With a new little guy, we decided it would be best to vacation close to home. We packed our bags and headed south to San Diego. We went to the San Diego Zoo, a couple of kid friendly museums and did a little shopping.
The San Diego Zoo is incredible. They actually have a bus tour that takes you around the zoo, as it is very expansive. Lions, tigers. and bears - Oh my! Faith really loves the zoo and it was refreshing to experience it through her eyes. We took our time and did not stress about seeing everything. The Koalas were so cute, the chimps were very playful, and the giraffes stood tall and proud. Everyone enjoyed the skyfari aerial tram! What a beautiful view! Did I mention that we saw polar bears and camels?
Balboa Park has 13 museums, a miniature train ride and carousel. It is a beautiful park! We visited the San Diego Air and Space Museum. It was interesting to see how the airplanes had changed through the years. The kids had fun riding in the simulators! After visiting Air and Space, we headed for the miniature train. The walk was beautiful! As with the rest of the trip, it was a challenge to make sure Luke's little bald head did not get a sunburn. Funny, how you forget about this part of parenting. My little guy was such a trooper! He seemed to enjoy the train ride, along with the rest of us.
The Science center was our next stop. Samantha had the brilliant idea of talking on the phone while walking, which didn't work out so well for her. On our way to the science center, she took a hard fall. Poor girl, she has her mom's coordination! However, I think she might have learned a lesson! When we finally made our destination, we had to go straight to the first aide. In the meantime, Luke is crying and desperate to eat. Yikes! What do you mean there are no chairs with arms? I think it is time for the I-Max. I never was so glad to learn about Mummies!! Despite the rough start, this was a highlight of the trip. The science center was all hands-on! My favorite part was solving one of the math puzzles before Evan. They had a box with several blocks and you had to try to arrange them so they fit inside without hanging over. Let's just say those packing skills come in handy! This girl can get a lot of luggage in a small space!!
Mid-week we headed home for Samantha to get her schedule and books. We could have skipped this, but I hated for her to not know what was going on that first day. Imagine how cranky I felt when the school did not even have her schedule! I wanted to explode, but I held it together. Do they realize some people change their vacations because of this stuff? Somehow, I doubt they care! I just get mad, when the kids are expected to meet deadlines and the school or teachers cannot. I sense a tangent coming on!
Last year Samantha had a ridiculous amount of homework, which she was expected to fully complete without protest or complaint. The teachers at her school were in contract negotiations and many of them refused to update websites or spend an extra minute at the school. They asked us to be understanding and supportive. Don't get me wrong, we were in support of their raises (as evident by Evan's involvement with the district's finance committee), but this work slow down was not a way to win me over. It just proved to me again, that the parents are the only ones who really give a rip about the kids. Kids first folks! Somethings wrong, when the kids are expected to do several hours of homework, take tests on demand and handle it with grace. Oh yeah, what about their contract? They somehow get it done or fail out of school! Isn't amazing that kids these days attempt to play sports, perform in plays and try to balance a family life? Maybe, we should tell our kids that they should renegotiate for a better contract! Okay, I'm calming down now! The reality is that I want my kids to be successful, so on this end there will be no excuses and the expectations will remain high, even when they are not paid a dime. I want my kids to learn that once they take on a responsibility they must complete it on time and beyond what was expected. Life or wages are not always fair, but you can choose to work with "character" and dignity in any circumstance.
To make a long story, a little longer, our stop over at home didn't quite go over as we expected. However, it turned out to be a good thing that we came home. Both Noah and I ended up getting on antibiotics for sinus infections. We both got better just in time to start the new school year.
Thursday we headed to San Luis Obispo for farmer's market. This was one of our college traditions! Everyone use to come downtown on Thursday night. Honestly, I rarely bought any produce. It was more about the atmosphere and getting out. It was a great time, as two of my college roommates met us downtown. On Friday, we drove the kids around the Cal Poly campus and reminisced about days gone by. We drove the kids up to see the pigs and dairy farm. We got really lucky, as we arrived right a milking time. We also ran into some friends we know through our adoption agency. (Totally unexpected, but not an accident.)
Well, that is it about our vacation. It's taken me over a week to finish this post, which means it is probably too long and boring. Oh Well!
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