A day on the Midway

I thought my family would think this retired aircraft carrier, turned into a museum, was pretty interesting. I thought they would walk around for a couple of hours and then start complaining because they were bored. We arrived at 11 and didn’t leave until closing time at 5 that evening. It was amazing to see what an aircraft carrier was like, and to walk around it realizing that at one time it was full of soldiers and used in times of battle.

Carson trying to pick up a chain from the anchor.

The chains, tools, and rope were all supersized.

Down in the Brig, where the naughty soldiers got to hang out.

Aaron and Carson went for little ride in a flight simulator. When Carson was driving, for some reason they ended upside a lot.

A we walked onto the boat, we all got some headset. All over the ship their were signs with numbers on them. If you type in the numbers, it will give you an audio tour of that part of the ship. Paige and Carson were all over this. I barely saw them with their headsets off all day. They had special numbers for kids to use, so the tour was geared to them. I was amazed at how much they learned that day.

View from the bridge of the runway.

The Radio Room. Lots and lots of little knobs to turn.

While we were on the Midway, an aircraft carrier came in to port. It was amazing to watch the security that the military uses to make sure these boats are safe as they come into the harbor. That helicopter flew right overhead the entire time, and a bunch of smaller (well armed) boats made sure no one got too close.

Here is a memory. At the end of the day, we were finishing up the tour, and we walked by the chapel. We walked in and while I was reading a sign on the back wall, some little boy went beyond the roped area. We soon realized that the chapel has an alarm that will sound if you try to go past the ropes. My son RAN as soon as he heard the alarm ring. Morgan, my dad, and I walked briskly after him, hoping we could escape before anyone could come and yell at us. We escaped, no one came very fast but the alarm worked plenty well, getting us out of the area quite quickly!

Paige thought Coop needed a turn with the headphones. This picture makes me giggle every time I look at it.

A few pictures from Sea Port Village

This picture is kinda out of focus, but I love that look on his face.

We let Coop roam free in the car for a little bit (we weren’t driving!) That little boy spent a lot of time in his car seat and stroller, so we decided he needed a little freedom.

Another horn picture.

I loved all the cool plants and trees that grew there. It was so green and pretty everywhere we went.

Point Loma

The next day we were in San Diego, we woke up to lots of misty fog and sprinkling rain all day long. We decided to drive down the coast and go visit the light house at Point Loma.

We stopped at a beach in La Jolla because we could see sea lions out swimming in the water. We saw a mom and 3 babies sleeping on some rocks close to us.

Carson found a bunch of sea gulls to chase.

My kids loved going up inside the lighthouse. They wouldn’t let us go all the way to the top, but they posed for a picture by the little window near the top.

We were pretty excited to look down from the visitor center and see a submarine headed out of the harbor.

These were all around making sure the submarine had no trouble getting out of the harbor. It was an experience to see the military in action.

We ended the day with a trip to Seaport Village and drive over the Coronado Bridge in the dark.

San Diego Zoo

Our second day in Sandy Dego (as my son quite cutely calls it) we went to the zoo. It was an overcast day, which was nice, so we could keep cool while we walked for miles and miles.

Grandpa Rich’s photo idea. He thought the kids needed reindeer antlers.

Love this picture, missing teeth and all.

Carson likes to tease his dad, because his dad HATES snakes. He didn’t really even care for this fake one.

Cooper loved the bus ride. He would have ridden all day. I love how his hair is flying all over the place.

We still talk about how this hippo could have used a dentist.

We had never seen Giant Panda’s before. We were quite impressed.

We loved the zoo, but once again, we were exhausted! I was impressed at how far my little kiddos could walk.