Sandy Lego

We had such a fun trip to San Diego last week, or Sandy Lego as the girls call it.  Ben and I had planned on going just the two of us last August before Gwena arrived (babymoon) but that had to be canceled when we found out we were moving to Utah. So it was rescheduled for March and became a getaway for the whole family.

The first day was a travel day and we left late in the afternoon. The flight was fine but the drive from Orange County into SD was rough. The airline broke the handle and the brake on our big double stroller and then the rental car company tried to squish us into a car that was way too small and not what we had selected online. The girls were tired and grouchy and Rosie kept running away in the parking lot and then all three girlies screamed their heads off for a good chunk of the drive. It was just no good. Then we finally arrived at the hotel and I put the kids to bed and Ben ran to get some groceries at which time I discovered I was missing an earring, one of my favorites that I just got for Christmas.  Then Ben walked back through the door with a bag of groceries from Trader Joes instead of from the Food 4 Less I had instructed him to go to. I have been having major $ anxiety the past little while so this set me off after a long day of everything going wrong. Bad start. I only share it because it's humorous now and I know I'll want to remember the good and the bad when these cute girls of ours are all grown up.

Luckily the next day was gorgeous and beautiful and everything felt so much better as we strolled through Balboa Park and the girls raced ahead to touch the water in the fountains and pick flowers from the bushes. What an awesome place. We went to the zoo which was so fun. The best part was the mama orangutan carrying her new baby on her tummy who was born just before and looked so much like my perfect Gwena.  We also witnessed a  huge male polar bear racing across the enclosure to break up a fight between the two females.

The next day we went to Sea World and had another rough day which is I suppose is bound to happen traveling with 3 very young kids. The girls had been going to bed late and not getting their naps so they were exhausted and super whiny. It was supposed to be the warmest day of the week but there was a really chilly wind that we didn't dress for and made us all a little cranky. We loved the Shamu show and Evie was rocking out and dancing and laughing until she got splashed and burst into tears. The whales and the walruses and the dolphins were awesome...but it did make me a little sad watching them in their tanks. When we got home we watched that documentary Blackfish and that really sent me into a tailspin over these whales in captivity... :(  

One of my very favorite and most magical childhood memories was at Seaworld as a kid. We watched the whales all day and then stayed late into the evening playing on this giant net/water playground and left as the fireworks were going off. It was a little different this time around.

The next day we spent in LegoLand and although we had a few people tell us they weren't wild about it, Rosie and Evie loved it and we had a great day. Most of the rides are geared for a younger crowd (maybe 3-8 yrs) and the weather was perfect. We stopped at the San Diego Temple on the way and it was gorgeous and the perfect start to the day. We also left the park for lunch and feasted like kings at the Costco down the street which was a nice change from our organic Trader Joes PB&J lunches we had been having every other day. We closed the park down and had an awesome day.

Our last full day we got up and drove to Coronado for the morning. The girls loved being at the beach and digging in the sand and running from the waves. I wish we had spent more time there and worn our suits later in the day. I'm sad the girls won't be at the beach again this year because we aren't going to Newport. After the beach we went back to Balboa park for lunch and went to the Air and Space Museum and the Natural History museum because they were included on our Go Pass.  Then we headed back to the hotel for naps and swimming.

Out of everything we did and all the $ spent, Rosie and Evie's favorite thing was swimming in the hotel pool every evening....go figure. We brought their floaties and couldn't believe how brave they are suddenly, especially Evie. Rather than clinging to us for dear life she was jumping off the side and able to dog paddle and kick her way around the pool. One night we were in the hot tub and she was so desperate to get back into the pool she started carrying handfuls of water from the hot tub to the pool to warm it up because I told her I was too cold. Cutie pie. We need to book a trip out to Grandma and Grandpa M's house for a visit and some serious swim time.

Gwena was such a good girl. 4 months old. She just went with the flow and napped in the stroller or in our arms or in the baby bjorn on my chest. We heard her first true belly laughs several times on this trip as she sat right in between her sisters in the little backseat and had a good view of all their antics. Listening to the three of them goofing off and laughing together in the car was another highlight.

It was a fabulous trip. We have done a lot of vacations with our families and done lots of long weekend away but this was our first more major trip with just our little family. Exhausting and expensive, yes--
but we made some great memories and had a wonderful time. So very worth it.