San Diego Chronicles: Day 1...

I have always LOVED San Diego! I booked our trip back in January, so I had really looked forward for our week long vacation there. We made some great memories, and decided that we should really look into getting a vacation condo there someday.

 

 

 Our first stop was a visit to the Mormon Battalion Museum in Old Town San Diego. I really didn't know anything about the Mormon Battalion that marched from Council Bluffs, Iowa and helped to settle San Diego. It was amazing to hear of their stories, and how the opportunity the government provided them was an answer to Brigham Young's prayers. The money the government paid them helped many more pioneers make their journey out west to eventually settling Utah. The battalion was so blessed too, the only trouble they had was called the "Battle of the Bulls", when they were "attacked" by a herd of bulls that were let loose from a ranch. Beside that incident, there were not any attacks from Indians, enemies, etc.

Jackson got to dress up in some Battalion gear during our very entertaining tour simulating the trek from Iowa to San Diego. The kids all panned for "gold", and got to keep their two favorite nuggets. They could also learn to make bricks in a kiln, pump water, and other sort of primitive activities. I would definitely put this on your list of "must do", especially for younger kids.

 We visited old Town San Diego which had replicas of early homes, carriages, etc. It reminded me of visiting Sutter's Fort in Sacramento, when I was growing up.

They happened to be celebrating Mexican Independence Day, and had many crafts and shows that went with Mexican traditions. My favorite was the egg decorating. The kids would get a blown out egg, paint it, then stuff it with confetti. In Mexico the boys would form a circle, the girls a circle inside of that. then they would dance in opposite directions. They would crack the confetti filled egg on the head of the girl or boy that they liked! I love it! Unfortunately, our kids just couldn't make it home with their eggs to fulfill the tradition. It was too much fun for them to crack the eggs on each other:) Also, they made tissue paper flowers with the Mexican flag colors, and watched a parade of Mexican horse riders and dancers. Our kids got lots of attention - that happens whenever we are outside of Utah. People just can't believe we have 4 well behaved (in public anyway) children.

Next, we went to Balboa Park. It's referred to as the Smithsonian of the West. I'm very partial to THE Smithsonian museums, having lived close to them for 4 years, so I don't think they compare. I do love the Mission Style architecture and lush green gardens though. We went to part of an organ concert because they have one of the largest outdoor organs in the U.S. I'm not way into organ music, but this concert was very impressive!

Jackson' Baptism!

 September 8, 2012 Jackson became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

His siblings were a little excited for him too!

 Some of our very best friends, the Palmers, made the trek up to support Jackson. The day wouldn't have been the same without them. Preston and Jackson have been best friends since they were 3 years old!

The Williamson grandparents came from CO. We also had many Uncles, Aunts and cousins there for Jackson. We all felt so much love!

I've always thought that when my first child got baptized, that would mean I was really old! I don't feel old though!

Grandma Ce-Ce and Poppy gave Jackson a scripture case with a compass on it, and a set of scripture mastery stickers. We gave him a nice set of "grown up" scriptures, so he is really excited and prepared to study from them!

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 Jackson's favorite Primary song is "When I am Baptized". His Primary class sang it for his baptism. I love the words:

I like to look at rainbows, whenever there is rain. And ponder on the beauty of an earth made clean again. I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain.

The luncheon that followed had a rainbow theme to help us all remember the significance of repentance and the gift of the atonement.

 I always wanted one of these when I was a kid...so pretty to look at !

 For entertainment, we rented an inflatable boxing ring that came with 2 pairs of oversized boxing gloves. Kids and adults alike spent hours bouncing and punching. Jackson and Preston kept getting hurt,but would take a short break and return to the ring. I finally noticed that they were punching each other in the head, and I told them no more of that. They whined and said "it's only fun if we can punch each other in the head!". Boys!

We are so blessed to have so many good examples and family and friends to support Jackson. It was an awesome day that I hope he will always remember. He received a journal with written testimonies from family members in it, and I know he will treasure those forever!

$2 Dino Museum...

So, if you were ever wondering whether it's worth it to go to the Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum during August for $2 Tuesday, let me answer that question for you. NO! I don't feel like I even got my $2 worth out of it! We had much more fun running through the free gardens, playing with the free water feature, and watching the free art/science exhibit. We also got 50cent ice cream cones which were perfect for the hot day. Paul got to bring his friend, Landon, who was so nice to have along. He helped watch after Blaze, and mediate fights between Paul and Alanna! We also met our good friends, the Johnson's there. Anyway, we could barely move inside the museum because of all the people and UNUSED strollers that were parked everywhere. And, just in case you were wondering if it's worth paying $8-9 for the museum on a regular day, my opinion is still NO! 

Poppy's Special Garden...

Poppy came to visit this week, and he walked in the front door with a cooler. The kids immedietly asked what was inside, and he said "Just stuff from the garden." I was really exctied, but they weren'tso much (even though they do really like the garden veggies!). A few minutes later in the kitchen, Poppy asked Paul if he wanted to see the vegetables. Paul opened the cooler and found there were McDonald's hot fudge sundae's for everyone! Then they were really excited and amazed that the treat was grown in Poppy's garden. Of course, Jackson and Paul know better, but Alanna really does think that sundae's grow in the garden. Paul is so funny and kept going along with it asking Poppy to grow more icecream for them. Kids are so funny! They love having visits from Poppy or Grandma Ce-Ce because they always bring toys or treats and read books and make them feel special!

Water Conservation Gardens...

 We were all so excited to see a humminbird up close. I took so many pictures of it, but her wings went so fast that it was hard to get one that turned out. I don't know how those National Geographic photographers do it! Can you see the hummingbird?

 The kids each got to learn to properly plant something with roots.

These gardens are in West Jordan, and they show you what kinds of plants grow well in Utah, what you can plant them with to conserve water, and all the different kinds of grasses and how much water they require. There are also many hands on activites for kids like learning how to properly plant, touching different types of rocks and fillers, and exploring different backyard set-ups. We had a picnic there and toured the gardens for about 1 1/2 hours . I love that they are free, immaculately kept, and kids and adults can learn so much from the displays etc. Many families were there taking pictures with a professional photographer, so we wil have to do that sometime because there are so many beautiful backdrops!