san diego-day 4

Nothing says vacation like 7 AM family pictures, haha.  It was definitely an early morning trying to get everyone ready and out the door, but we managed!  I have a few random pictures from my phone, but the rest are in their own post :)

Ellie and Brooke were born 6 months apart :)

A sweet picture of Colby and Papa...

We rewarded ourselves with treats from Sidecar Doughnuts, as recommended by my friend Rachel.  They were all delicious, but our favorites were Dulce De Leche Churro, Choc-O-Lot, and Passion Fruit Pavlova.  

We were going our separate ways after the doughnut stop, but then Jeffrey's car wouldn't start!  We luckily found someone in the parking lot to jump him, but I know it was super irritating for him to have to waste vacation time to go trade out his rental car.  They spent the rest of the day at the house while everyone else went to an aircraft carrier museum. 

It was another beautiful day in San Diego and I found myself wanting to take pictures of everything! This was right across from where we parked :)

About to board the USS Midway...

I wasn't sure what to expect on our tour of the ship, but it definitely exceeded my expectations.  Getting a glimpse of life on this ship was intriguing and made me realize just how little I know about an aircraft carrier.

All the tracking equipment was pretty incredible...

Then we went up to the flight deck, which boasted 26 restored aircrafts.  My dad loves all things flight related, so I was grateful that Kevin pushed him around to each aircraft so he could listen to the audio clips of the pilots who flew them. 

I took a lot of pictures on deck, but it's not often that you get the chance to experience something like this!  I reminded my kids of this fact at least a few times :)

And experiencing it all with cousins was even better...

We made it through all the aircraft, then took a few pics on the runway.  It was crazy to think that the whole thing floats!

We promised the kids that they could try the flight simulators, but when it came down to it, they were too cautious to flip the thing upside down, haha. They claim that they still had fun, but I'm not sure if that part of the adventure was worth it. 

We toured one final section of the boat before heading back to the car. The whole concept of a self-guided audio tour was such a great method to educate everyone at their own pace and according to their own interests!

As we left the museum, the kids begged to go inside the gift shop.  We didn't buy this sweet aviator jacket, but he sure wore it well!

It was a great few hours spent onboard the USS Midway!!

When we arrived home, Jeffrey and his kids were lounging in the pool, so you better believe that my kids wanted to join them as soon as possible :)

Kevin and I even enjoyed a moment of relaxation on the outdoor lounge bed :)

That night, we played "grownup secret games" (as Colby called them) which included an intense game of Skull King.  Kevin beat us all with his method of going for zero tricks no matter what cards he was dealt, haha.  He was a hardcore pirate, so I had to take a picture of the anchor tattoo (stamp) be received when he left the USS Midway to move our car, haha.  

Yo, ho, ho!!