Playing at Marina Park in Ventura: California Vacation Day 6

The Oxnard/Ventura area is often very cool in the summer, with fog banks and an ocean breeze that help keep the temperature down. With temperatures in the triple digits inland, the beaches in Ventura County were fairly crowded the weekend we returned from San Diego.

Dennis dropped us off at the playground by the beach and went in search of parking. The boys were more than happy to play on the zip line over the sand.

Dennis must have found parking somewhere, because he arrived about half an hour later. Thank goodness he's a marathon runner! The kids had taken a turn on the zip line more than a few times, so we took the boogie boards and beach gear down to the water.

Nolan took a turn on the boogie board, but wasn't very happy when a wave overturned him.

He decided to spend most of his time playing in the sand, and was happy as a lark to spend his time on dry land.

Matt is a stronger swimmer than Nolan and absolutely loved the waves. He spent the entire time riding the waves (with Daddy supervising, of course).

Did I mention how cold the water in Ventura County is? It definitely takes a bit of getting-used-to. I was very glad that Dennis went into the water, as my toes were curling at the thought of getting into the water! The boys played on the beach for a while longer, enjoying the sun and sand.

Evening was approaching, so Dennis ran off to retrieve the car. I managed to snap a few cute pictures of the boys, who were playing in the sand by the dunes.

We returned the boogie boards to Dennis's parent's house and gave the boys a quick shower to rinse off the sand. They were thoroughly coated in the gritty stuff - it is amazing how it gets everywhere!

It was so nice to be in California - the place where we grew up and miss a lot (especially in the winter). There is no place better than the beach!

KidSpace Children's Museum in Glendale: California Vacation, Day 5

We left San Diego and loved the drive north along the 5 freeway - the ocean was so beautiful to watch as we headed home. We decided to stop halfway at the KidSpace museum in Glendale/Pasadena. The temperature was very high in the area, but fortunately the museum has several indoor, air conditioned exhibits.

In the car (about 30 minutes before we arrived at the museum), Nolan asked me to vent his tummy. He had eaten two pancakes for breakfast, so I thought perhaps he was just overly full. Nothing came out via his g-tube, however, so we unhooked him and carried on our way. He seemed OK by the time we went to the museum, so we went into the main (indoor) exhibit area.

They have fantastic climbing towers, simulated ant-hills into the floor, and many other exhibits.

Unfortunately, we didn't get to see much of this museum. Nolan just wasn't quite "right," and a few minutes later he sat down in front of the ant tunnels.

I took a picture to show his ENT or surgeon how he gets very fatigued/tummy issues at random intervals. Approximately 3 seconds after this photo was snapped, he started to vomit. I left Dennis and Matt in the exhibit hall and took Nolan to the museum office.

Unfortunately, he didn't get better there. After three more vomits, I sent the staff in search of my husband and Matt. We packed up a lot of plastic bags, got into the car, and braved the traffic back to Oxnard. We used every. single. bag.

Nolan fell asleep once we arrived at my parent's house, and remained asleep for another two hours. When he woke up, he was a bit unsteady for half an hour or so, then he was right as rain. The entire "attack" (or whatever you might call it) lasted exactly four hours. We stayed home the rest of the evening and let him play around the house.

We were rather bummed to miss all the really cool things the museum had to offer, but what can you do? Thankfully Nolan was right as rain after this event and we didn't have any other "tummy issues" for the rest of the trip!

Sea World San Diego: California Vacation, Day 4

Sea World is a really fun park to visit. We arrived in the morning and the day was heating up - the kids were excited to see a few shows and the animals. Our first stop was the Sea Lion show. I love this funny show - it has changed a bit since I was a child (the last time I visited Sea World was about 20 years ago), but it is still really funny.

The dolphin show was due to start immediately after the sea lion show, so we walked across the road and saw that one, too. It was pretty hot and Nolan started to melt down, so lunch was the next item on the schedule. After lunch, we stopped by the sea turtle reef, which was really cool. The boys had a great time looking at the sea turtles, and it was nice to walk inside an air-conditioned building.

We exited the Turtle Reef area and Matt wanted to ride the Reef Rescue ride. The height requirement is 45", so Nolan was too short for this one. He wasn't happy about not being able to ride, but Matt was absolutely thrilled. I volunteered to ride with him - this ride was a bit wild and had swaying and spinning motions. Matt loved it, but I was a bit green around the gills afterward!

After the ride, we walked over to the sea lion feeding area. Both boys fed the sea lions fish - my mom bought a pack of fish for each boy, and they were delighted to throw them into the sea lion's pen.

We also stopped by the dolphin touch pools and a touch tank filled with sea stars. The dolphins didn't really want to be touched, and stayed well away from the throngs of people around the pool rim. We watched them for a while, then let the boys investigate the sea stars.

We stopped for dinner and had some pizza and pasta at an Italian eatery in the park. The kids desperately wanted to visit Shamu's Happy Harbor, a massive play area geared toward young children. They loved the playground, which had climbing nets, slides, tunnels, musical instruments, and a few kiddie rides.

The sun started to get lower in the sky and less intense, so we decided to see a couple of shows. Sea World has an amazing pet show, featuring animals rescued from local shelters. Everyone enjoyed that show immensely, and then we headed to the Shamu show. The Orcas are amazing.

Evening was approaching, and the boys both wanted to do the Journey to Atlantis ride. This ride, for the uninformed, features a 60' drop and a steel roller coaster. I am not a fan of extreme thrill rides, and this ride was a bit outside of my comfort level. Nolan made the height requirement, so they gave him a green paper bracelet to prove he was 42" tall.

We got on the ride, went around the corner, and were at the top of the drop. Usually, the big drop is at the end of the ride, not the beginning. I was sure this wasn't a good omen! I was terrified on the way down. Nolan and Matt loved it. LOVED it.

The boat/coaster then went into a dark tunnel, which is when I began thinking: "I should have watched the ride through on Youtube!" I had no idea what was going to happen. As it turns out, the dark tunnel was an elevator - the ride vehicle was lifted straight up - and onto a steel coaster track.

By the end of the ride, my legs were shaking. Nolan and Matt were ecstatic. Nolan wanted to ride again - he actually cried when they made him get off the ride. I couldn't take another ride, so Grandma and Daddy took the boys for a second trip. My dad and I stayed behind and took pictures.

After the ride, we took the boys to the Arctic section and saw Beluga whales. We also rode a simulator ride that the boys enjoyed. We saw the penguins last, and headed out of the park to our hotel. Everyone had had a fantastic day - especially Nolan, who discovered he has a deep love of all thrill rides!