San Diego Day 3---Sea World

 Every morning while we all got ready and ate the girls would sit on their beds and watch a show and sometimes eat their breakfast.

I think this day was the one we were all the most excited about and it did not disappoint. Now just as you go in the entrance gates there are several small areas where there are different areas where the kids can touch different sea creatures. This first one you put your hand in and hold it there and several little fish come up and eat the dead skin cells off your hands...slightly odd but cool at the same time. Gracie did it for a second but Hallie wouldn't put her hand it at all.

 Next they got to pet some small sharks both girl were pretty nervous about this one but had a good time watching Matt do it

The girls were so excited...mostly Hallie about everything the flowers and the penguin we had to get pictures of all of it. Gracie was a little more hesitant observing and taking it all.

Then they were both quick to notice the rides and there were no lines...my kind of rides. I get horribly motion sick so I opted to not do many rides and the ones I did do spun in ways I didn't expect. The kids loved the rides but lets just say they weren't the highlight of my day.

Then there was a giant playground that the girls played in briefly it didn't hold their attention very long for sure

One of the first animals we found were the seals and sea lions. They had a stand where you could buy food(fish) to feed them we got a basket and took turns feeding them.

Gracie thought it was really cool and wanted to feed him all the fish in the basket

If you cant tell there is a little fish in Gracie's fingers waiting to be dropped to the hungry seal below

Hallie on the other hand wasn't so eager to touch a fish but after some coaxing she really liked it and wanted to buy another basket of fish to feed them

We had planned out our day to get to all the shows so next on the agenda was the sea lion show. The kids as well as Matt and I were thoroughly entertained and even got a little wet. 

After the show we quickly exited to get to the Shamu show before it started. We made it just in time. I had read on a traveler tip website to pack ponchos so you wouldn't get soaked. We sat in the 4th row so we decided it would be a good idea to get them out for the kids. Matt and I were roasting so we didn't care if we got wet. The girls quickly lost patience waiting to get wet and took them off. So I wrapped up my diaper bag and left it at that.

And this is the picture before everyone got soaked and I mean really soaking wet. I saw the people next to us get soaked so I quickly put Hallie's poncho back on just in time for water to come flying our way. Gracie briefly cried but after the initial shocked passed she said, "that fun."

After that we decided we would grab some lunch and stay for the rest of the day the girls were having a ball and not acting tired or whiny. We grabbed lunch and wandered through some of the indoor aquariums. The wind was blowing that day so they had shut down most of the rides and the ones that were open the girls were to little to ride....kind of a bummer.

On our way to the dolphin show we stopped by the encloser where the trainers were having them do tricks for the crowd. The girls leaned right up on the side to get a good look.

By now we were roasted and ready to get wet. We had taken a mister and it saved us when we got hot.

We decided to sit on the 2nd row since we really wanted to get wet. Hallie said this was her favorite show probably mostly since the story line included a princess.

This was a whale that was part of the show

The princess riding 2 dolphins

This is about where we got the most wet we had been all day and it felt so good. Once again Gracie cried briefly from the shock of the cold water but then we were all good.

Hallie with the dolphin princess

The we headed to shark reef where they had a cool tunnel that went through the middle of the sharks so you could see they from all over. Plus it was nice and cool in the building

Hallie suggested they do a silly picture but before Matt was ready she pulled her funny face and I had to include it this girl loves her silly faces.

Then a pic in a sharks mouth

Then we went to see the turtles. Hallie had been asking to see more turtle since earlier in the day when there was one in one of the aquariums

Notice the one by Gracie's feet

2 cute girls turtle watching at one point we saw 18 turtles

Gotta love that husband of mind and his snap pics

Our little family at turtle reef

Then we needed to stop for a good snack. I think there was just as much whipped cream as pudding

 But of coarse she wanted to pick off every sprinkle by hand

 Hallie on the other hand picked a cupcake with a gummy Shamu on top she ate all the frosting on top and threw the rest away...she is my child for sure.

Then we headed for cooler temperatures with the penguins. There were so many it was crazy we couldn't even count all of them

They also had some kind of smaller penguins outside the girls thought were cute...they were so fast

Then we got to see a walrus he kept swimming in a pattern against the window so the girls would count til he came back and then squeal and giggle....so cute

But then when he was so huge against the glass they weren't so sure what to think

The white whales we also cool they floated in the water very still almost lifeless for quite a while then they moved but only a little

Then our last stop...Shamu's holding tank,,,,so awesome. Hallie was memorized and would have stood against the glass for a long time but not Grace she was on the move and wouldn't really hold still, probably for fear she would fall asleep, we just laughed at that point and took pictures of Hallie while Gracie ate fruit snacks and chased the birds.

So cool one of my favorites from the whole trip

And then we were all ready to go home. Everyone was tired and hot. We headed to back to the hotel, ate dinner, got bathed, watched a movie, and headed for bed. Sea World was by far my favorite and if we would have had time I would have gone back again.

San Diego Day 2--San Diego Zoo

Once again the time change worked in our advantage and we were up and out the door by 9am. We ate breakfast at the hotel, packed some snacks/water, and headed for the zoo. Matt and I decided we would do the 3 for 1 pass that would get us into the zoo, safari park, and seaworld for 1 set price for 7 days so if we wanted to go back somewhere we would have that option. We got through the line pretty quickly and waited to get our passes validated and then we were on our way. It started pretty warm but there was quite a bit of shade...come to find out San Diego was experience record high heat the week we were there. We 1st came to the flamingos and saw them several time throughout our trip.

We ultimately decided to take our single stroller and our kid "leash" and it worked great. By the time                                               one of them was tired the other wanted to walk.

They have a ton of these statues throughout the zoo and the girls wanted to sit on all of them!!!

Gracie was so funny she would talk to them like they were real

I hate that this picture is blurry but I couldn't just delete it it was so cute. After caressing the gorilla she gave him a kiss.

Twinners with their babies on their backs

Now the hippo to sit and take a break on

Gracie was fascinated with the panda bears. They were a lot bigger than I had anticipated

By this point we were all hot, tired, and hungry so we headed back to hotel for lunch and naps and planned to come back after naps. On the way back we stopped for gas. We couldn't get over how expensive it was...4.27 a gallon!!!

We all fell asleep really quick after lunch and figured everyone would sleep a couple hours but when Matt and I woke up both the girls were both still asleep so we let them sleep. Shortly after the 3 hour mark they woke up happy and ready to go again(they mus have been exhausted) but sadly the zoo was closing in less than an hour so we opted to swim instead.

 It ended up being a great choice. The girls are both fearless when it comes to water and we are loving he new floaties they are perfect for the girls.

The jumped, swam, giggled, floated, and just had a great time. I don't think these giggles and smiles ever get old.

After an hour of swimming we decided to take a break and head to the hotel dinner reception for some food. They had a large spread for a nacho bar, popcorn, and drinks. We got our food and sat poolside to eat it. Can you tell from Gracie's face that she really enjoyed it???

After we ate we swam for another while and then headed back for tub and bed. We decided to watch a movie and pop popcorn but the girls were asleep before we even got the popcorn popped. I guess that is a sign of another great day

Hallie & Gracie's 1st Ocean Experience on Film

Running through the sand

Love this....watch out for the waves!!!

San Diego Day 1--Family Pictures

 We left Vegas about 8:30am just as Maddi and Mom were off to work and school. After a quick stop to the best dollar store ever we were on our way to Cali. The girls once again entertained themselves beautifully and really the only time we heard form them is if they needed their movie changed or a snack. We didn't stop at all and made it to San Diego to our hotel(Sommerset Suites) about 1:30pm. We got checked in and unpacked. Finding a hotel with everything we wanted was tuff but these guys hit a check on all of our marks. We got a 2 room suite. The girls had a room with 2 queens and Matt and I had a 2nd room with a queen. Each had a separate tv and we shared a bathroom We also had a full kitchen(stove, oven, full size fridge, microwave, dishwasher, pots/pans, plates, silverware) and a table with 4 chairs. It seriously was like home away from home. The also had complementary breakfast each morning complete with waffles, eggs, ect and had dinner receptions 2 nights we were there in which they different dinner foods. The girls loved that they could sleep in the same room but had their own beds. At night Matt and I could put the girls to bed and stay up to talk, plan, or watch tv it was awesome. The room was so clean, the staff so accommodating and friendly, it was reasonably prices, and we were 1 mile from the S.D. Zoo and 3 miles from Seaworld. When we go back we will definitely stay there again. Anyways enough about our awesome hotel. After we got unpacked we headed to the nearby grocery store to shop. We got food for lunches and dinners it was nice to know what we were eating with my U.C. I didn't want to be sick plus it was nice to go back and let the kids watch a movie or we could go swim while we were cooking. The hotel also had really nice grills we could use next to the pool. After we finished grocery shopping we came back and put the girls down for a nap while Matt and I got ready for family pictures.

 I had this idea when we first started planning this trip. Growing up we didn't travel far from home and I was completely fine with that but I am finding that maybe I am a little more adventurous than I used to be. Matt and I are hoping that each summer we can take the kids somewhere different and I thought it would be so much fun to have family pictures done on location where ever we travel. It was a little more work finding someone but Im hoping they will be worth it and will be a memory we will treasure for a very long time. As the girls woke up from their naps we got them ready as well. It all worked out so well. Once we were all ready we headed to the beach to meet our photographer. 

 While we waited we took some selfie pictures. I love this cute guy for all he is to me and our girls.

  The girls were so excited to run through the sand and chase the waves. I blow dried Hallie's hair with the round brush but with the humidity it didn't last long but it pulled into a beautiful curl that blended perfect with her hair...oh the joy of natural curl right?!? Gracie wanted to go everywhere Hallie did they were so cute

 There 1st experience with the beach was priceless. They had a blast jumping and running away from the waves. Gracie was hilarious she wasn't sure if she should be terrified or thrilled.

These are all just some pictures that Matt captured while we were taking other pictures. Im really excited to get our family pictures back and see how they turned out. The girls were very cooperative for the most part Gracie towards the end needed some candy incentive but by the end we were all covered in sand and sore from the smiles on our faces.We headed back to the hotel where we made some dinner and did a little swimming before heading to bed. Can't ask for more than that...it was a great day! 

San Diego her we come....but 1st a stop in Vegas

Saturday morning we got up and going and loaded the suburban. Hallie was supposed to have a soccer game at 11 and we were planning on leaving from there but with the pouring rain Matt and the other coach decided to postpone it so we finished packing and got on the road a couple hours early. The girls were thoroughly entertained watching movies and doing activities out of their activity basket that was in between them. It had color book, a leap pad, books, look and find, and a few toys. We stopped for lunch in Lehi when we got gas and it didn't take long after that for the girls to fall asleep.

 Matt and I passed most of the time just talking and catching up. Matt graded tests and put in final grades so I did most if the driving. I think one of the only good things about driving a long distance is being stuck with this guy. Man I love him and all our little adventures.

 We stopped one more time for gas in Cedar and other than that stayed on the road. We got to Vegas about 5pm and was just in time for dinner. The girls were so good no whining or crying...except maybe form me wondering when we would be there I really don't like to drive long distances but really it went pretty quickly. My mom had gifts for all of us for Easter. The girls were so excited to be at grandma and papas house. They opened their presents while Matt and I unloaded the car and got settled.

My dad had borrowed a fire pit so we could do roasted hot dogs and smores. While the boys got the fire to the right cooking temperature the girls worked on their bubble blowing skills with some help from grandma. The girls loved it. 

 The look of pure joy

Then it was time to cool off and do some swimming. Before getting in the tub and off to bed. Usually Im a stickler for bedtimes but I figured since we were going to be on the different time zone for over a week we might as well adjust. The girls had a ball staying up late and playing with grandma. And it was nice that when they were getting up 8:30am Utah time it was 7:30 in Vegas so it gave us more time to get things done. Sunday morning we got up and ready for church but before that we got everyones belly's full. Matt always comments on how crazy Gracie's hair gets with the curl it has when it dries and here is a good shot of her "morning hair."

After church we took it easy everyone had a nap, we went for a walk, and we just relaxed for the afternoon. The girls loved playing with grandma's dollys, polly pockets,and littlest pet shop we barely noticed they were even there. Then it was off to bed for our last night in Vegas at least for now.

Joy's Mormon Tabernacle Choir Retirement

After almost 21 years in the choir Matt's mom finally called it quits/they kicked her out...lol(20 years is the max time you can be in the choir). She has been in the choir since Matt was 9 yrs old....that to me put 20 years in more perspective. What an accomplishment! I also have a lot of respect for Kerry for taking on all the extra responsibility at home and with the kids while Joy was off doing choir stuff for all those years. We had to be creative so that we could be part of the celebrating see we found out in Feb when the retirement program was and we had already booked our vacation to San Diego for that exact weekend. But we were able to leave a day later and get together for dinner the night before we left. We had a great dinner with just the adults catching up and just being together. We wish all Matt's siblings lived closer. It was great to see Tiff and Aaron and see how life was going. 

 After dinner most of us minus Nick and Brit went back to our house to play game. I decided to play know it or blow it. We played in groups of boys vs girls. I have always viewed Kerry as the competitive one but this game brought out Joy's competitive side that I have never seen before which made it even that much more fun. Sunday they did a program at the end each retiring member was given a plaque commemorating their years of service and got to have their picture with President Monson.

 After they had a luncheon at Nick and Brit's. We are really excited and hoping this means we will be able to see and do more things with Kerry and Joy. Congrats to them both for all the work they have put into the choir in the last 20 years!

Daily Life

Last week before leaving for vacation the girls were happy to play in the backyard while we packed. Gracie loves to pack her babies just about everywhere including the swing set. She said she was rocking them to sleep.

 When Hallie was younger she could constantly be found wearing Matt's hat backwards talking about getting married with the hat and some fake flowers. Gracie has started wearing Matt's hats and I guess backwards is the "in" thing to do.

The girls aren't the only ones who like to wear their dads clothes it is just so much fun.