What a week!

Last week the kids were out of school for the week and it was so good to have them home for a few days.  They were helpful, fun to be around (most of the time) and we got to go on a little vacation down to the central coast together.  We left Thursday morning with very few items on our agenda and left for an adventure.  We had a great time and crammed a lot of fun into three days.  I think this was one of our best family vacations so far!  And the last day of vacation happened to be my birthday, so that was an added bonus. Here are a few photos.

Point Lobos was gorgeous!

Hearst Castle was cool and interesting.

 While in the castle Jonathan kept asking me to put him down and I kept telling him no because we weren't allowed to touch anything.  He then said to me very matter of factly, "Mom I just want to sit on the couch!"  Oh Johnny.

Bubble Gum Alley in San Luis Obispo

We made our own contribution. GROSS! Funny thing is we didn't even get gum stuck to our shoes and it was all over the ground too.

Morro Bay was one of my favorite stops.

 This is above the Natural History Museum...a great place for the kids!

The kids each had a turn driving the boat on our bay cruise!

 We saw lots of sea otters with their cute little babies and we also saw some sea lions.

  Avila Valley Barn.  Super fun!  Lots of yummy corn, apples and pears.

 Jonathan climbed up on this hay stack and started chomping his apple.  After a little while he came down and shared the rest of his apple with the goats.  They didn't mind that it had already been munched.  While Jonathan was feeding the goats lettuce he also tried a bit for himself and decided it was better for the goats.  What a funny kid.

The kids got to feed all kinds of animals, including emu.

Not sure why the kids are glowing in these pics, but it is kind of cool.

 We also went to a little zoo in Atascadero, swam in the hotel pool, ate at a Bayside cafe for my birthday dinner, stopped to see elephant seals along the coast, went to the San Luis Obispo farmers market, had a hay ride through the farm, and played at a lovely park near Pismo Beach.  It was a wonderful vacation and the great part was the minimal driving to get there.  I am so blessed to have such a great family to spend time with.  Great memories!