Lunch at Huntington Beach Pier

Since our flight doesn't leave LAX until after 8 tonight, we are relaxing today at the beach and recovering from the intense fun of the last 4 days. We ate at Ruby's, a 50s-style diner you can see in the first pic at the end of the pier, which had fabulous milkshakes and views. We spotted a gray whale and Catalina Island enshrouded in the distance.

Winnie the Pooh

Another fun little diversion was taking a 15 minute class at "Animation Academy" where an instructor teaches you how to draw a character. With more time we would have done this again to learn about another character. Mine (Abby's) is the last one - I made his head a bit too wide! We agreed that Gunnar is probably the closest to the real thing. Papa did one too, but he took it home with him already.

Nana getting soaked yesterday

This was yesterday at Knott's Berry Farm. Nana bought these pictures as souvenirs... can't you tell that log rides are her favorite??

Brrr....

Although it was in the 80s today, Signe still felt chilled after Splash Mountain. Nana got the most soaked.

Hugs from chewbacca

This was unexpected highlight of the afternoon - he wouldn't let anyone leave without giving them a big bear hug. Squishy hugs from Chewbacca are pretty awesome.

The Xcelerator

Holy cow - we all did this crazy roller coaster but Karsten! Zane barely skimmed the height limit, and you can see the look of trepidation of his face in the hilarious pic. The immediate acceleration at the beginning to ascend straight up was breathtaking. But all 3 kids loved it, and now no roller coaster is too scary (it is obvious they are their parent's children).

Main Street Electrical Parade

Frozen

Sorry about the last post! I meant to send it to Nick's email; we have an extra day so we are going to also hit Knott's Berry Farm.

One of the highlights yesterday was seeing an hour-long live production of Frozen. The special effects were spectacular. At the end of the day we saw the line was short to meet the princesses, so we jumped in for pictures with Anna and Elsa (the other boys weren't interested).

Select Tickets for Knott's Berry Farm Good Any Date through December 31, 2017 | Goldstar

https://www.goldstar.com/shows/1264839/checkout/new


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California Screamin'

Pics from the roller coaster at Disney California Adventure! Karsten was too short for the ride so he hung out with
Nana. Everyone else loved it and immediately road it again.

More Hollywood

Griffith Observatory

Before we left the fog started dissipating, and we saw the Hollywood sign slowly revealed in the mist. It was amusing to hear the cheering and excitement of the tourists (including us) as it was revealed.

Griffith Observatory and soggy LA

We got DRENCHED running from the car to the observatory that overlooks LA to the south. We are trying to convince the kids the Southern California does not always look this green and lush.
I thought it was hilariously ironic that when we first arrived everything was fogged in. Just like the time I visited the Grand Canyon in college, and had about 10 feet of visibility.

Made it to the airport and we are on the plane!

The drive to the Spokane airport from Moscow was in a partial blizzard and I had to slow down to 35mph, just to see the road through the heavy flakes and accumulating snow. No lines were visible and very few markers, so it was slow going.

The kids are very excited to be on a plane for the first time. Can you tell from the pictures?

A Peter Pan Indian

Signe had her Irish Step dance recital at the Hartung  Theater at U of I last night. There was a Peter Pan theme, and it was quite a polished production. She is in the class level just below the most advanced group, and we are super impressed by how accomplished  her dancing is becoming (and how high she can kick!)
We planned our vacation around this young lady's busy schedule. Even though we have two weeks of spring break, she has a club volleyball tournament in Lewiston next Saturday, so we are flying back late Friday night. At least that is closer than the 2+ hour drive to the town of Othello last Saturday, through the vast boring expanse of Eastern Washington.

Spring break here we come!

Although it looks nothing like spring in northern Idaho! We were out the door by 4:15 am to drive to catch our 7:15 flight out of Spokane, and man are we hitting some almost whiteout conditions. Luckily the roads are almost empty, the rumble strips let us know when we wander too far sideways, we have plenty of time to take it slow, and the kids are pretending they are flying through hyperspace in Star Wars (but unfortunately not napping like I hoped).

While packing yesterday I was having a hard time wrapping my mind around 80 degree weather in LA. I had to dig through boxes to find shorts and t-shirts for everyone, and discovered we are sorely lacking in summery footwear. We might have to buy some flip-flops or sandals in California.

A cow's heart

The cousins are enjoying a dissection project with their 6th grade class; Signe was proud to show me the different parts of the huge heart as I was on my way to teach my Spanish class. She might have the stomach to be a nurse someday!

Signe's first volleyball scrimmage

In Troy, Idaho to watch Signe play volleyball. Zane and I.

What is that green stuff?!?!

Grass!! The ground has been constantly covered with snow since nearly November. But with temperatures inching above freezing we are finally getting some melting (it might hit a balmy 43 degrees on Thursday!). It is funny how warm it feels outside, compared to the unusually high number of winter days this year that had us shivering in the single digits.
Another reason we are super excited to head to California in a month for spring break. Even a cool day in LA will feel like a glorious heat wave.