Day 3-Emy's 3rd Birthday---Zoo & Sea World

Em was so excited for her birthday! We sang to her about a million times and she lit up every time just like it was the first. Other than singing Em's birthday started with Hallie loosing a tooth at breakfast. Unfortunately the tooth fairy had a hard time finding us until we got home but she was ok with that.

After breakfast we were off to the zoo. We learned the hard way last time that we should ride the bus and see most of the zoo. We were so exhausted last time and got smarter this time. We went straight to the bus line when we got there. We got on the 2nd bus and got a great spot on top that a bunch of websites suggested and it didn't disappoint.

We were able to see almost all of the animals we would have wanted to see without walking around. Em's birthday says Yay it's my birthday. She picked it out a month ago and has been so excited to wear it. Polar bear

Cheetah in the tree

Elephants

Once we finished the bus tour we walked to see the few animals we had missed on the tour or wanted a closer look at. The orangutans were so cool and right next to the glass

Hallie had been looking for a peacock for the last couple of days and was beyond thrilled to see one

The monkeys are always a favorite for me. They were active and fun

The zoo had 9 babies. The hippo baby and mama were so cool...aren't they cute? At this point Em was hot/tired/hungry and wasn't having a picture moment..lol

That passed though once we were able to catch a bus from the bottom of the zoo back to the top

What is with Em's face....silly girl

And the baby giraffe

At this point we were hot and tired so we called it a day at the zoo and headed to do lunch

Is poor tired girl was asleep before we left the parking lot

After lunch and a rest we headed to Sea World. The girls were excited to ride a few rides and the crowds weren't bad so Matt took them on the ones I knew would make me sick but I did enjoy a few of the "safer" rides.

The whale show is one of my favorite memories from last trip. It has changed since we were there last and I really enjoyed the video they used to inform about the animals but still had a fun show.

We got there just before the show started but still got a pretty good seat out of the soak one. It was the last show of the day and it was cooling off so none of us wanted to be wet

What amazing animals. The girls faces during the show were priceless

After Sea World closed we headed back to the hotel and cooked dinner and celebrated Em's birthday. When we went grocery shopping the first day she picked out a cake and candle to go along with the festivities. We packed some of her smaller gifts so she had something to open. She loved all her gifts and was so fun to watch. She is so animated which adds to the fun.

This lip gloss kit was a huge kit and could quite possibly be her favorite gift

A "lip gloss party" followed the gift opening

She also loved the swimming mermaid. The girls couldn't wait to use it in the pool until we realized we didn't pack batteries for it!

I love that we have tried to do fun things for the girls birthdays that leave lasting impressions and memories. It was such a fun day celebrating this 3 year old that is a light in our lives. Happy birthday Emmy

Day 2 Safari Park

We had a pretty great schedule set up but the beauty of traveling with just us is that we can change that any time we want. This day was just that. We decided to change up the days and head to the Safari Park. We got up and grabbed breakfast downstairs before we headed out. The food was so good. The Park was about 45 minutes away but went pretty quickly. We got to the park about 30-45 minutes after the park opened and it was pretty pleasant temperature wise. Everyone wanted a map and we figured out where we were headed and off we went. I tried to remember to take a picture every morning before we got sweaty and tired.

We watched a animal encounter with a hawk 

This man I can't even say enough good about him...he is my person. He was extra attentive making sure I was feeling ok and if I needed anything. He is better than I could have even imagined for myself

Crazy 100 yr old tree

This train is my favorite part of the park. You get to see so many fun animals and it has misters so its cool...literally. We took pretty much this exact picture 4 years ago with just Hallie and Grace. How fun to complare the two.

Matt's great candid picture taking

Giraffe's were Hallie favorite

After the train ride we took a pit stop at the splash pad because it had gotten SO hot.

This little miss loves elephants and they were her favorite the entire trip. Luckily multiple of the places we visited had several

The "petting" zoo was another highlight. There were only goats but they were so chill and just enjoying being brushed and pet. Each of the girls found a favorite.

The baby kangaroos were so fun and cute. We even got to see them play and be bottle fed.

That night we went back to the hotel, had dinner, and went for a swim. Matt took the girls down to the pool without me since I didn't feel good but I shortly after they left felt better and joined them. Matt had struck up a conversation with another couple at the pool that I joined when I got to the pool. I constantly count the girls to make sure everyone was ok. The couples little girl needed to go potty so the mom got up and took her. Once they were done with the potty trip the conversation continued. While the mom was getting her hands washed the little girl made her way back to the pool. I noticed initially she was sitting on the stairs and then moved further in. I felt the spirit tell me twice to ask her dad if she should have her floaties on but I felt like it wasn't my business and pushed it aside. Within a couple minutes of the second promptings I was counting the girls and I saw the little girl go under. In what seemed like a long time no one moved and I was up and in the pool grabbing her. I would hope if someone saw one of our girls struggling they would do the same. The parents were so appreciative and Matt kept calling me a hero. I can't remember the last time I jumped into the pool fully clothed but I would do it again in a second. Im just glad the little girl was ok just a little freaked out.

San Diego Day 1 Flights & Swimming

Im so glad on these trips that we have the flight points so we don't have to drive. Our flight in Salt Lake was delayed by almost 3 hours so by the time we landed in San Diego we didn't have time to go to Sea World like we planned so the girls settled for some time in the pool while dinner cooked in our room. I have a hard time even thinking about having a regular hotel room. I love having the options to cook and snacks. I've been pretty excited for this trip and hope that my pregnancy sickness will behave itself so we can have an enjoyable time. I feel like we have done a bunch of planning and so far the weather has been great. Not hot just right during the day and at night cool and perfect for a jacket.

Dress Rehearsal

Em and her poor hand, foot, and mouth. But some days it didn't seem to bother her. Just some double sun glass action.

But she was so tired and fell asleep almost everywhere we went.

Gracie decided on the way to dress rehearsal to re do her lip stick and it didn't go so well. Luckily we got there with some extra time and we could wash it off and start over.