San Diego

I am really on the ball...only four months behind on posting. I can't leave this one out though! Jackson still talks about this trip on almost a daily basis. It was such a great time and so amazing to be with Douglas' parents and siblings. We all met up in Oceanside, California and stayed in a time share that D's parents are a part of. It was a nice, new condo with two bedrooms, bathrooms, full kitchen, family room and balcony. There was a nice pool and hot tub and the ocean was a two minute walk. Really we couldn't have asked for more.

We were able to do most of the San Diego touristy things. We bought 5 days passes from Costco so we went to Sea World, The San Diego Zoo, and The Wildlife Park (is that the name). They were all really cool, though if I went again with young kids, I would choose one park and do more beach and pool time. By the time we went to the Zoo on the last day the kids were worn out and melted down shortly into our trip. Needless to say, it was probably the shortest Zoo visit of all time. The kids were content just hanging out in the pool.

Sea World was a HUGE hit with Jackson. He really got into all the shows, especially Shamu. Paige was, let's be honest, less than stellar behavior wise, but given her age and personality, I really didn't expect more. I think one of the highlights of Sea World was the cotton candy. There is nothing like artificially died, spun sugar to make a kid happy. They also have a cute little kids amusement park which the kids loved. The weather was perfect as well.

We didn't spend too much time at the Wildlife park. We were trying to let Paige get a nap and underestimated how long the drive was, so by the time we got there we had about an hour and a half to see the park. Jackson went with his grandparent's so got to enjoy more of it. The safari ride they do it really cool. You get to see a lot of neat animals. It was especially cool to see the lions up close. Of course, most of the time I was dealing with an onery daughter (common theme??) so I could have enjoyed it more :).

The beach was fantastic. The water wasn't quite as cold as I thought it would be. We also had some tasty meals (no trip is good without great food). One night we cooked steaks and shrimp on the beach grill (added "pubic flavor" as Douglas described it...gross). The food though...DELISH. My fantastic inlaws also took the kids one evening and we were ablt to go out with Douglas' sister and her hubby for a VERY tasty meal at a restaurant on that sat right on the beach. It was delicious seafood. I think my mouth is salavating just thinking about it.

Like I said, Jackson asks all the time when we can go to San Diego again. It was just such a relaxing and fun trip. Oceanside is a nice place to stay...it was nice to have the ocean so close. Can't wait to go again.

On the way home we were able to go up to Irvine to visit my brother and his family for the night. The kids had a great time together as usual.

So there you go...the details are sparce thanks to my poor memory. Hopefully the pictures will tell the story...there are a lot of them!! Thanks again George and DeEtte for an amazing time! Can't wait to do it again!






























The kids with their Irvine cousins. Craziness.
We do what we need to to stay entertained on the road trip home.