This year we took a trip to San Diego for Christmas as a family. It was a 75 degrees on Christmas day and we got away with jeans and jackets the whole trip! We all had a really good time. There was so much to see there and we got in as much as we could. It was just so good to be together and focus on something other than what goes under the Christmas tree. The kids spent a little money on gifts for each other and Santa filled the stockings that we hung in our hotel room, but most of our time was doing things together this year. We enjoyed everything, except for maybe the last 5 hours of the drive home. Its good to be back again although we will miss the warmer temperatures.
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| San Diego Zoo |
The San Diego Zoo was the first stop on our trip. We ended up spending most of the day there and really enjoyed the slow pace around the park. It wasn't very crowded so we enjoyed a little less stressful atmosphere there as well. Some favorites were the tiger, Okapi and hippos, and the Arctic land was really nice. We rode on the skyline over the park and took the bus tour around 70% of the park. The kids all insisted on riding on the upper level of the bus. For some reason we missed seeing the pandas though. Maybe next time.
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| San Diego Safari Zoo |
The Safari Zoo sits on some 1,800 acres just north of San Diego. We didn't spend too long there, the kids were anxious to get to Legoland, but we all rode on the African Safari Tram around a large section dedicated to the . .yes . African Safari. It was a guided tour that included a rare white rhino, Giraffe's, a lot of antelope and deer species, zebras, beautiful cranes and even a cheetah who was in her own area. It was very nice to see the animals out in a more open environment and even mixed together with other compatible animals. We did see some lemurs and lots of colorful birds here as well as a few smaller animals and a lot of native birds that took advantage of the terrain and food.
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| Mission Beach |
This was their first trip to the beach, well the boys were very young when they went before, so it was special for everyone. They all loved playing in the sand and even found bits of shells along the beach. We made it there a couple times during our stay both around sunset, which was just so spectacular! We didn't spend much time in the water, it was still a bit too cold for that but they did get wet enough to call it good! The older kids liked jumping the waves as they came in and Bonnie loved digging in the sand. Definitely a highlight on the trip.
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| Sea World San Diego |
Sea World on Christmas Day might not have been the best plan. It was very crowded so I was a little worried about losing someone! We all really liked seeing the Shamu family perform in a show! Bonnie was able to play at the Sesame Street play land with rides just her size. She found Elmo and Big Bird there and she gave them a big Christmas hug! The older kids loved the faster rides like the Manta Ray and they even talked me into going on the Atlantis water ride with them. I admit that it was very fun! The penguins exhibit was actually very nice and the kids liked touching the rays, anemones and seas stars. We watched the dolphins interact with the trainers and even saw the otters eating some shrimp.
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| Legoland |
Legoland was the thing they all looked forward to the most and was the last stop on our trip. We saw a cool 4D show and found the Lego cars at the driving school. Isaac was a little disappointed that they didn't go more than a couple miles per hour. Bonnie drove all by herself around the kiddy track and actually did pretty good. They had fireworks that night and we stayed until closing and saw those. It was just amazing to see all the features and themes around the park made out of Legos! Kind of impressive.
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| Belmont Park and other Misc. Photos |
The drive to California wasn't that bad at all. I think it was all the anticipation that kept them busy. We had gifts that they got to open along the way with activities to make the trip go by smoother as well and I think that helped a lot. They really did amazing for such a loooong drive out there. We only took 2 stops, overnight in St. George and one close to Barstow. At our hotel there was a heated pool and hot tub which we all enjoyed. We also went to Belmont Park, a carnival type place with some small rides including a roller coaster, bumper cars and a Merry-Go-Round. The Tilt-A-Whirl was by far the funnest. . . at least for the girls. Khora said, "it's not fun unless you scream!" They had a lot of fun!!
On the trip we settled for breakfast at the hotel and PBJ's for lunch so we could have a fun dinner out. We ate at Jack in the Box, the Cheese Cake Factory, Panda Express, In-N-Out Burger and Cafe Rio.
It was a wonderful week together. We got some sun on our cheeks to help us get through the cold back here in Utah. It was good to finally be home though. We are all looking forward to the new year that is just around the corner.
