Our final day of “planned” activities was Friday and after an exhausting three days of parks it was nice to settle into the New Children’s Museum and be greeted by such a wonderful group of people.  I will lead everything off by saying that this was by far the best experience of all of the wonderful things we did while on our trip and that isn’t just the parent’s opinion.  Both of the boys ranked this as the top activity, but only slightly above Legoland.  We have been to several Children’s Museums, but this was our first New Children’s Museum.  I’m not exactly sure what makes it New, but I really liked all of the activities and exhibitions that centered around trash.  They presented a great message to the visitors without beating you over the head as they presented it with incredible subtlety.

We were greeted by Nina and Kaitlyn, the boys dressed in smocks, and quickly whisked away into a flurry of fun activities starting with painting a car.  They have an old Datsun that has been in place for over a year and every day it is coated with a new color of paint.  Nothing like starting off the tour with a bang as this was perhaps the boys’ favorite activity, but definitely not the messiest.  This was followed with a trip to the dumpster turned into a play area where the boys were garbage zombies and thoroughly enjoyed the slide after climbing up the used tire wall.

By now Nina had left us for her real job, but Kaitlyn was with us every step of the way and not shy to join in the garbage zombie fun.  She was an awesome guide/playmate for the boys the entire time we were there.  We then moved on to several displays using magnets and old tube televisions, magnets and rusty particles, a rain house, a climbing wall made from recycled garbage, a wall of funky mirrors, and finger painting.  This was easily the messiest activity and Cutler slapped the paint on so thick the painting is still drying in Aunt Emily’s house as it was too wet to ship home.

After a couple more coats were applied to the car we started in on a scavenger hunt where we had to find “alien” heads throughout the museum and draw the symbol on each one of them.  Mason would take his time and try to draw it exactly and was actually fairly artistic at it while Cutler would scribble and look at us for acceptance and then move on.  The difference in these boys is amazing.  Once done there, the museum has an awesome set of tubes that sucks ping pong balls from your hands through an intricate set of tubes where bells are set up to be rung as the ball passes throughout.  This may have been up there with the car painting as the boys couldn’t run the balls up enough.  The “usual” visitors pay for the balls in an effort to raise money for art, but as Cutler is Cutler he was given what seemed to be an endless supply.

If you are ever in San Diego, I can’t recommend this as an activity enough.  Their website is http://www.thinkplaycreate.org/.  I know that if we get back to San Diego it will be on our list of things to do.  In fact, after we ate lunch, the boys wanted to go back but we distracted them with Petco Park and heading to the shore to see just how cold the water is and why it probably wasn’t in their best interest to swim in the ocean instead of the pool.  Or perhaps that is not in dad’s best interest.  🙂

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For Thanksgiving we headed to the San Diego Zoo where we managed to cover just about every inch without seeing a turkey.  This is the first time that I can recall not seeing/eating a turkey on Thanksgiving, including the time I spent living in South Africa and I think the only thing I missed about it was the fun of having a few beers while frying it in the driveway with the family and neighbors.  Instead we had some great family fun going up and down the hills (felt like a mountainside) seeing all of the wonderful animals.  Perhaps it was indeed a mountain as there were escalators in a few areas of the zoo that we were more than happy to take at the end of the day in order to take one more ride on the skyfari.

While the trip to the zoo was fun, I think at times I was the only one caught watching the many different animals.  The boys would fade in and out of interest with the smaller animals, but they definitely were into the larger animals.  A couple favorites for Cutler were the giraffe, monkeys, and the panda.  However leading the way for him was the miniature train ride located just outside of the zoo.

After the zoo closed we discovered that the sidewalks are indeed rolled up throughout the city on the night of Thanksgiving as we drove all around looking for somewhere to eat to finally settle on room service where Cutler was fast asleep before it arrived.  He even managed to sleep through the loud and excited room service delivery who didn’t seem to get the point when I pointed to Cutler sleeping and said he is zapped from a long day.  The delivery woman just kept at the same volume, but at least she was friendly.  Fortunately Mason continues to eat like his Grandpa and was more than happy to eat Cutler’s meal, his meal, and some of mine and Melanie’s.  By the way, Cutler has become a pro at sleeping while standing up and peeing.  A trick I think I have only accomplished while being overserved in my younger days.

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Yesterday we completed our tour of the third of three seaworlds and apparently we saved the best for last.  It could be due to the beautiful weather or the fact that the boys are older, but this visit was our best when comparing our trip to the one in Orlando and the one in San Antonio.  A perfect day in the mid 60’s and minimal crowds definitely helped.  The day included visits with dolphins, feeding seals and bat rays, sledding in the snow (yes, you read that correct), several shows, and Mason’s first adventure on a “big boy” roller coaster.  Mason was about 1/4″ below the minimum height requirement, but fortunately he put on an extra charming smile and the nice lady checking the height pushed us through.  He laughed the entire ride on the Manta Ray and when we were done he told me he was “scared and attracted to it all at the same time”.  I can’t wait until Cutler is tall enough so that Melanie and I can both enjoy the roller coasters at the same time.

While waiting for Melanie and Mason to finish one of the dizzy rides, Melanie’s specialty, we did meet another family that was there courtesy of Make-A-Wish.  It’s hard not to miss each other with the blue shirts, so it’s easy to start up a conversation with them.  However I am not sure how to go about asking what ailment they may have fought or are currently fighting through.  Do you ask what they are in for?  Regardless, we started talking and it turns out they had flown out from Chicago a couple days before us and apparently their son had chosen Legoland as his wish as well.  Oddly enough, the dad grew up in Chicago as a Cardinals fan compared to me who grew up in St. Louis as a Cubs fan.  Sadly he did bring up game 6 from last year so now my wish, if one is ever granted, is to get game 6 over and have a defensive replacement in right field.  Yes, that is probably lost on everyone but the true baseball fans, but there it is.

Cutler is apparently working on a tradition of his own where he refuses to look at the camera when I am trying to take a picture unless he can do the goofy look.  So now a fun game is to get him to smile and to look at the camera at the same time, otherwise I just have to take the photos when he thinks I am not looking.  Perhaps it is payback for the ridiculous amount of clicking I do on each outing, but I assure you it will not slow me down.

After another long day, Cutler did manage to make it home without falling asleep, but was quickly asleep very shortly after dinner.  He was so tired he didn’t even care to join Mason and I at the pool, which was also short lived as it is just too dang cold.  Naturally he was up bright and early making those of us that don’t go to bed before 8 pm pay for not sticking with his schedule.

We spent today at the zoo and I have plenty of photos to share from that in another post…even photos of Cutler smiling.

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Yesterday we started out early with a breakfast at the beach while we watched the surfers and people watched the vast slew of personalities that happen along the beach in the morning.  I wonder if having a breakfast like that gets old after awhile?  I doubt it, but for now to make myself feel better I will believe that it gets tiresome for those that do live along the shores.

We then headed to Legoland for a long and adventurous day of rides and lego displays.  As a big fan of legos, I will say that all three boys had a blast.  It is pretty amazing what you are able to create with legos including battle scenes from each star wars movie and a life size chewbacca and r2d2.  The look on Mason’s face when he saw the battle scenes was priceless as we listened to Cutler continue to ask to find another train.  Apparently he isn’t quite into Star Wars as much as he lets on.  🙂

Perhaps one of the favorite rides for both boys was the driving school.  It is actually sponsored, but I refuse to insert corporate greed into this blog…without getting paid for it.  Fortunately there was a separate school for the different ages and both boys excelled as they avoided any accidents despite a bunch of crazy drivers out there.  Despite previous videos of Cutler’s driving, https://teamfricke.wordpress.com/2012/08/23/drive-it-like-you-rent-it-2/, he was by far the best one on the track.  He was able to swerve and avoid all of the other insane drivers that were wrecking all around him.  All of that time in the driveway is paying off.

One thing we did learn from this trip was that while holding a souvenir over the boys heads as a reward for good behavior is a good thing, it’s not a good thing to wait until the place is close to purchase the reward.  We went into the big shop 10 minutes before the gates close and 40 minutes later we were barely able to escape with our lives.  I was never happier to get a breath of cool fresh air as I was when we escaped the throngs of families trying to pick out their bounty.

It was then on to dinner at a local sea food joint close by to help avoid rush hour where Mason and Cutler continued to show that they are polar opposites when it comes to eating.  Mason boldly chose the grilled fish and Cutler not so boldly went with the chicken nuggets from Jack-In-The-Box across the way.  On the way home Cutler quickly fell asleep and didn’t wake until just an hour ago, including when I had him stand up and go to the bathroom.  He literally was asleep on his feet.  The little fighter was all out of fight and got some much needed rest.

Today we are off to the pool for an early morning and awakening swim in the “heated” pool and then off for another exhausting day at Sea World.  Here’s to hoping the pool is indeed heated.  Hypothermia is a rough way to start the day.

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The day has finally arrived and we are now in San Diego about to depart the hotel and head to Legoland.  The trip was a very easy one, aside from having to convince Cutler that staying at the hotel was the same thing as staying in San Diego and almost leaving a bag at the airport baggage claim.  The boys watched movies and played video games the entire trip while I was able to sneak in a mini nap here and there sandwiched in between them.  Melanie was fortunate enough to sit next to the whiskey guzzling hippie across the aisle.

When we arrived we were unexpectedly met by Jackie with Make-A-Wish at the baggage claim.  Melanie called Cutler over and told him that she was we wearing the same button and he confused it with show her your belly buttons (we include his hole from the g-tube as a second belly button) at which time he quickly lifted his shirt to show them off.  Out of the blue he then ran over and gave her a huge hug, which I believe made her trip to the airport worth it.  She then was nice enough to accompany us to the rental car shuttle where we fortunately discovered that we had left one of the suitcases unattended back at the carousel.  Luckily I got back to the carousel just as the bomb squad was cordoning off the area surrounding the unattended luggage baggage employee was about to take it away and I was on the next shuttle right behind the family.

After that it was a short trip to the hotel and quickly to bed for both boys.  One of the good things about changing two time zones was that the boys were tired enough to go straight to bed.  One of the bad things about changing two time zones is that they wake up at 5 am ready to charge into the day.  Speaking of, off we go to Legoland.

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On Saturday we took the boys to get their hair cut and while getting his cut, Mason was asked what he was doing for Thanksgiving. After telling the stylist that he was going to San Diego she asked if he had family there which gave him the opportunity to explain that we were being sent by Make A Wish because his brother was a leukemia survivor. I sat and listened as he explained that Make A Wish makes wishes come true for kids with cancer like his brother. It was definitely one off proudest moments listening to how mature he was with his explanation and how proud he was of his younger brother for being such a fighter. I often forget how Cutler’s battle impacted Mason and it is moments like this that remind me of how strong he was as well during the time.

The wonderful people at Make A Wish have granted a wish for Cutler to visit Legoland.  We were originally contacted and met with them in April where we spent a wonderful day at their facility and Cutler spent time with our awesome wish granters, Leslie and Lindsey.  Two Saturdays ago we went back to the office where a new group of granters going through training were kind enough to help Leslie and Lindsey greet Cutler with signs showing him that his wish was granted.  He was showered with love, affection, gifts and his favorite lunch of chik-fil-a chicken nuggets.  One of the gifts they included was a chik-fil-a cow almost as tall as Cutler and this quickly took his attention away from everything else.  Everyday Cutler asks us what day it is in anticipation of Friday so he can be prepared for show and tell.  That has since been replaced with him asking me what day it is and then followed with is it time to fly to San Diego.  We received the full itinerary today, along with some more presents for Cutler (he’s not spoiled at all) and the excitement is building.  We will be going to Legoland, the famous San Diego Zoo, Sea World, the Children’s Museum and searching for a good Thanksgiving meal.  🙂  I will try to document each day at the end of the day so it doesn’t wait a year for me to get it all posted once we return to the normal rat race.  Below are a couple pictures of our visit two Saturdays ago.  Only six days to go and we are very excited!

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