Road Trip(s)!

These past two weekends have been a fabulous flurry of fun on the road.  Last weekend just Patrick and I took a 3 day 1,240 mile journey across Arizona, New Mexico and a bit of Texas to visit with Abu and Oma (aka Gerard and Monique). The main purpose of our journey was to acquire all of the "accessories" for our newest baby...  a 1958 MG-A, which Gerry and Monique decided to sell to us, and conveniently arrived at our house from her original home with Gerry and Monique the day after Patrick's birthday.  (And yes, Patrick sang a little Happy Birthday to me song) The car, however, was only part of the package.  Along with the car itself we journeied to Texas to get the much needed top, side curtains (both of which need some TLC), a heater, and tons of other bits and pieces (including models and books) to help two new Brittish car parents along their nubile journey.  (Perhaps most important is a highlighted MG-A moss motors catalog of all of the additional bits and pieces we could acquire to maintain and improve our newest addition).

Patrick and I fully enjoyed our duo roadtrip, taking stops to eat at a gastropub (now there is a new oxford word for ya) in El Paso, hang out with Monique and Gerry until almost (gasp) midnight, and  leisurely walk the streets of Sanderson.

Patrick sipping his beer in El Paso... the only child who came with us was Sadie... she enjoyed the only child time immensely :)

Then this weekend we went on a grand adventure, this time heading West to San Diego.  The point of the mission was to celebrate Evie's 8th birthday, which also means this blog itself is about to celebrate an 8th birthday...I guess it turns out reporting on the kiddos is habitforming.

Anyway,  on Thursday we packed our bags and headed out of town.  The girls, as is per usual, were great travelers and only complained bitterly toward the end of the 6 hour drive. Their reward for the long drive (which Izzy later told a random person at the hotel "made my butt really hurt") was a short walk from our hotel to the most fabulous playground I think I have ever seen

The playground had fountains to splash in and then a ton of complicated playground equipment that looked like atoms and molecules.

 Unfortunately I don't have too many pictures of the playground because I was too busy playing too :)

The next day we took a short drive over to Balboa Park where we first wandered around and then went to the science museum.  Izzy was not terribly happy with the idea of a museum, all she wanted to do was go back to the park from the previous day.  She did soften up a bit though after getting to spend some time playing on a crocidile (dragon?) sculpture.

Once at the science museum we were treated to exhibits on cells and building bridges (among other things) and a dome imax presentation on humpback whales (probably my favorite part of the day). From there we rushed back to the harbor for an afternoon whale watching tour (in hopes of seeing them not just in the movies).  The girls seemed pretty worn out at this point... and made little places to lay down on the deck.

In the end we didn't see any whales, but for Evie and I it was a nice trip out on the ocean.  For Izzy and Patrick, who got sea sick I think the would have rather settled with just a whale imax....

So bedtime calls... I will save the rest of this post, or rather our fabulous 8th birthday adventure, for tomorrow or maybe next weekend...