The Flight Home

The pilot on the way home actually let William push buttons and pull levers.

Cookout at Uncle Dan's

Uncle Dan, Cousin Garrett, Uncle Bill, Aunt Louise, Aunt Aimee

Dad, Cousin Lorraine, her husband Ralph, Mom

Uncle Dan Cooking

Fountain and Grapefruit Tree. I wish Alabama was able to grow the flowers and fruit they have in California.

Fresh OJ

William enjoyed picking and juicing oranges each morning. Yummy! Oh, and mom bought him those goggles with the shark fin on top. There are also flippers and hand covers shaped like shark fins that complete the outfit. It was still a little chilly to get into the pool, but that didn't stop Sharkboy from wearing the outfit for two days.

La Brea Tar Pits

On Wilshire Ave, just a few blocks from Rodeo Drive are the La Brea Tar Pits. Back in the early 1900s this land was owned by some ridiculously wealthy family. They drilled for oil on the land and had this pond in their front yard. Having a 4 year old with me made it difficult to read all the information, but I hope they never waded into this pond, because the bottom of it is super sticky tar  (as the dinosaurs - and many animals since - found out).  

The majority of the dinosaurs in the museum were found either on this land or in nearby areas. That means that there were lots of mammoth elephants, wolf ancestors, sloths, and various others. That also means there were NOT T-Rex's or Stegosauruses, which was disappointing to William. 

Fish Market

We went to the Fish Market on the LA Harbor. It was pretty confusing, but we finally figured out you are supposed to go buy your fish (or shrimp, octopus, crab) and then take it to another counter where the people will cook it for you. Mom got a tilapia and asked them to fry it. They scaled it and then dropped the whole thing into the fryer. It was pretty good. William enjoyed playing with the fried fish head. 

Ronald Reagan Library and Museum

I didn't actually take any pictures inside the museum for some reason. This is the view though. The pictures don't do it justice. If you look really closely behind mom in the top picture you will see a brown sign that says "Warning: Natural Habitat for Rattlesnakes", which if you know my mom is pretty darn funny. These signs were every 15 feet or so. 

Anyway, the Air Force One plane that Reagan used was on display there. During Reagan's last year in office and George Bush's first year my Dad was Chief of Security Police at Andrews Air Force Base which is where Air Force One is housed. Whenever the president flew on the plane he was transported via Marine One (helicopter) from the White House to the Base to get onto the plane. Brian (my brother) and I got to go aboard Air Force One and Marine One during that time. Dad actually flew in Air Force One. That was neat to see there. 

Seals in LA Harbor

This was William's favorite part of the boat trip. 

These seals are hanging out in the harbor outside the fish processing building

Private Tour of the Fire Station and Fireboat

William is hard to see - he is driving the fire truck. I am in front of it with my dad and Uncle Bill. My cousin's husband, Ralph, is a firefighter.

Ralph is the pilot of the Los Angeles Fire Department's Fireboat. It is the largest Fireboat in the world. The big water gun on the front shoots 11,000 Gallons Per Minute. 

We got to ride on the Fireboat all around Los Angeles Harbor. They don't let just anyone ride on this boat. You have to know the right people. We are just that special. 

Just outside the fish processing buildings there were a few dozen seals hanging out. More pictures of the seals coming in a separate post. 

I stupidly never got a picture of the boat, so I borrowed these from the internet. 

William even got to sit in the driver's seat. 

First Flight

William got to take his first airplane trip to California on Thursday. This is him in front of our plane at the Birmingham Airport.

William was so excited!

During the 30 minute layover in Phoenix we stayed on the same plane, so William got to go tour the cockpit while other passengers were disembarking. 

The Burbank Airport is so small there aren't any jetways. First flight down, 4 days of fun to go!

Easter Morning

The Easter Bunny hid eggs and the basket around the house for William to find. 

Second Soccer Game

William had a great second game. Not as high scoring as the first one, but I got some good pictures:

Egg Hunt

The 4's wait their turn to head out to the Egg Hunt

Emmy's Will and William search for eggs...

Easter Egg Dialing

2009

2008:

2007

2006:

2005:

William can't hear the difference between "dying" and "dialing", so he thinks we "dial" our Easter eggs. 

First Spring Soccer Game

William had his first game on the Mellow Mushroom team today. They only had 3 players show up on his team (they play 3 on 3), so he had to play the whole time. This is William and Hannah warming up before the game.

William is a fantastic defender. He blocked 4 or 5 of the other team's shots on goal. With his defense and Hannah's offense the score was somewhere in the neighborhood of 15-3. Of course they don't keep score, so I can't verify that. 

We are looking forward to a great season.