San Diego

We flew out west to see the ocean and spent part of our spring break out in San Diego.  We had an incredible time exploring the city!  This was the second time the kids ever flew and it was exciting to leave Milwaukee's 50 degree weather of cold and rain to enjoy some 70 degree temps and palm trees!  We stayed in downtown San Diego at the Marriot Marquis hotel and it was beautiful.  The pool was endless which was right up our alley!  The view from our hotel balcony was incredible and we were able to walk to most places and explore the city.

Waiting for our plane to come in!

The boys are ready for take off!

Checking out the pool at the hotel. 

The time on the IPad is officially 1:09 AM when we touched down in San Diego!

Our first day in San Diego was busy but low-key.  We ate breakfast at Richard Walker's Pancake House.  We went so early and got a nice table outside.  Little did we know that people wait hours to get a table at this restaurant.  When we left, the line was curved around the block!  Then the boys took a swim in the pool before we ventured out to walk around the little souvenir shops in Seaport Village.  We made our way to the USSA Midway Museum which was really cool.  What an awesome experience to be aboard the gigantic aircraft carrier and take in so much history! 

Yummy breakfast at Richard Walkers!

Playing catch in the pool.

Our view from our hotel balcony!

Our view at night.  Gorgeous!

Bumming around Seaport Village :)

USSA Midway Museum

Alex checking out the control desk!

So many cool aircrafts to see!

Checking out the inside of the aircraft.  So cool!

Flight Deck

Ready for take off!

Then we headed over to Coronado Island and spent some time at the beach.  It was the first time the boys touched the ocean and felt the super soft sand.  The Pacific Ocean was so cold even though it was around 70 degrees and sunny.  We rented boogie boards for an hour.  Sean was too cold to stay in the water but Alex and I used them for the hour and we had a blast!  I think we were able to stay in the water that long because our legs were numb and we couldn't feel them anymore.  The locals couldn't believe we were in the water without a wet suit.  They were giving us tips on how to time it out and ride the waves.  On our last attempt before we had to take the boogie boards back, Alex and I rode the same wave to shore.  It was seriously one of the highlights of the trip!

First time in the ocean!!!

We love it here!!!

The waves are so fun!!!

Boogie boarding with Alex :)

Havin' lunch with this gem :)

We capped off our first day at the San Diego Padres game at Petco Park.  Another ball park checked off our list!  It was a chilly night for a game and we definitely didn't pack enough warm clothes on our trip but we still enjoyed checking out a new stadium and watching a little baseball on our trip!

Let's go Padres!

Checking out Petco Park!

Our second day in San Diego was just as eventful as the first.  It was on our bucket list to stop at the Donut Bar and it did not disappoint.  The donuts were gourmet looking and they were literally the size of our face!  I wish we could have tasted a bite of every one but we settled for the cool Easter decorated donuts!   There was even a donut that had a Cadbury egg inside!  

The Donut Bar

So many delicious choices...

What a cute little Easter Bunny!

Seanie couldn't pass up his normal go-to donut!

After the Donut Bar, we headed over to Sea World.  We had a late start to the day because Alex wasn't feeling well in the morning so we let him take a nap before we left.  I think the 1:00 AM arrival time on day one was catching up to everyone.  Once we got in the park, we took in as many rides and shows as we could before we pooped out for the day.  It was a beautiful day to spend at Sea World and I think everyone's favorite was the Dolphin Show.

We made it to Sea World!

Touching the stingray!

Watching the Dolphin Show!

Such a cool show!

Checking out the octopus!

Riding the swings :)

Momma and Alex rode the Electric Eel together!

Such a fun day at Sea World!

Bumming around downtown

Seanie was pumped about this penny machine!

 We enjoyed our last morning in downtown San Diego before we headed to Carlsbad for the next stretch of our trip.  We woke up on Easter morning to find that the Easter Bunny visited us in San Diego and left the boys treats.  Then walked to breakfast and ate at the Lazy Hippo.  Alex and Sean had to take one last dip in the pool before we made our way to La Jolla Beach.

Goofy boys!

That looks so yummy!

 We wanted to explore La Jolla Beach on our way to Carlsbad before we had to check into our next hotel.  The waves were bigger and more rough at this beach and there seemed to be more people enjoying the ocean.  We didn't do as much swimming but we had fun playing in the sand and took in the beautiful scenery!

La Jolla Beach

Building a sand castle :)

Filling up buckets of water for Seanie's creation!

A big reason why we picked to visit San Diego for our spring break destination was to visit Dave's uncle and aunt, Ralph and Ginny.  They welcomed us into their home and prepared a delicious Easter dinner which we all thoroughly enjoyed!  Seanie wouldn't stop cracking jokes and telling stories.  I've never seen him so giddy!  We felt right at home even though we were 2000 miles away!  The boys still talk about how much fun they had chatting with Ralph and Ginny and how it was their favorite part of the trip! Thank you for being such gracious hosts to us!

Visiting Ralph & Ginny :)

Alex & Sean enjoying the beautiful sunset on Easter :)

Happy Easter from the Michna Family!

Our last day in California was spent at Lego Land!  Alex and Sean were probably two of the oldest kids at Lego Land, but it didn't matter the age, Lego Land is a pretty awesome park to visit.  The park is so clean and so much to see.  Everywhere you look, there are Lego creations!  We loved the shows, had fun on the rides and enjoyed our family time!

We made it to Lego Land!!!!

Such a cool looking ride!

Learning how to drive Lego-style!

Seriously, these cars are so cool!

Checking out Lego City!

We love Lego Land!

It was a race against three other fire engines - Team Michna dominated!

We even got Dad on a few rides :)

Finally, we made it to The BIG Shop!  Definitely a highlight for these two!

Goodbye Lego Land!  So many fun memories were made here!!!

 We needed to enjoy one more night at the beach before heading back home.  After Lego Land, we found a delicious Mexican restaurant that sat right on the beach in Carlsbad.  After dinner, we watched the gorgeous sun set glistening off the ocean water while we threw the football around in the sand.  It was so relaxing and the best way to cap off our vacation together as a family!

Last night enjoying the ocean waves!

Playing football in the sand :)

Enjoying the beautiful sunset together :)

Until next time...

Michna 2019

Gorgeous sunset!

Alex and Sean took one more dip in the pool before we checked out of the hotel and made our way to the airport.  These boys love the water!  We had a great flight home and even ran into our friends during our lay over in Houston, Texas.  We found our Alex's friend, Tanner, was on our connecting flight to Milwaukee!

We had such a fun trip as a family and can't wait to do it again soon!  San Diego is one of our favorite cities to visit, minus how expensive everything costs!  But there's so much to do and such pretty scenery with the beautiful ocean and palm trees!  The weather is always perfect :)  So many memories were made on vacation that will truly last a lifetime! 

Swimming at the hotel!

Best friends forever!

It's been fun!

Peace out Cali!

Flying home with Tanner :)