San Diego

During our year in California we made some really great friends and one couple in particular we agreed to do an annual reunion vacation with.  So this year we headed up to San Diego and met John & Heather and their kids, Caleb and Hayden.  Bella was so excited about the airplane ride to get there that I had to make a countdown chain just so she could visualize how many more days we had until we could go!

The day we arrived we checked into our hotel, napped, and enjoyed the heated pool.  Wednesday morning we headed to La Jolla beach where Bella played in the sand while David climbed on rocks looking for sea life.  The place we hung out is where the sea lions are so it was neat to be surrounded by them while we played.  We walked the shops in the town and also explored "the Cave" where you walk down 165 steps under rock until you reach an opening into the ocean. Pretty cool.  Our friends arrived that night so we spent the evening catching up.

Chasing the birds

 Enjoying the sand

 Me and my boo

 Sea Lions

 The Cave

Thursday we spent the day at the San Diego zoo.  I remember it being big but walking it pregnant, in the heat, was a little more tiring than I anticipated.   Because of the zoo's size it also requires a lot of walking/time to get from one exhibit to the next and by the end of the day the kids were over it.  They did thoroughly enjoy the cable car ride and ice cream to finish the day!

Enjoying the petting zoo

 Best buds-Caleb and Bella

 Hello monkey!

 Giraffe's

 Happy girl!

Friday we went to Legoland.  Bella is a ride junkie like her mama so this was right up her alley.  She did pretty well waiting in line and had an absolute blast on each ride.  She rode a safari jeep, helicopter, two airplanes, a boat, a train, and played in the splash pad.  She LOVED the helicopter and talks about it daily.  After the rides we headed over to the aquarium and the kids really enjoyed the fish and touch tanks.

Safari car ride

 Riding the train with Caleb

 Building Lego towers

 Her favorite helicopter ride

 Boat ride with Caleb and Heather

 Splash pad fun

Getting to touch a starfish 

Alas, all good trips must come to an end and we were headed out Saturday morning.  We found a cute little restaurant on the beach for breakfast and the kids got to play in the sand for a little while before we headed to the airport. What a great trip!  And so wonderful to be with old friends....Until next year!