We had an awesome family vacation last week. When we started discussing our family vacation Aubrey had made a couple requirements which were to see dolphins and play on the beach. So after much thought and planning we decided to do a road trip up north to a lot of old stomping grounds.
Our first stop Marine World!!! We drove up and stayed in Concord because they had much better hotels then Vallejo. We stayed at the Hilton which was very nice and in a great location! We had yummy restaurants and great shopping right across the street.
We were all so excited for a day in Marine world.
It was the perfect amusement park, lots of kiddie rides, things to climb on and tons of neat animals.
One of my favorite memories was watching the kids watch the shows. They were amazed!!! They both did great! Going into it I thought Aubrey would like the shows and that Spencer and I would have to take turns watching Carter but that was not the case at all. He loved every minute and was sad when it was over.
My sweet boy going in for a kiss!
I have a picture of Spencer and I standing in this same spot 14 years ago I have got to find it so we can do a before and after.
Aubrey was very excited to get pink cotton candy to enjoy during the dolphin show.
All the pretty Hawaiian music knocked Carter out!
The lighting wasn't that great here but I tried to get a good picture:
Our butterfly exhibit at Gilroy Gardens has not had butterflies for almost 2 years now so this was a big treat to actually see lots of butterflies. I was so happy that one landed on her head.
We loved all being together and enjoying a "sleep over" together each night. Can I just say that Carter is the best sleeper around. I can remember going on trips with Aubrey and she would never sleep at night time. Carter on the other hand will climb into his pack and play and go right to sleep. Last years vacation to Disneyland I was always worried that he would wake up or that we would bother him so he spent his night times in the bathrooms or a separate room but this time he was right next to us and nothing seemed to bother him. The morning after Marine World we walked over to Krispie Kream in our pajamas for breakfast. It was fun seeing the donuts be made and then enjoying our favorite ones.
After breakfast we packed our bags and headed up to Fairfeild to check out the Jelly Belly Factory. We have both lived in California our whole lives but had never been on the tour of the factory. It was very cool!! The neat art work made of jelly beans that surrounded the waiting area was a amazing!
Unfortunately they didn't allow photography during the tour so I had to hurry and get a couple while we waited in line. The tour was great and yummy! I was surprised with how many samples we got!
After our tour we headed to Santa Cruz and cooler weather. Our hotel was gorgeous!! Our first day there we played in the pool and explored our hotel. Then we went to Capitola and checked out the main street and beach. All I can say is BEAUTIFUL! Spencer and I have decided that we will be retiring in Capitola! We found on Yelp a bakery place for dinner. It was like a gourmet cafeteria kind of place. Really neat and very yummy.
The next day was our beach day!!!
Waiting for mommy and daddy to pack up our beach stuff. Our hotel had a nice patio/backyard area that kids loved.
We got an early start on the beach day it was around 9am. When left the hotel it was very sunny but as we drove closer to the water it was foggy. I was worried because all we had was beach clothes and I thought what are we going to do if it cold. There was no one at the boardwalk it almost felt like a ghost town. We got a parking space right in the front and for all of those who have been to the boardwalk know how impossible that is. We walked out on to the beach and surprisingly it was warm considering it was still foggy. There where only like 3 other groups of people so we got an excellent spot. This was the perfect time to start snapping some pictures. I loved all the coloring and how all the pictures came out. The fog burnt off fast and after about 11am the beach started to fill so we were happy that we got our spot. We had a wonderful day building sand castles, playing in the water, having a picnic and relaxing in the sun. The kids played for hours and probably would have stayed there forever if we let them.
Before we left the beach we walked the boardwalk and checked out some games and rides.
Our last night we had sushi and then walked the wharf.
We stumbled upon this huge area of sea loins talk about getting up close and personal!
Our last day was spent playing in the pool.
We had a wonderful time!! Lots of good memories. I love my family and feel so blessed that we can go on fun trips and be together.
