while they were doing this:
I was eating this:
Penny Long in Corona Del Mar
Newport Coast Marriott 
the weather has been around 70 degrees and since the pool is heated so the kids have been swimming everyday. there are also pool tables, ping pong tables and a large chess set by the pool. inside is a huge arcade.
this area is steps from our villa. it has a basketball court, firepit, sandbox, playground and tetherball court. so family friendly!
SPRINKLES! need I say more? this is my first experience and it is so worth it!!! my favorite was the red velvet, but the milk chocolate was a close second...okay, they were all really good!
that night hubby's family came for dinner and fun. we had a blast hanging around the firepit laughing and telling stories. this is what it is all about!
Day 2- Legoland
since D is asking for mostly Legos from Santa we thought it would be a good time to venture out beyond disney. we all had a great day here. definately worth trying once, especially with a young boy! e was a good sport and had fun trying new things.
for me, this is what southern california is all about! when i lived down here i had first dates here, girl time at the beach, beachhouse fun and jogs on the path. my heart will always be in orange county at the beach!
balboa funzone was always a great place to come. it was great introducing it to my kids!
hubby and i had our first date at Ruby's on the balboa pier. we thought it would be great to take the kids to lunch there. mmmm, good!
d loved the corona del mar tide pools! hubby and him climbed on those rocks for close to an hour looking at critters. e played in the waves and had as much fun. i really enjoyed watching my family.
notice that i am soaked from splash mountain, i am the only one in the log that got wet!
d was thrilled to get chosen for Jedi training! he took it very, very seriously. especially when he went saber to saber with Darth Maul! Boooo!
sorry so blurry!
our best buddies came and spent the evening with us. it was definately the highlight! we opened the park and closed it!
Day 4- Laguna Beach
my mother in law and i were lucky to spend a couple of hours walking around another of my favorite places!
I did not have high expectations for this movie since this book was my least favorite in the series. Here are some thoughts that I have about the movie...Final word: Movie was better than the book!
Go see it!
Since I have been working lately, I knew I could benefit from it now. So we went here and used a coupon. Trust me, it is pricey but oh...so...worth it! Picture this:
The best thing about it is that it WORKS! I sweep my floor every single day. Yesterday morning before we bought it I vaccuumed and mopped my entire first floor. After we got our roomba we had it do it's thing. When we emptied the canister tons of particles came out!! It works on carpet and hard floors! And when it gets tired it finds it's home and goes right back! Amazing!
Every household NEEDS one!
This is STILL inspiring me!
After learning all was well, the first thing we noticed was your head of jet black hair. It was so different from your sister and dad. I knew then that you and I would be quite a pair! Then we noticed that same black hair on your ears and on your back and we nicknamed you "hairy back monkey".
For your first few years of life I worked full time as a teacher. I did not know you would be my last baby. Oh, if I would've know that then I would've stared more at your sleeping head, pinched those chubby (often rosy) cheeks, and kissed the back of your soft neck more often.
From the time I can remember you have loved to learn about things! At the age of one you were intrigued by guitars. Your uncle would give you guitar picks to play his guitar with. You have always loved airplanes and still love going to visit the aircraft carrier. It seems you have had military blood since the day you were born.
You have such a way with people. Those who come in contact with you love you! You are funny! You are bright! You are very, very creative & you are kind to so many people! You make me feel loved just by smiling at me. I love that when we walk side by side you still put your hand in mine without even thinking about it. I love that you kiss me goodbye every single day! I know that one day soon you will stop doing that in pubic and my heart will break.
You have quite a future a head of you , Mr. Bottom! I don't know where you got Stanford stuck in your head, but I wish you all the luck in your dreams and goals. You've talked about going to space, becoming an inventor, becoming a mechanical engineer, and a fighter pilot. I know that you will be successful in all you do! You read Harry Potter this summer and your confidence soared! You can do whatever you want to do!
In just a couple of weeks you will make a life-long decision. Dad and I are so proud that you have not taken this decision lightly. We know you have prayed and pondered and have felt a confirmation from the Holy Ghost that you are making the right choice. I know you will continue to choose the right and you will be blessed for it.
D, I love you and am so grateful for you in my life! You are quite an 8 year old. I only wish I could stop time and keep you my little guy for a while longer. But how sellfish that would be. There are so many wonderful adventures that lie ahead of you. I can't wait to stand by and support you in all of them!
One of our fellow bloggers is living a dream of mine. She and her husband have purchased and are restoring an ancient provincial cottage in France! Check out the story here! Get this! They will NOT be living in it, they will be renting it out as a vacation home. (my birthday is coming up. hint-hint)
THAT IS IT FOR NOW MES AMIS!
After we rubbed elbows with all the rebels we headed to the Air & Space Museum. D has been dreaming about this place ever since he could walk so of course it was first. Afterall, this trip was to celebrate HIS 8th birthday. E and I were simply along for the ride!
After that we headed to the Museum of American History. Some of the highlights were Julia Child's kitchen (was it popular before Julie& Julia?), the inaugural gowns of first ladies, C3PO, a section of the Berlin wall and many items from each war. The kids really got into all the history!
Seeing "Honest Abe" for the first time was a thrill for me! Almost as breathtaking as the Eiffel Tower!
Probably the biggest highlight of this entire trip for me was to see my uncle's name on the Vietnam wall. My uncle was my dad's brother, very close in age and also his best friend. Although I never met my uncle I felt close to his memory here because he is such a part of my dad .
Remember this is still Day 1! By this time we were all getting a little grumpy, especially THE TWEEN! But we had to stop at the White House. D thought it was so cool to see the snipers on the roof! Little did we know this was the only time we would see the WH. We simply ran out of time!
Day 2- We had gone through our area Representative to arrange a couple of tours. They had scheduled us for a Library of Congress tour at 8:30 am. We all got up very early and headed there only to find out it is closed on Sundays! It did provide a nice picture opportunity as there is NOONE around that early on a Sunday morning!
After going back to the hotel room for a little bit more shut eye we decided to split up. The boys headed to The Museum of Natural History while E and I headed to the Portrait Gallery. This was fascinating to see all of the most famous American portraits in real life!
We hiked along the highway, yes along the highway, to this famous statue! It was soooo worth it. I could not take my eyes off of it. E was not impressed...grumpiness had set in again. Time for bed!
Day 3- Time to get out of the city to see some VA suburbs. Ahhhh, I have been waiting to see the East and it did not disappoint! We took the metro and a city bus to Mount Vernon. It is possible! What a fabulous place it is! I gained so much respect for our first president after visiting his beloved home and place of death. Now he was a true hero!
Did I mention how awesome Mount Vernon is? Besides the historical property (the dining room is amazing) and the surrounding farm and gardens there is now an educational center which rivaled any of the Smithsonian museums we had seen. There are tons of artifacts like swords and clothes and his teeth (the ARE NOT wooden they are human and animal teeth!!!yuck!) but there are movies too. One movie is a reenactment of the Yorktown battle and your seat vibrates and it snows in the theater. For a second it felt like Disneyland!
Day 4- the final day- I have to say I was a little stressed trying to fit everything in! We began by going back to the Library of Congress. We got into a tour, but you do not need a tour! Do it yourself, but definitely do it because the decor is unbelievable. It is the most elaborate building I have ever seen...and I have been to Versailles!
The last thing we did in DC was something I wanted to do at the very beginning...hop on a double decker bus and see the layout of the city! Whenever I go to a new city I like to do this to get acquainted with the neighborhoods. I was vetoed when we arrived and I finally got my way on the last night to do the moonlight tour. WOW! Seeing the sights at night, up top a double decker bus, in weather not even needing a sweatshirt WAS AMAZING!
I am not a history buff nor am I a politics lover...but I am American! 
