Thanksgiving in San Diego

We decided to spend Thanksgiving in San Diego this year and had a great trip! The weather was cloudy and cool, with some rain a few of the days, but we didn't care a bit. We had a wonderful time and got to relax. Our first day there we went to Balboa Park. They had an exhibit there of world globes encouraging people to recycle and take care of the earth. We loved several of them (I wonder if this was just a local thing or if it's a traveling exhibit?).
My dad showed Coleman some more sea life at the top of this globe. He has always seemed to have inside information whenever we go places. As a kid I thought he was so smart--and as an adult I realize that he really does have a lot of knowledge about a lot of things. I love that he is so engaging with my kids and imparts all of his little fast facts that enrich our understanding of the way things are.
Olivia really liked the globe with the crushed aluminum cans and cell phones. It's amazing how much junk can be recycled but instead ends up in the landfills. Heather was with us too--we all loved the globe with pieces of metal machinery all over it.
Liv and Coleman wanted to show how chilly it would be if they were on this globe.

In the middle of the park we found the neatest tiled crocodile. There were kids climbing all over it and having fun.
Or was it an alligator? Maybe I could get one for my backyard?

Then we walked down to the Air and Space Museum at the other end of the park. One day a week they have free admission to several museums for San Diego residents. Ryan and I didn't want to pay the hefty fee ($12 or $16 per an adult) so we sent the kids in (a more palatable $6 per child) with my dad and Heather.

Ryan and I waited outside and played on his phone. We tried out the pedometer function and figured out that my "run" is nothing more than a brisk walk--I couldn't get it to register as a run unless I was exerting every ounce of energy that I had. It's no wonder my 3 mile-a-day walks didn't do much good :). I am sure we looked ridiculous, but it was fun and passed the time.

Coleman and Liv saw so many cool things. They loved to pose at every turn (thanks to Heather for taking pictures).
Olivia really liked this ship--there were two of them and she got a picture taken in front of both of them.
They had a great time and brought some samples of astronaut ice cream for us to taste (not a new favorite).
On the way back we caught a trolley so we wouldn't have to walk the whole way--here we are on the bench waiting for it to come.

On Thanksgiving morning we followed our new tradition (as of 2007) and ate pie for breakfast. You know how after eating Thanksgiving dinner you feel so full that you could burst, but you still eat a piece of pie, just because it's Thanksgiving? We decided that we should really enjoy and appreciate our pie, so we ate it in the morning and enjoyed every bite. Give it a try next year, you'll be glad you did.

My dad got a gingerbread house kit (we love Costco!) that we put together. The best part is sneaking the candies--don't you agree?

Our house turned out great and it was a fun activity to do together.

We went to Coronado in the early afternoon to take some pictures while the turkey cooked. This is right in front of the shops--there's a great view of the San Diego skyline.

Coleman and Liv were troopers and posed for a lot of pictures.

Heather was such a good photographer's assistant. She ended up taking several family photos--one of which that will debut on the blog header someday and is currently waiting to be sent out with our Christmas card.

Here's the gang at the end of our photo shoot. We watched a beautiful sunset and then headed home to finish making dinner.

We had the yummiest meal--my dad stuffed the turkey with garlic and rosemary, rubbed it with some seasonings, and baked it in a bag, Costco stuffing and gravy ("Costco-made IS homemade"), sweet potatoes and apples, rolls (yay for Rhodes), baked cream corn (I'll have to post that recipe sometime), steamed green beans, red raspberry jello salad (another good recipe worthy of a post), and mashed potatoes. It was delicious and very fancy (china, crystal, silver, sparkling cider, the whole works).

Heather and my dad and I didn't have to wash one dish since we had cooked. I like that rule :).

San Diego is great any time of the year, and this time around we were glad to be there for Thanksgiving. We are thankful for so many things, including our family members that live in sunny (or rainy) SoCal.