San Diego Vacation

We decided to try and take an actual vacation this year but since we can't afford anything where we have to pay for hotels and meals, we went to San Diego and stayed with my dad. Just kidding, we were really looking forward to seeing all our family, going to the beach, the fair and celebrating Caleb's 1st birthday. I had been missing the Del Mar Fair (aka. the San Diego County Fair) for several years now and we wanted to make it a point to go this summer. The kids did great at the fair and Amelia loved going on the kiddie rides and riding the sky tram over the fairgrounds.

We also spent several days at the beach in which Amelia had basically no interest in going in the water but loved the sand. Her cousins, Matthew & Elizabeth, were there too and they were like fish but it still didn't seem to sway Amelia into splashing around much. Caleb loved the sand as well just as he loves the sandbox at home. He would get tuckered out in the early afternoon and fall asleep in someone's arms.

On July 1st, we celebrated Caleb's 1st birthday. Rod's family happened to be vacationing in San Diego at the time and my aunt made the trip down as well so we had a great family birthday party. Caleb was thoroughly uninterested in his presents so his sister gladly opened them for him. He did however love the cake I made him. He ate several big bites then promptly started throwing it on the floor. He's 1 alright! (Yes, he did have a wardrobe change in the middle of the party - diaper issues - need I say more.)

We are planning on going camping a few times before the summer is over so I'll let you know how that turns out with two little ones. Hope your summer is going well!

Trip to San Diego

Two weeks ago, we spent a long weekend in San Diego for some time to get away and see the family. It was an action-packed three days with basically no naps. On Friday we headed to Oceanside to introduce Amelia to the beach. The last time she was there was when she was 6-months old so I don't think she remembers that. Rod's parents were able to join us since they were camping in San Diego with our nephew. Amelia loved playing in the sand with Matt although she didn't really take to his love of the water. The day was a bit overcast, so just having temperatures that allowed us to play in the sand and not sweat to death was nice.


On Saturday, we spent the day at the Wild Animal Park with Grandma & Mitch. It was a beautiful day and Amelia loved seeing the animals. She had her longest nap of the weekend for about 45 minutes while we all ate lunch. She was a little disappointed that the ducks weren't hungry enough to want to eat out of her hand but loved petting the deer. We also got to see the lions up very close at the Lion Camp exhibit.

Sunday found us at the Padres game. A must for me when visiting San Diego, especially since it was Mother's Day. Amelia showed her team spirit in a new outfit from Grandpa. This is her "smiling" to show how excited she was to be at the game. Miraculously, she stayed with us in our seats for the whole game and even more miraculously, we got to see the Pads win! I was thinking about staying another few days with Amelia but decided that three days without naps and a flight alone with a two-year old while 7-months pregnant was not something I wanted to contend with so we came home with Rod on Monday. All in all, we had a great weekend with the family and a good last trip before the baby comes.

Off to San Diego

Since the summer is over, we decided that it was safe to travel again without the risk of being stuck again since we're flying stand-by. This last weekend (Sat.-Tues.), the three of us flew out to San Diego to see both my parents. Thankfully all our flights went smoothly. It is always good to be able to visit with family.

On Sunday we went to the Padres game since a trip to San Diego without seeing a Pads game is torture to me. They have a great grassy park area in center field where we ate our lunch and let Amelia run around for about an hour. It worked out really well because then by the time the game started she was full and tired. She slept for at least 3-4 innings only stirring when the Pads made a good play and everyone cheered. Plus the Padres won!

Here's a side note to anyone with toddlers that likes to eat at Claim Jumper. We went there for dinner after the game and without asking they brought out a toddler plate for Amelia very soon after we were seated. It had cinnamon applesauce, mandarin oranges, turkey and cheese. We didn't have to order anything for her and she had food ASAP so she didn't get fussy. Claim Jumper gets four stars in my book for this idea. All in all it was a fun trip!