Days 2,3 in Wonderful SanDiego

Hannah took this picture. She positioned us and everything!

Can you guess what Hannah is catching?

Day 2 was Marathon day-really it was our first full day in San Diego and we wanted to make the most of it. We started out going to Point Loma to see Cabrillo National Monument. It was really neat-the view was amazing. We stopped at the military cemetery and the kids helped to re stake flags that had fallen down. Noah thought it was pretty cool that the scouts got to put flags up. We then went to the USS Midway-an aircraft carrier turned museum, so fun! We went to Old Town-the Mormon Battalion museum was closed, but we had a great time walking around the historic sites. At some point we drove over the Coronado Bridge in attempt to have some beach time but it was so busy and parking was scarce so we just drove around the town admiring the homes. I'm a little disappointed we didn't make it to the beach-but it didn't get above 65 degrees most of the time. I was FREEZING.

Day 4 Sea World

We went to all the shows (at night) on one day and focused on the rides and exhibits the next day. AWESOME!! We got there when it opened and had no wait for anything. YIPEE!!!! We went to three night shows and it was so funny leaving one and racing the crowd to the other-it felt like a race... I forgot how much more clout a stroller gives you in a crowd. Just kidding-I didn't run over to many people.

Day 5 The Zoo

We had a great time at the zoo. We got there 20 minutes before it opened, made a plan of attack and ended up seeing everything and then some. We traversed the entire zoo in three hours. We were by ourselves when we viewed the Pandas and Koalas. A mama Koala was carrying around her baby-so cute. My favorite were these crazy howling monkeys. We were the only ones at the exhibit and it ended up really creeping me out. I would hate to be in the jungle with these things...The kids thought they were hilarious.

Day 6 - Hotel Boredom and Balboa Park

"Okay guys, Hannah and Noah I want you to smile-Bradeigh give me attitude" OH PERFECT! "Okay, now Bradegh give me super cute smile while Hannah and Noah give me attitude." Great!

Good thing I didn't want you all to look sweet at the same time...

I ended up catching a cold, so the kids and I stayed in the hotel until the afternoon when Jared got back and we went to the Natural History Museum to see the Body Works display and walked around Balboa Park. While in the hotel we had a fun taking pictures. I curled Hannah's hair and she got dressed up in hopes we would finally go to dinner at a fancy resaurant. (We showed her a menu for one of the fancy restaurants and she decided her taste wasn't that sophisticated yet-and we weren't about to spend $50 on a steak which was the only thing on the menu she could pronounce and sounded good....)

Day 7 Lego Land!!!!

Our trip was winding to a close. What better way to spend the day than finding ways to terrify our children for our amusement. :)

Where do I begin

I suppose from the beginning. San Diego is a great city. We had such a terrific time. I couldn't live there- 65 degrees is a little chilly for me, by the time we left I was craving sunshine and heat. It was May Gray-so maybe during June and July it's warmer and brighter. San Diego's downtown area is so fun. It ranks #2 just behind Chicago for me.

Day 1

Arrive and walk the Gaslamp Quarter have diiner at Sea Port Village. I LOVE SAN DIEGO!!!

In 10 years Noah will be 17... WHAAAAAAAAAA!

Even though I really do savor the moments of the present, I can't help but look into the future that seems to be knocking at the door. The older I get the quicker life seems to flash by. In many ways that's probably why I like to try and cram as many wonderful memories in as I can. Why vacations tend to take budget priority, and things like new kitchen cabinets can wait.

So the kids sold thier quads at the last few garage sales we had along with some toys, saved up birthday money and decided to pool thier resources and buy this monster. We have been eyeing it for about two years now, and this spring they finally had enough to buy it.

They love it! It's fun but a pain to take down. Here are some pics from Noah's birthday party.

Let's See If I Can Pull This Off

I began the week with a list of "let's see if I can pull this off" things to do. Top five on that list were:

#1 Trip to Costco with baby to get supplies for blessing brunch- I nursed her in the parking lot, put her in a sling and whala, no problemo. WOW! I can totally do this!!!!

#2 Leave baby with Jared to take pics at Sushi Ten restaurant grand opening. Hmmm. This was scary. But an hour and a half later baby was still happy and I didn't feel like a horrid mom.

#3Bring family to another photo shoot at the same sushi restaurant for a birthday celebration.

Family was awesome, and despite Hannah's momentary freak out at what was served for dinner when she happened to be "starving", we all had a great time.

#4Get me, baby, and kids ready and to church on time at 9:00am for Bradeighs blessing. We made it at 9:00 exactly. I wanted to get there early but got distracted taking pictures of the kids and my mom before we left. Point is-I made it and Bradeigh did not have a diaper blow out despite not having a bowel movement for three days. (She likes to save up). Hurrah! Hurrah!

#5 Host a family gathering after church. Thanks to every one's help this went smoother than I anticipated. Thanks for all your support and love!

So I feel like I'm ready for Noah's b-day party in a couple weeks and am relatively confident I'll be able to take on San Diego with the kids.