End-of-Winter getaway

I don't know about the rest of you, but this has been the looooongest winter ever for me. I think I say this every year, but I mean it this time. Way too much snow and way too much sickness. We decided to head out for a few days with the kids. We hit up California. It was really great to get out of the cold, and into some sunshine. We spent some time with our friends, Alex and Brittany, and Matt's cousin Stacy. We hung out on the beach, did some cave exploring, and went on a boat tour to see dolphins and whales. We never actually saw any, but we did get a voucher to try again another time. We were bummed, but now we have an excuse to go back soon. :) Little Kate loves herself some good beach time. She was all over that sand. Zach, on the other hand, still won't set foot on the beach. He sat with his blanky and watched. I really hope he grows out of that before summer. There is something about a beach that is so healing. The instant I see the ocean, I have a physical reaction. Endorphins shoot straight through my body. I love it. I really hope to one day have a beach house. I just have to save 3 trillion dollars first. We also spent some time in Hollywood. We got to see the LA Temple which is located next door to the BET Network Headquarters. We LOLed. We had some delicious pancakes at the Griddle that is right there on Sunset Blvd. The famous Hollywood and Vine was closed for the Oscars. We also drove through Malibu and hung out at Santa Monica Pier. I bribed Kate to go on the Roller Coaster with me at the pier. She ended being too short, so we went on the Dragon ride which is basically like Lagoon's Tidal Wave. Kate cried so hard after. Not what she meant. It was great. One thing California needs to work on is the constant traffic on every highway at every hour of every day. Matt was pert near homicidal while driving in those jams. Still a great, great time.
Here is a butt load of pictures (seriously like 50 pics) from the great weekend: