San Diego

After spending a glorious three days in Disneyland we headed to San Diego.  We were staying at Brandon's great Uncle Kink's house who passed away last fall.  It was our last chance to spend some time there before they sell the house.  We packed a lot of things into the week we were there and had a lot of fun. 

We took Alex to the beach for the first time.  He was a little unsure about the sand at first but quickly decided he liked it.  It was kind of a cold day but we all got in the water anyway.  Because it was a little cool we didn't stay too long but it was fun while it lasted. 

The next day we went to the Wild Animal Park.  This is a little like a zoo except for the animals aren't in cages but instead get to roam in big open areas.  We took a tram ride around the park to see the animals. 

The next day we headed out to some tide pools.  It was a lot of fun exploring the area and finding creatures in the water.  We found a lot of pretty big crabs.  Alex was not a huge fan of the crabs but he did like splashing around in the water and climbing on lots of rocks. 

Alex loved having Mikah around all the time to play with.  They would get pretty crazy together running around the house.  To calm Alex down we would sometime put a movie on our bed.  He would watch an entire movie, snuggled up with his new Jack doll and his "Dee Dee."

 On Monday we went to Sea World.  I have not been to Sea World since I was very little so it was a first for me and Alex.  We saw lots of shows, saw lots of amazing animals and even rode a few rides.  It was a hot, but fun day. 

 Poor Alex spent a lot of the vacation in his stroller.  Most of the time he was very patient but occasionally he would start to squirm to get out.  He loved running around any chance we would let him. 

 Watching the Shamu show. 

 At the end of the day we gave Alex this shark as a Souvenir.  He was so excited when we gave it to him.  He snuggled it and started talking in a scary shark voice.  He has slept with it every night since. 

 Heading out of Sea World Alex decided to climb into the back of the car instead of in his chair.  (He is roaring at us, not crying). 

On Tuesday morning Brandon and I got up a little early and were able to go to the San Diego Temple and do a session.  It is famous for being an especially beautiful temple so I was really excited not only to see it but to go inside it.  Brandon and I really enjoyed being there in the temple together.  Thanks for babysitting Clements family!

After attending the Temple we met up with everyone else at the beach.  This time it was a little warmer but the water was still pretty cold.  We had a good time playing in the sand and getting some sun.  I was relieved that Alex really behaved well on the vacation but while we were at the beach he had a moment of crazy.  He went over to the cooler that had everyones open cans of pop on top of it and started hitting them all off.  He is a crazy kid sometimes but that's why we love him!  

Our last day in San Diego we spent at the San Diego Zoo.  We had such a good time there and it is a pretty amazing zoo. 

 The highlight of the zoo was of course seeing the Panda.  We must have caught him at a good time because he was very active and put on quite the show.  I could have watched him all day. 

 Alex finished another day asleep in his stroller. 

Overall, we had such a great time in California.  It was so much fun to spend time with family.  We did so many fun things and loved watching Alex experience so many new things.  We can't wait to do it again!