Driving home from San Diego

Friday (Day 5)

On Friday, we got up early and drove all of the way home. We did stop at the magic mountains in Las Vegas. I wanted to see it before it’s gone and it was the perfect opportunity and perfect time to stop.

San Diego really was such a great vacation. We made some great memories and had some great experiences as a family!

San Diego Day 4

Thursday (Day 4)

            This was our “free day.” We had plans to go to Belmont Park but the kids were pretty tired and we didn’t really see the point. We started our day by renting a surrey bike that fit our whole family. This was sort of a “bucket list” thing for me. I was pretty excited about it and we were staying on Mission Bay so we were able to bike right along the beach! Unfortunately, CC wasn’t as excited about it, and just wanted to be held, which left Trav pedaling our whole family without any help! I tell ya…  it’s good thing I married a strong guy! I felt so bad watching him power the bike with his family on it, without any help.  Luckily, this was only for some of it and I was able to help for most of the ride. We rode around to a park and stopped to play for a while. Overall, it really was fun!

After that adventure, we loaded up the fam and went to Old Town San Diego. This was kind of random but I am really glad that we went. It was so fun because it was all decorated for the day of the dead so it was absolutely beautiful! I wanted to be a crazy tourist and take pics of everything haha

We got lunch at chick-fil-a and headed back to the hotel. We took advantage our Resort’s private beach and had a blast making a sand castle, looking for sea shells, and just enjoying each other. We were actually the only ones on the beach for quite a while. After that, I took Coleman and Carly back to the room for naps and Trav and Chance went to the hotel pool. 

San Diego Day 3

Wednesday (Day 3)

We debated many ideas for what to do on this day. California has so many fun options and things to do. We decided to try Knott’s Berry Farm since we may never really have the opportunity to go again. It definitely did not disappoint. It is “peanuts” themed so we got the boys some snoopy shirts. They met snoopy and Woodstock.  Chance loves characters and Coleman doesn’t care for them haha They have tons of rides for kids and then Trav and I took turns trying a super cool rollercoaster. We definitely want to go back when our kids are older because they have tons of cool rollercoasters. We had panda express for lunch there which I was pretty excited about! While Coleman and Carly slept, Chance went on bumper cars over and over! He was in heaven! Coleman loved going on rides because he could scream constantly without getting in trouble haha Outside of the kid area, it is “western” themed and there are many photo ops and silly things to see. We went on all of the kid’s rides several times and stayed til closing. One of Chance’s favorite memories is at the very end of the day, when I accidentally went into the boys bathroom HAHA yes, I am totally nuts. And the best part is, I didn’t actually realize it til I came out of the stall. Luckily, no one else was there haha

San Diego Day 3

Tuesday (Day 3)

            We decided to hit up the San Diego Zoo Safari Park this day. We didn’t really know what to expect and it is a little further away (plus San Diego morning traffic) but we still managed to get there before the park actually opened. The Safari Park is kind of hard… it’s not as good as the Zoo for little kids because there are not as many animals, and they are not as close as the Zoo. The enclosures are large, so you walk a lot….see some animals… walk a lot… see some animals. However, you get to see many of the same type of animals so you get a glimpse of their family life and interactions, which we really loved! With the gorillas and elephants we saw the animals at all stages of life from silly little babies to the old ornery ones. 

            They have a tram that takes you out to where the animals can sort of “roam free.” The first time we rode it, we saw an animal (gazelle or something similar) having a baby! It was crazy. The legs were sticking out and everything! We rode the tram again a few hours later and the baby had been born! There was also a cape buffalo that had been born the day previous. That was really cool! We also learned that vultures are important because they eat disease and don’t pass it on. I love learning about animals and about their specific contributions.

            The safari park had a carousel that we rode several times. Also, we chose a multi colored elephant for Carly’s souvenir. We named it “Fancy” after her favorite TV show, Fancy Nancy. Again, it's not great for little kids but they still enjoyed it. I loved it and could just watch one type of animal for hours but I am animals obsessed haha