Yay for Monterey!

This past weekend Cary had a meeting in Monterey, California.  So just for fun, the kids and I tagged along.  It was a short trip and I was really hesitant about flying with super-active Brynn.  But I am so glad we did! The kids had such a great time.  There was so much for us to do, the area is beautiful, the weather was wonderful in the high 60's, and it was great to explore a new area just the four of us.  I'll recap the trip through pictures.

Thursday

We arrived around lunch-time on Thursday and made the most of our first day.  The flights went well - although the second leg of the trip was challenging.  We were happy to finally be there and let the kids run.  We started by checking out a touristy street called Cannery Row.  Wouldn't you know it - there was a big caboose for the kids to climb on. Then we stopped at a beach area and let the kids run through the sand.  Brynn was really unsure at first, but Carter loved it.  Both kids ended up completely drenched and covered in sand before we went to dinner.  They didn't seem to mind.  After dinner we went back to the hotel to swim and get some sleep.

On Friday morning, we swam at the pool again and then Cary dropped the kids and I off at Dennis the Menace park while he went to his meeting.  Although we missed Cary, we had a great time at the park!  There were so many cool things to do there....fun slides, cool bridges, a fence maze, a real train, etc.  After a couple of hours there, we walked across the street to McDonald's for some snacks and drinks, and then walked to a nearby beach.  We didn't have swim suits on, but the kids had a great time playing in the sand and getting dirty.

Once Cary's meeting was over, he met us at the beach and we went back to the hotel for naps and lunch.  Then we got in the car and drove south through 17-mile drive.  Basically, it is this beautiful road that drives by Spanish Bay Golf Course and Pebble Beach Golf Course.  The homes were so pretty and the beaches were amazing.  It's sandy and rugged and green with lush mountains in the distance and gorgeous scattered everywhere.  Along our drive, we even spotted some seals out in the bay.  It was a great way to spend a cooler, overcast night.

On Saturday morning, we made a trip to the pool - yet again.  Then we decided to head to the park for some paddle boat rides.  It was such a nice morning and the kids loved watching the pelicans and geese on the water.  Then we drove to the Fisherman's Wharf, which was really fun.  There were all sorts of boats for us to see, a ton of seals just hanging out in the harbor, lots of cute restaurants serving clam chowder samples as you walked by, and several candy stores.  We walked around, watched the seals, ate lunch outside at a fun Italian restaurant, and bought some popcorn and candy.

Instead of napping on Saturday afternoon, we decided to drive to Carmel Beach and let Brynn sleep in the car.  We took a few detours to check out the beautiful homes and even found Clint Eastwood's ranch.  Then we spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach.  It was in the low 70's, sunny and just perfect.  The kids loved playing in the water and building sand castles.  For once, we were prepared with swim suits, long-sleeved shirts to warm up, towels to wipe off all of the sand, beach toys, and a bottle of wine! :)

After a quick stop at the hotel for showers, we drove back to Pebble Beach to meet Cary's cousin Kate and her husband Billy.  It was just coincidental that they were visiting the area at the same time.  Billy had been given a round of golf at Pebble Beach by his parents for his 30th birthday.  So they were there with Billy's family.  We were so happy to be able to spend an hour with them.  Makes me wish we all lived closer.  Afterwards, we went back to the hotel and ordered room service, drinking wine on the balcony while the kids played.

On Sunday, we swam again and then loaded up the car to head to the airport.  Since we had a few hours until our flight, we went to the Monterey Aquarium in the morning and then had lunch on Cannery Row.  We made one quick stop back at the wharf for a final peek at the seals.  And then we made our way to the airport.  This is when things started to go downhill.  Due to maintenance issues, our flight was delayed 2 hours - making us miss our connecting flight in Phoenix.  So, lucky us, we got to spend the night in Phoenix and then fly home on Monday.  Well we got to the airport shortly after 7:30 am for our 9:00 flight...which then was also delayed over an hour.  We were so happy to finally get home around 3:00 yesterday afternoon.  It was a long 2 days of traveling, but we are so grateful that we had such a fun trip and made it home safely.  So many great memories from our first real vacation as a family of 4.  :)

And just a recap - Brynn is potty trained!  She did great on the trip!  There was an accident at the airport on our way home, but otherwise, she's been sooo good.  I'm glad to say that that hurdle is behind us! :)