Tami was in San Diego to present and to attend sessions for an educator's conference. I was there with the kids to turn this into a vacation and to spend more time with my family.
We quickly and spontaneously developed a rhythm and routine for our week. Each morning Tami put together a breakfast for the kids while I slept in a little longer. Than, she and I sipped some coffee while the kids played before Tami was off to the conference. After a while more of the kids playing with cars and trains, and before they got restless, I would put on educational kid's TV. The kids would watch Dinosaur Train and Super Why. Super Why is my absolute favorite kids cartoon right now- educational, entertaining, and teaches reading skills- love it and so do the kids. While the kids watched I would shower, pack up bags of snacks and clothes and prepare us for the days adventure. Then we were off. Each day we went to a new place. Every day we played in new playgrounds and discovered new places. Tami would join us when her sessions were done and we would all spend the rest of the day together before bed time. It was a great routine for the week.
(Ana and Tami checking out the water before sun set.)
One evening we met friends who live in San Diego at a beach and ordered pizza from a local shop to eat on the beach. Enzo slept through the whole experience. He was asleep when we arrived, slept the time we were there, and was asleep when he got back in the car. His long day playing at the beach, and the fact that I didn't try very hard to ensure he got a nap that day as Ana did, had him exhausted. But if you have to sleep, having the sounds of the beach in the background is a nice way to do it. Ana played with the friends including their three similarly aged daughters. It was a good time.
After playing and saying good-bye, we walked along the beach to see the sunset before we headed home where Enzo awoke, ate some pizza, played, and then we all went to bed.
Another day another playground and another beach. I kept thinking I should take the kids to some special place like a theme park but every day Ana would ask to go to the park and the kids were so completely happy to be in a playground each day discovered at some new place. Playing at the beach and at playgrounds is all they wanted so I finally accepted that we didn't need to spend extra money for them to be completely entertained and happy. And it was fun. I had no idea there were so many different playgrounds everywhere and so many on beaches.
These next two pictures started out as Ana asking me to help her onto the big kid swings. I was sitting pretty comfortably in the sand so I told her to just go on her belly as they often do. But she wanted to sit. So Enzo offers to pick her up. "You want to get on the swing Ana? I'll help you." So sweet! And funny! He wraps his arms around her and tries to put her up on the swing which results in them falling back and laughing like.... like the little adorable kids that they are.
That evening we met Tami at the hotel where the conference was held to have dinner and then to see a free concert with the children's musician Jose-Luis Orozco. The kids are familiar with most of his music. That was fun.
The kids ran around and climbed on anything they could find at the hotel before the concert.