Our Mini Vacation

Over Labor Day weekend, we went on a quick Vacation up to Solvang/Pismo Beach area.  We stayed at a hotel for two nights, and just relaxed up there for a few days.  Wesley and Chase got sooooo excited when they found out we were going to stay in a hotel.  Taking these kids on Vacation is exhausting, lol.  However, it is worth it to see how much fun they have.  Blake was also amazing the whole time, and I'm super grateful for that. 

On the way up we stopped by the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum.  We have passes to a local museum, and as a fun extra benefit we also get into over 100 museums around the country for free.  This museum was actually really cute, and a nice break from the drive.  They had a butterfly pavilion, and it was sooo neat.  It was a highlight of the trip for me.  There were hundreds of butterfly's all over in this tiny tented area.  Blake liked it too, and tried to grab some of the butterflies that landed near him.  That night after checking into the hotel, we went to a local restaurant recommended to us by the hotel staff, and it was really good.  We sat outside, and the kids were able to be loud and crazy without disturbing anyone.  Just the way I like it!!  :-)  The next day we were planning on relaxing at the beach.  Unfortunately, Pismo beach (which was supposed to be the main part of our trip) was ridiculously windy.  It is a great beach, because cars are allowed to drive on the beach, so there are no long walks to and from the parking lot.   Its great for families with little kids.  Sadly though, the wind was so bad we had to leave.   Wesley did get about an hour or two of fun in before we had to pack up.  The next day we were going to stop by Solvang on the way home.  We got a famous abelskiever (sp?) and lunch.  That town is sooo cute, and I love walking through all the shops.  However, 95% of the stores have glass and other breakable items in them.  We made it through a few toy stores, but after attempting two normal stores, we quickly realized this was just not going to happen with two curious little boys and a baby in a stroller.  We sat down for lunch at a cute little deli, and Chase had "the meltdown of 2014" as Jason put it.  He was getting upset about every....little....thing.  Once he started, he kind of couldn't stop, and we just had to go.  Sadly, Solvang was just not going to happen on this trip.  Its ok...we got to eat yummy dessert, and that made it worth it :-)   We headed home, and even though not everything went as planned, we still had a good time together as a family :-)  The boys had a blast, and that is all that really matters, right?!  :-) 

Wesley loving the gem and mineral collections at the museum

Blake wanted to eat all the butterflies.  If you look closely, you can see about seven in the background.

Blake knows how to properly relax on a hotel bed!

These kids crack me up.  As soon as we open the door, they RUN and claim their bed!

Add caption

Look how GIANT my pork sandwich was!! Big enough to feed two or three people! We also had amazing sweet potato fries!  It was such a fun place and perfect for the kids!

His poofy hair was glowing in the sun. 

This baby was amazing the whole time.  Look how relaxed he was even in the heat as we walked through Solvang. 

Yum!!  You can't leave Solvang without trying an abelskiever!  (with ice cream too!!)

The cute little deli we ate at in Solvang had this giant chalk board.