Vacation Phone Dump

I pulled a few of these off of my phone. I'm going to natch B's phone to pull some from there, too.

Waiting patiently for the movie to start. Notice they aren't swimming, huddled together, and wearing jackets? Yeah, cause it was 67 degrees. 

There is nothing cuter than them in their wetsuits. That was the highlight of that whole kayaking fiasco.

They did love meeting the characters at Disney. Regardless of what E tells me, I know he especially enjoys it but must keep that cool-9 year old-knows-everything-and-thinks-Disney-is-for-little-kids facade.

This ride- Luigi's Flying Tires was pretty awesome. We all enjoyed it.

Someone is excited about his very first churro 

The Natural History Museum and Science Museum were across the street from the USC stadium. Caden was both amused and disgusted because the headless statues were anatomically correct. 

The California ScienCenter

Using a lever to lift a truck

 Einstein

At the top of the Griffith Observatory

 Them.

Yogurt on our last night in California

Ode to California or How to Wish Real Hard to Win the Lottery So We Can Live Here Forever

Today was our last full day here. I'm sad because I love it here. I could live in San Diego and be okay with doing with way less than what we have now. A 2 bedroom house on Texas Street (How ironic is that??) would do just fine. I decided we'd spend our days exploring the beaches, the caves, the hiking trails, and the history. I could live here.
The Pros:
*The weather!! OMG. I needed a jacket at night and in the mornings. It warms up to about 78 by midday.
*Everyone walks and people actually stop and patiently wait to let you cross.
*The history and historic parts that are available for exploration
*Its got mountains AND beaches
*Little Italy
*Gaslamp Quarter
*Balboa Park and the Zoo
*Swim clubs
*Everyone seems truly at peace and coexists peacefully (again, seemingly so)

The Cons:
*It's not Texas
*It's expensive as crap to live here
*Traffic
*Paying for parking where ever you go or not being able to find a place to park period.
*L.A.
*Affording a 758 sq.ft. house is attainable, but for the price-in Rockwall- we could buy a 4,000 sq.ft. home...and have money left over.


I don't care. I still love it here. I'm glad the boys have enjoyed their time here and have an appreciation for the city of San Diego. 12 years ago, I fell in love with this place and promised I'd bring my kids back in hopes they'd love it as much. Makes me happy!

Day 9: Balboa Park or How Else Can We Tire Them Out Already?

Today was our let's-take-it-easy day here. It was time to just sleep in and have no schedule. We took the boys to Balboa Park to look around. It was relaxing to walk around and show the boys how beautiful this place is.

This. This is interesting because it was an exhibit that had just opened when Brian and I were here in 2001. I got so sickened by it, I had to leave halfway through. Brian laughed when he saw it was still around. (I'm telling you it made me nauseated reading and seeing half of the things used for Medieval torture. And no, we did not partake this go round.)

In the botanical gardens, there's a small set up where you can smell and feel different plants. Caden found the lavender and just kept smelling it over and over. (That and the mint)

This is a flamingo flower. I've never, before today, seen anything like it. 

I got the the-most-awesome-mom-ever award when I suggested we go for a swim as soon as we got back to the hotel.

Day 8; San Diego Zoo or Sometimes Koalas Can Be Jerks

I love the SD Zoo. Love it like no one has ever loved a zoo before. It's the zooiest zoo that ever zooed. I love their conservation efforts and passion for animal husbandry. My kids actually loved this more than Disneyland.
We started the morning in the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Delicious. Caden and I split sweet potato-bananas foster pancakes with fruit and cottage fries. B and E split biscuits and chorizo sausage gravy with poached eggs, fruit, and cottage fries. The portions are huge so splitting seemed to work best. The food here is awesome.  http://www.lafayettehotelsd.com/eat-drink/imig-s-kitchen-bar.htm

We got to the zoo early. 30 minutes before it actually opened, to be exact. One of the zookeepers came out to talk about what we'd see and showcased a specific animal, then, 8 macaws flew overhead to officially open the zoo.
The zoo is huge. The best bet is to go view the pandas first because there's usually a long line to see them and they are most active in the mornings. Then, make your way around and just view the animals. We took the Skyrail to the upper part of the zoo and walked around that portion. We took the guided tour bus around the zoo last to view anything we couldn't see which worked out awesomely because we got to see the animals that had crowds around them that we didn't have the opportunity to see before. Side tip: If you're an adult or child, you do not need to spend 10 minutes viewing an animal. There are other people waiting to see too. You can look for a minute or two, take the picture (if you so desire) and then move so people can see. It's agitating. *rant over*

If you get a chance to go, for the size of the zoo that it is and the things your ticket provides you, it is worth the cost. And, the crowds really are not that bad if you get there before it opens. See the pandas first. You're welcome.

I kept thinking of the sloth meme when I saw this guy. I love him though. He moved around a lot which was so shocking that we had 8 zookeepers around us documenting his movements. Also, note to self: Convince B I need a pet sloth that I must name "Baby Ruth."

Did you know that polar bears are actually omnivorous?

These bears were taught to dig in garbage cans to forage for food by their mother. Once they do that, they are considered a danger/risk to humans and could be killed. To protect them, the zoo took them in and is teaching them "bear behaviors" for attaining food.

It's a baaabyyy giraffe!

Yes, that is a dog. Let me explain. Apparently, he lives with this cheetah pictured. The reason is because the dogs help the cheetah become less of a loner in captivity. Cheetahs are apparently loners much like most big cats (lions are the only social big cats) and since dogs are loyal, social creatures, each cheetah has his/her own dog that they are raised with, building a lifelong companionship.

This koala was being a jerk about having his picture taken. 

Koalas are jerks.