Thanksgiving Weekend

We had our 'OFF' Thanksgiving at the beach in Venice this year.  Dad and I drove to CA on Tuesday after we went to Waterford Grandparent's day with Mason & Madison.  Emily & Jeremy and the kiddos drove out on Wednesday.  Ian & Audrey came up from San Diego.  The weather was great.

Alice was going to meet Seth on the East coast during his Thanksgiving Day layover - but the crazy winter storms back there cancelled and delayed so many flights that she couldn't get a seat.  So Alice & AJ (Alice Junior) flew into LAX on Thanksgiving morning and joined us!

The weather was beautiful.  We walked and hung out on the beach.  The Morris' played in the water and in the sand.  I finally went back to the apartment and made the 'easy' Thanksgiving dinner in our tiny kitchen.  We all sat on the floor and on the bed and on the sofa and a few people sat at the little table & we ate it.  We talked about what we were grateful for!  It was a lovely day.  But for the FIRST TIME EVER - we didn't get a photo of Thanksgiving Day dinner!  It really was an OFF year.

On Friday we went to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.  

Is everybody's favorite the sharks?
Not mine....I love the tiny little exhibit called the Garden of Eels:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvmvC8KuC8M

Here are Pippa and Aaron in front of the huge tank in the big entry hall.

Aaron was pretty mesmerized by the train that went around the base of the Christmas Tree in the main hall.

There were embossing stamp machines in various places in the aquarium - kids got to stamp their pamphlets with neat images of different fish and stuff.  I actually liked it a lot too.  Here I am making Pip let me stamp her pamphlet.

Vivian liked the Aquarium too.  

On Saturday we hung out on the beach again.  We all rode bikes down the boardwalk - here we are in front of the Santa Monica Pier.  

They now have kid-sized versions of almost all of the grown-up work-out equipment...like these rings.

Eventually everybody but Dad and I went home.  

So on Monday - in celebration of Dad's birthday - he and I went to Disneyland.  Dad had never been on the Cars ride - we headed right for it first thing when the park opened and went on it again with a Fast Pass.  He loved it.

It was a very warm and sunny day and we had a great time.  We only stayed a few hours - and that was perfect!