willing to watch twelve children anytime after they've all played hard on the beach. Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy. Kent, Mom, and I enjoyed a nice quiet evening talking.
Wet suits are not flattering,
but they are effective.
Kent didn't want to stand by me because I was wet and cold.
Blythe coming in with
Crew, me, Christopher, Brandt, and Luke in the background.
I love Luke's read hair!
Brandt is next to me wiping out.
That's me!
All of us at the beach.
Love it!
I left both of these pictures because I couldn't decide which I liked better.
The one above is with the natural light, as it was approaching sun set.
The one below I manipulated to change the color.
We aren't as orange below, but I think I like the original better.
Considering this is a skin-tight suit, I don't look too bad.
Speaking of bad, however, I had a wardrobe issue.
I couldn't get the crotch of the wetsuit up high enough, and as a result,
I rubbed raw two large spots on the inside of my thighs.
I walked uncomfortably for nearly two weeks afterwards.
It was so fun to be in the ocean, however, I think it was almost worth it.
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