SeaWorld San Diego (day 2)

Bright and early Monday morning we headed over to SeaWorld.  We knew that our main focus at SeaWorld was going to be the animal shows. We also figured it would be a good testing ground to see what types of rides Jared and Lydia would enjoy.  We planned our day around the shows a few days before and saw all the ones we wanted to.  When we were choosing shows to see Mark asked me about the Shamu/One Ocean show and I was pretty impartial even though its like what SeaWorld started with. (Technically some UCLA graduates came up with SeaWorld and they wanted it to be more of an underground restaurant/city) It was a good show but the least favorite of our family so if you go and don't have time to see it it is not the end of the world. I Liked the Shamu up close viewing underground much better. Mark and I liked Blue Horizons the most, with the dolphins,whales, birds, and acrobats.  Jared liked SLL, Sea Lions Live the most.  It was very clever and silly.

One Ocean/Shamu up close:

Blue Horizons Stage:

SLL:

Cirque de La Mar:
Jared and Lydia didn't really appreciate this show.  It was pretty hot and in direct sunshine but the things the performers did were amazing. I have never seen Cirque De Soleil but these performers were awesome and did it over water and jumping into the water.

Those long white things are trampolines and they would jump from the top down to them, do a trick then bounce back up to the top.  Then they jumped off the edges and did fun tricks into the bay. The trapeze performers would have to be so strong and so trusting. You can just see the big trampoline and huge plastic balls in the bottom left corner. It was amazing.

Watching Dolphins:

Rides: We went on a few others but these were the favorites.
Bay Side Skyride: This ride was nice and cool. We got to walk right on and it zipped us across the bay then brought us back. Jared and Lydia loved it. It was fun to be over the ocean and have a great view.

Shipwreck rapids:
Lydia was too short to go on this ride but we knew Jared would love it. He and Mark went on it and he loved getting all wet. Lydia and I waited to watch them go by and she was so patient, it was a long wait.

We went into the Wild Arctic exhibit and discovered that Jared really does not like going into dark tunnels.  This continued at Disneyland/CA Adventure too which really limited the rides he would go on. You go underground in this exhibit so you can see the animals in the water and Jared was pretty freaked out.  We saw polar bears, whales, and a walrus.  I had never seen a walrus in real life, they are massive! We hurried out of there and went to check out the turtles and penguins. Jared said he really wanted to see the penguins but we had to rush through there because it was so dark. It was really cool though. It is amazing how big some of those penguins were and cool to see them swimming around. Whenever we see them at the Colorado Springs zoo they are just standing around. This seemed much more natural.  It was hard to get him to go see the turtles because they were also in a dark room. But he did it.

To finish off the day we headed over to Sesame Street Bay of Play.  There are some little rides that Lydia could go on and some really fun play areas.  Jared loved this net climbing, bridge one.  It was really big and took you up pretty high. It was cool, he could have stayed there for hours. They also had a splash pad area and Lydia loved running around in it and getting soaking wet.  Thankfully we had brought extra clothes for each of them which they were happy to have on the drive back to the hotel.

We really had a great day.  SeaWorld is nice because it has different attractions then other places. It was fun to see the animals and it was good practice for Disneyland. We learned that Jared and Lydia (especially Lydia) really enjoy the shows and what things sort of scare them and what they could handle.

San Diego Fun (day 1)

After Vegas we drove down to San Diego. I had never actually been to San Diego so I was pretty excited.  It was really pretty and fun to be so close to the ocean but again, I can't imagine living somewhere that has such little variation in the weather. We got there Saturday evening (we drove from Mark's mom's house in Utah 10 hours) and got settled in our hotel which was very nice. Our room had a whole kitchen so we could make a smoothie in the morning, yes, we traveled with our blender and have used it often.
Sunday we went to church and then headed over to the San Diego Temple.  This temple is so pretty. It's also huge and really hard to take a good picture of because we are not photographers so we just look so little. Jared and Lydia had fun walking around the grounds.  We got there and the gates were closed but just a few minutes later (at 11:00) they were opened.  A family with kids with similar ages to ours walked in with us so we took pictures for each other.  Jared was thrilled there were two little boys (3 and 5) to run around with. It was nice to take them to another new temple.

After the temple we went back to the hotel (we had a different one for the next 2 nights) to check out and get ready for the beach. Lydia had never been to a beach or seen the ocean before and Jared hadn't gone since he was around 18 months so we were excited to see how they reacted. Jared loved it when he was 18 months old and they both loved it this time around. At first Jared did not want to go in the water, he just wanted to dig in the sand. i got Lydia down to the water and she was a little hesitant then decided it was pretty great.  We all had fun playing in the water, running from waves and letting them crash into us.  After awhile some seaweed/kelp floated over to where we were and Jared was not a fan of it at all.  I don't really like it either. It just sort of creeps me out. I told Jared how I really didn't like it when I was little because it was so creepy and gross so I totally understood how he felt. The water was a really comfortable temperature.  This nice man behind us offered to take our picture which made me happy, especially when I saw this article a few days ago.  I don't love wearing a swimsuit but love playing with my kids so it is always worth it. He lives in that area (Carlsbad) and commented on how warm the water was.  We were happy it was. We really had a great time and impressively none of us got sunburnt. I am quite pleased with how well we used our sunscreen for this Southern California part of our trip.  No real sunburns at all. I am happy we could go have fun at the beach. I think I would like to take them to the beach when we head up to Oregon too, even though it is so much colder there. 

We really had a great time!

Las Vegas PIt Stop.

On our way to San Diego we stopped in Las Vegas for a quick trip to The M&M Factory. It's not really a factory that would be way more fun, but a store spread out over 4 levels.  We had told Jared and Lydia we were going there so Lydia kept saying "M! M! M's!" They were very excited.  We were not so excited to walk from the MGM Grand Hotel to the M&M place in the 104 degree weather. As we were walking around I just felt bad for the people who live there. I can't imagine ever living somewhere so hot so much of the time. I know they just get used to it but it is not something I would enjoy. I wouldn't even really enjoy the warmer winters. I just like seasons.
So we went to the factory and enjoyed the cool air and then walked back to the car through the hotel this time, which was of course so much better.  Jared and Lydia picked out the M&M's they wanted and stood by the M&M Nascar race car.  It was fun and quick.

 The wall of M&M's was my favorite part. 

Jared didn't really care about Ironman but was pretty happy to see Batman so we too a picture for a small tip, of course. 

Pre Disneyland fun!

We have had a lot of fun with our Disneyland countdown. I think Jared and Lydia are feeling pretty ready for the trip. They know some of the things to expect now and seem really excited. I am trying hard to not let myself stress out about seeing all the things we want or waiting in line forever.  I think having a plan is a good idea especially as Mark and I haven't been to Disneyland for over 10 years and have never gone with a 4 and 2.5 year old.  I need to remind myself to let Jared and Lydia decide things they want to see too, to follow their lead.  In reality if we miss some things they won't even know since they are so young.

Made a cute craft:

Hunted for Hidden Mickeys:

Made pictures with our new Disney stickers:

Eaten Mickey Mouse shaped foods on Mickey and Minnie mouse plates: pancakes and sandwiches

Watched Disney movies, parades and rides. We and made lists of the rides we don't want to miss and the Top 5 characters we want to meet.

Rides: (We didn't have time to watch them all, and most of these are Jared's since Lydia is too short:)
1. Radiator Springs Racers
2. Splash Mountain
3. Matterhorn
4. Soarin over California
5. Grizzly River Run

Jared's top 5 characters:
1. Captain Hook
2. Pluto
3. Mr. Incredible
4. Merida
5. Old Hag (not sure how we will find her)

Lydia's Top 5 characters
1. Tinkerbell
2. Daisy Duck
3. Mary Poppins
4. Ariel
5. Merlin (so random!)

We will finish up the last 5 on the road.  It's been fun but I am tired of all the thinking and planning and just want to go!  We leave tomorrow for San Diego then were off to the Happiest Place on Earth (so I hear...)

Utah week 4

I can't believe we have been here for 4 weeks!  I also can't believe its time to leave for our West Coast adventures. We are so excited and are having the best summer!

Sue came home from California Monday afternoon so after we went swimming we I spent some time making sure the house was ready for her. I have been working very hard to make sure her flowers stayed alive why she was gone.  They were looking great and then when I went out to hang up our swimming suits I noticed that 3 of her pots looked all wilted.  We checked the timer for her watering system, it seemed fine then we noticed that someone with little hands had turned off the water faucet! That means they missed one or two days of water. I could not believe it happened on the day she was returning.  She has lots of flowers and all the others one looked good but I was so sad those 3 didn't. I hope they can bounce back. They are already looking a little better today. After we celebrated Sue being home we headed over to Neptune park.  We had fun swinging and sliding. Mark go tout a kite to fly but Jared and Lydia were too busy playing.  This park has this huge pyramid and ever since we first went 2 years ago I have wanted to climb it but have always been too busy interacting with our kids.  This time since Sue was there and it wasn't too crowded Mark and I climbed up it. It was fun.  We tried to get Jared to come with us but he was not very interested.  Maybe some other time.

 At the top!

Watching Paw Patrol with Grandma Sue, their favorite way to start the day here. 

Tuesday was pretty chilly here. Not at all summer like. It was just under 60 degrees in the morning with light sprinkles so we headed indoors. We went over to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point. Sue has the Grandparent membership so she gets in free as do all of her grandkids and adults get in for half price. There are lots of fun things at Thanksgiving Point but it could get quite pricey so we think her membership is awesome.  We will probably be spending a lot of time there this last week. We had fun checking out the fossils and exhibits then made our way over to the sand and water table.  Before we left we stopped in the "fossil" room.  There is a large sand pit with a dinosaur fossil underneath. Jared loves digging so he had a hey day in there. Lydia enjoyed it too. Jared just wanted to dig holes while Lydia did actually attempt to brush some of the sand off the fossil.  It was a nice outing.

By the time Jared and Lydia got up from their naps it was 49 degrees with a steady rain.  So we decided hot chocolate would be the perfect afternoon snack.  It was funny timing because just the other day Jared was wishing we could have some hot chocolate.  He kept talking about how we only drink it in winter time like January when it really cold.  It was a fun treat for him.  He says hot chocolate is his favorite drink but he also says that about anything that isn't water or milk which is what we have most often.

Tuesday night Mark and I headed up to Sugarhouse in Salt Lake to catch up with my some of my family.  My brother Derek and his wife Allison are actually on tour right now with their band PETS, and their first stop was in Salt Lake! Derek had sent a message to me and Susanna about meeting up in Seattle and in that message Susanna mentioned that she and Ryan were planning on going to their show here in Sugarhouse! When I read that I got so excited.  We are only 30 - 40 minutes from Sugarhouse!  I quickly wrote back that we would come to the show too.  It's so fun that they are playing here while we are here and that Susanna and Ryan are coming down from Twin Falls.  We met up with Susanna and Ryan for dinner at Cafe Zupas which was grew because I have been wanting to try out that place.  All of Mark's family loves it. It was delicious and then after that we went over for some Gelatto, also delicious. For some reason whenever my sister Susanna and I get together everything seems funnier to me and I have so much fun just laughing.  When we lived together in college we always said we would try to be next door neighbors. Sadly this has not worked out for us but it sure would be fun if it did.  I am so glad that we got to get together to see PETS. Derek and Allison just released a new CD so it was extra fun to hear their new music.  They really love performing and do a really good job. I think it makes them really happy.  I am so glad we could see them and visit a little bit.

Mark, Aprillee, Derek, Allison (PETS), Ryan, and Susanna.

Wednesday we headed back to the Children's Museum at Thanksgiving Point.  Jared and Lydia had a lot of fun last time we went and were so happy when they found out where we were going.

Since we had gone before we spent some time in the places we isn't get to do much in last time. Jared had fun in the little market and Lydia loved this little toddler "gym" area. Jared wanted to climb on the rope ladders and jungle gym temple so Mark took Lydia to the water area and I Stayed with Jared. In the jungle gym temple area there is a little tunnel that is pitch dark. The idea is to crawl through using your senses to get out. Sadly Jared could not find his way out because it was so dark and got really scared. He started crying so I crawled in there and together we found the way out.  I felt bad that he got so scared and am glad I could find the way out. Seriously so dark! Lydia loved the water area.  We got there right when it opened so it wasn't too crowded yet so she could play with lots of things as much as she wanted.

Last time we went we didn't go outside at all. We fixed that today and spent a good amount of time out there. Jared always loves playgrounds that have these excavator toys so he was a happy boy. Lydia just loves swinging so she was happy as can be.

 They were both proud of themselves for climbing as high as they did on this structure. 

With a little coaxing Jared was willing to try out this tunnel. After his experience inside he was not very interested in them. I am glad he went through this one because he really loves them.  All too soon it was time to go back to the house for lunch and naps.  We had so much fun we decided that we would go back after naps.  We did but it was way too crowded. You really couldn't enjoy the exhibits because there were so many kids and adults there.  They also switched out the large block area for some science experiments.  Jared was really looking forward to the blocks so that was a bummer. I am glad we had as much fun as we did in the morning. We spent most of our time outside again.  We found a little digging area which Jared loves, he is always up for a good dig!  We spent some more time at the playground and then we headed over to the Noah's Ark exhibit.  Which is really cool. We didn't put our kids in their swimming suits but sometimes I think splash park things are more fun when you are in your clothes because its unexpected.  They had a great time getting soaking wet.

Jared with Noah.

Thursday we went swimming with Sue in the morning. After that we headed back to Thanksgiving Point.  This time we went over to the gardens there. They are so beautiful! Sue rented a golf cart and we drove around enjoying all the open green space and good smelling flowers.  We stopped by the pond and fed the Koi which is always fun.  Those fish are so big and are really fun to feed. There are so many of them they jump up out of the water and flop all over each other.  Jared and Lydia enjoyed it. We had a little picnic and then went back to Sue's for naps.

 Loving the Golf Cart. 

Koi Pond

 Secret Garden

Perfect hill for rolling down. 

After naps we headed down to Provo to revisit the Rec Center. Both kids had a blast swimming and going down the slides.

Jared by the beloved orange slide! 

Friday we went shopping for the Southern California portion of our trip, did laundry, and packed.  That night Shannon and her family came over for dinner. Jared and Lydia were so happy to play with their cousins again. We had such a great time here in Utah. It's hard to believe we were here for so long.  It really did go so fast. If only we knew where we would be going after this West Coast part of our trip. That would be amazing!