California Summer 2014

La Jolla, California

The Ocean. There isn't anything more lovely. I had my two weeks with my children and the Arizona Desert began to heat up. We did the only smart thing you could do. We left and headed west to our sister state. I often wonder why I choose to live in Arizona. Why don't I move to California. I love it so much there. But then, I always think....would I love it as much if I lived there? Or do I just love to visit? I don't know. We had a blast we stayed Monday through Friday. I had a lot of gift cards from students from the end of the year I had been saving. They sure came in handy and paid for a lot of our meals! It was awesome. I made sure to book hotels that had free yummy breakfasts. I love the Embassy Suites. The breakfasts are delicious and the beds are super comfy. This was the very first vacation that I decided to take the kids on all by myself. It sure wore me out but it was worth it. We made a lot of fun memories. 

Could she be any happier? We drove straight to the beach from AZ. After sitting in the car for 6 hours we were ready to RELAX!

Aydan loved body surfing and I was amazed at how strong he has become. Even though the kids moan and groan to get up for swim team I could really see how all the swimming has helped him. 

Counting the tide

Pure Joy I tell you. 

Aydan said, "Mom, did you just carve that?" Ha ha. Uh---No. 

RUN!

We decided to walk along the La Jolla Coast and I had forgotten about all the seals that beached there! What FUN! 

We watched and watched in awe until the sun began to set...the sun set late there around 8pm...

Sea World....day 2 

They had those fish that eat the dead skin off of your hands at Sea World the kids LOVED it. 

C'est La Vie

We could not wait to ride the Manta. A new ride at Sea World. I was surprised it was really fun and Sea World actually had several new fun rides since I had been there last....eight years ago or so!! Plus, there were WAY shorter lines than at Disney. This was great since I was there alone with the babes. 

A wonder. We loved all of the aquariums and the cold reprieve it gave from the warm afternoon. NOTE: I bought that souvenir cup in Aydans hand. It ended up being super cheap because the refills were only 99 cents and we could fill them up with ice water for free. I would suggest buying one and sharing. It was great. 

It was hot around three and I was worn out of the crowd at  Sea World. I had a gift card to PF Changs and so we decided to go there for Lunch/Dinner. Chopstick Walrus'

I am still waiting on that payment. Luckily, the month isn't over yet. HA. Those were some good fortunes though! 

Ells Freaking out on the water fall ride. I got SOAKED. 

Back to the skin nibbler fishes.

The kids wanted to go on Atlantis...again. I was still soaked from the waterfall ride. THEY got SOAKED! We stayed until it closed. It was nice that we took a long two hour break in the afternoon. The kids REALLY wanted to see the night Shamu show and fireworks. We ended up sitting in the car with the heat on and waiting for an hour. We had a lot of fun, I am glad we decided to go to Sea World for a change. 

Day 3... We stopped by the San Diego Temple. So Beautiful! My kids fought the whole time of course. We then stopped by Fashion Valley Mall to eat lunch and bought the paddle board game which was super fun. We drove out to Coronado beach for the afternoon. It was PERFECT. I will go to that beach again FOR SURE! 

We love you Coronado Beach. We then drove two hours to Santa Ana so we could check out Huntington Beach and Balboa Island for a few days. 

Huntington Beach and Pier Day 4

Huntington Beach...the kids wanted hats and Jamba Juice. 

We walked the pier and people watched. We held hands and took pictures. It was so nice. 

I packed a picnic for the beach. The waves were huge and Aydan had a blast but Ellie had a moment where she was struggling with the current. I was running out to her as fast as I could but luckily, a man named Domino was right next to her and scooped her up. I am not sure if I would take my children to that beach again. The waves were monsters! We had fun but I did not leave my children's side in the water, it was really rough for the littlest desert dweller. 

Day 5 Balboa Island

This was my kids first trip to Balboa Island...they loved riding the ferry over. We also rode the ferris wheel. 

We ate at my favorite Balboa restaurant Picante Martines. I LOVE their homemade chicken tortilla soup. MMMM

The kids both had their first ever Balboa Bar. YUM. 

We walked around and enjoyed everyone's decorations and bought a few pieces of salt water taffy for the road.

We were sad to see the week end. We drove home tired and happy. I thought a lot on the way home about the progress our little family has made. Four years ago I would have never gone on this adventure alone. We are strong and capable.