La Jolla

After hiking around the Wildlife Park in Escondido, we decided to explore La Jolla on our way back to San Diego. I think La Jolla would be a great place to set a novel, but the kids weren't as impressed. Lots of hills, little parking, no bathrooms (just honey buckets), and the beaches weren't splashworthy.

We started at Shell Beach, which is rocky, with coarse sand. The boys climbed the rocks while Grace twirled about. Hayden came up with a science project idea - comparing the different types of sand along the Pacific coast. I told him to stick with Oregon beaches and he had a deal.

They waded in the water, explored the sea caves, spied the sea lions sunning themselves on a rock just off shore. From Shell Beach you can see Seal Beach (which is technically named Childrens Beach because it was designed as a sheltered area to make it safer for kids to swim. The seals think it's a pretty sweet place, so they took it over almost as soon as it was built.

Watching the seals was hilarious. They were crawling all over one another. The kids were pretty much over it all at that point, so we grabbed some gelato and headed back to the hotel. They wanted to go in the swimming pool. Which I pointed out they could do at home...

San Diego Zoo

When researching out San Diego trip, I came along the tip to begin a zoo trip by taking the aerial tram to the bottom of the zoo and then work your way back up. This worked so well! We got there as the zoo opened, and because we worked our way backwards (which I do at our zoo as well) we were able to enjoy the animals without crowds of people for almost 2/3 of the time!

By taking the tram first, we were able to get a lay of the land and the kids got to look forward to the exhibits. We don't have pandas at our zoo, so we were all excited to see the pandas and the panda baby.

As y'all know, no animal sighting is complete to my kids until they get to see one poop. The elephants were happy to help them out. We really liked the elephant exhibit because the elephants were playing with one another and we got to see an elephant get a pedicure.

We'd never seen koalas, so they were a highlight. After Grace saw the baby giraffe, she was pretty much tuckered out and opted for a stroller nap. Just as well, when we saw the gorillas, the silverback mooned us!

San Diego Safari Park

We were expecting the safari park to be a cross between the zoo and our Wildlife Safari, and it was, but with way more walking than we anticipated.

The highlight was the hot air balloon ride. It was lovely to see the expanse of the park and see the animals roaming through. The basket was shaped like a giant bagel, so we could walk around and see everything for different vantage points.

We had a beautiful day, but I wouldn't have thought it was hot enough to walk around wet. Of course the boys saw water and went for it. I think they could have stayed there all day just dousing one another.

The elephant exhibit was great, but the highlight had to be the bird show. The birds flew across the stands, making everyone duck. Hayden had the wings of an owl brush his arm as it flew by.

On our way out, we made time for the carousel. Grace and I love them. Hayden joined in, but Bayley and Jeff opted to miss out on the fun.

20 questions by Gracious Mae before she turns 5

1. What is your favorite color? rainbow
2. What is your favorite toy? My walking kitten from John’s Incredible
3. What is your favorite fruit? Strawberries
4. What is your favorite TV show? Cinderella
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? spaghetti
6. What is your favorite outfit? A dance outfit
7. What is your favorite game? Candyland
8. What is your favorite snack? Peanut butter crackers
9. What is your favorite animal? Elephant
10. What is your favorite song? A lullaby
11. What is your favorite book? Tinkerbelle
12. Who is your best friend? Ava
13. What is your favorite cereal? Rice Krispies & strawberries
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play
15. What is your favorite drink? Milk
16. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Teddy
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Rice Krispies & strawberries
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Fruit Pizza
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Pterodactyl  

Last year's interview...