Spring Break Fun!

We had visitors come for Spring Break and we really packed a lot of fun stuff into 1 week!  Thanks for everything Grandma Manley, Aunt Katie, Aunt Nicole, and Jack (especially all of the Randy's donuts runs.)  We had so much fun with you all here.

Starting off the week right at C&O Trattoria in Venice:  the garlic knots are always a huge hit!

Leo Carrillo State Park/Beach.  So beautiful and fun!

Happy Easter!  Coloring eggs and Sunday Morning Easter Egg hunt.

New Easter clothes.  What cute kids!

Hike down to the Beach from the Trump Golf Course in Palos Verdes.  It was a beautiful morning!

A fun afternoon of swimming!

Six Flags Magic Mountain was a blast and the kids went on their first ever rollercoasters!  They LOVED going on 'NINJA' and went on it over and over and over again.  Can't wait until they're a little taller and they can go on the 'real' coasters!

L.A. Zoo.  Everybody just loved this baby orangutan.

L.A. Science Center

Dodgers Game Opening Week and Friday Night Fireworks.  It was rainy and FREEZING COLD at the game but it was still a lot of fun and nothing a little hot chocolate couldn't get us through.

Fun Saturday in Hermosa Beach shopping and enjoying the ocean breeze.

 Josh thinks he's a ninja.

What a great week.  Come visit again soon!!!

Whale Watching Adventure!

We took the kids on a 2 hr whale watching tour out of San Pedro and the port of Los Angeles, and had a blast! The California Gray Whale migration is happening right now as they leave the warm waters of Baja Mexico and swim north to the Bering Sea. It is the longest annual migration of any mammal. We were lucky enough to spot 3 whales and we followed them for almost an hour. It was so amazing to see them up close!

The kids waiting to board the boat.












Claire was so excited to finally be on the "big boat" that she'd been talking about all week!






Our captain pulled up right alongside a big group of sea lions. The kids were in heaven!




















We were all in the very front of the boat and got absolutely soaked when we got of the port and out to sea because of the huge waves. Melissa took Josh and Claire up to the top deck to sit down and dry off, but Maggie and I stayed at the front the whole time and saw a pod of dolphins swimming along with the boat. They were right below us and it was SO AWESOME to see them that close and to see how fast they were swimming! Maggie was just loving it since dolphins are one of her favorite animals.










The captain found 3 gray whales all swimming together.





Right before the whales come up to breathe, the water will have a light turquoise color to it called the glow spot. The glow spot can be seen on the left of the whale spouting in this picture.




The glow spot is visible again of the whale on the left, right before it came up to breathe.




Two of them were coming up together each time to breathe side by side.


Josh and I were soaked and freezing cold!







Poor Claire got seasick and lost her lunch right at the end.