San Diego Part 3 - San Diego Zoo

Our last day we went to the "World Famous" San Diego zoo. My friend Taunja drove down from the wilds of the LA area to hang out, it was great fun! We saw flamingos and their nests, TONS of reptiles, monkeys, zebras, giant pandas (my favorite) and just too many more to name!

Jason's favorite part, the reptile house!

Waiting patiently (mostly) for Mom to bring lunch!

Hangin' out on a giant turtle!

Alex made friends with a goat in the children's zoo. He would have stayed there forever, he even tried to feed the goat his shirt!

Taunja, the pumpkins and a mysterious extra visitor! (I really need to learn to use Photoshop!)

San Diego Vacation Part 2 - Seaworld

Our second full day was spent at Seaworld. The ENTIRE day! We went to a few shows, saw a lot of the animals, went on the VERY fun Atlantis ride and ended the day watching fireworks.

We were able to feed the seals... the boys thought it was the neatest thing ever. I happened ot think it was the SMELLIEST thing ever.

The dolphins say hello! This was our first show, and we loved it!

Shamu! All of the shows were so neat, and we all had different favorites. I loved the Cirque De Le Mer, Jason & Alex liked the sea lion show (it was funny!) and Brian's favorite was Shamu.

We somehow found this completely secluded part of Seaworld right next to the harbor (or bay? one of the two.) It was SO nice after the huge crowds. We spent about half an hour here relaxing while the boys hunted for rabbits - there were TONS in the bushes.

It only took 20 or so shots to get one in front of the mini palm trees that looked half way decent! I have about 8 of Alex being goofy and Jason trying to stay patient with the "just one more"!

San Diego Part 1 - Legoland & The Beach!

Better late than never, right? Most of our first day was spent traveling, by the time we were all in San Diego and had the car and hotel squared away we were ready to just relax! We did manage to eat at the famous In'N'Out, but that was the most exciting part of the day. Our car was fun too - they didn't have the car we'd reserved, so we were given a convertible for the same price! Cruising around California in a convertible is fun, everyone should do it! My brilliant husband also rented a GPS. We will never, ever vacation in a city again without one. It made everything so much easier!

And now, on to the pictures. After a quick stop at Walmart on our second day (we needed towels!) we were off to Legoland, Jason's favorite part of the entire trip.

They had a little kid-powered section of rides, on this one they had to pull themselves all the way to the top!

I absolutely loved Miniland. Maybe it's just because I have a 7 year old who is obsessed with Legos, but all of the models were just so detailed.

And this was their favorite part... playing in the water. They would have stayed all day if we'd let them. We could have just taken them to the splash park here and they would have had just as much fun!

And now, for some ocean pics. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip, even though I hadn't been excited about it to begin with. It was actually quite interesting, Jason was VERY daring and Alex was cautious. Quite a switch for my boys! I'm excited to take them again in a few years, once they're half decent swimmers. Alex is excited to take Granddad's boat into the ocean. He seems to think we'll be able to borrow it and drive it to California!

The boys meet the ocean...

Run away, it's a wave!

4th of July - community style

Our little neighborhood has started a tradition of community bike parades, with activities in our park after. The boys think that decorating their bikes is the greatest thing EVER. They all ride behind the fire truck, twice around the block. Afterwards prizes are handed out, games are played and we all barbecue. It's something the boys will look forward to every July now.

This is the "I'm not going to smile for the camera or acknowledge that you're taking a pic but I'm still going to look as cool as possible" look. (He couldn't find his bike helmet, so he was stuck with the dirt bike helmet instead. Luckily the colors worked!)

Playing in the bubbles...

Stopping for a snack!

The leader of the pack!

And off they go! That's Jason at the front, riding the bumper on that fire truck as close as he possibly can. A future tailgater?

Waiting to launch water balloons from the sling - which they ended up snapping a few turns later! I felt bad for the men holding it, it didn't look like it felt good.

The annual Bigelow reunion - Iron Springs

We've been home since Sunday night, it's now Thursday and I JUST finished the last load of laundry, so I figured it was time to actually post about it!

The reunion was nice, especially since it's the only contact we have with a lot of the extended family for the entire year. I managed to do the two things I really wanted. I had made smores, and I played Settlers. (Even if it wasn't with Dad like I wanted!) But the nosebleeds and the lack of a shower didn't make for an entirely happy Jennifer! Brian spent as much time as possible on his bike, he's still recovering, and claims he's more tired than when we left because he played too hard!

The boys, however, claim it was a week of pure heaven. To spend the entire day outside, ride bikes, get dirty, have a built in group of playmates right outside the camper door.

We were "in charge" this year, so it was up to us to pick a spot, make signs, keep everyone informed, do the kids craft etc. I think we did all right - and I'm glad we get a 2 year break!

And now, a ton of pictures:

Comparing bikes and getting to know each other again the first day.

Alex explains... something important to a group of cousins.

Even the dogs seemed to enjoy themselves more than usual.

Craft time for the kids - we made little frames from Model Magic.

Alex fishes for toys

Jason fishes too!

And his reward! He had fun playing "fetch" with Mike. Sometime he'll have to learn to throw it himself though.

Kris & Mike

Alex attempts to eat his body weight in watermelon.

Taking the cups away didn't keep the little kids away from the home made root beer! They were sticky little things by the end of the day.

The traditional Bunco game gets underway!

Two very tired boys on the way home!