We just got back from our first family vacation to San Diego! There is so much to share! The pictures will tell most of our story.
Highlights:
- The house we rented in La Jolla was great! Huge black-bottom pool, tons of books and toys for Isabel - even a playhouse!, lots of space for our family, close to the beach and La Jolla village. We cooked and ate at home everyday. Staying in a house is so much better than staying in a hotel when you have a toddler!
- We hit Sea World twice, the San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park.
- At Sea World, Isabel got to meet Elmo! See the video…she was completely starstruck. She gave him a big hug and wouldn't let go! Sweet girl. Jake had told her before we went that she would get to see Elmo and that's all she had on her mind until she met him at the end of our Sea World visit.
- The tidepools at La Jolla Cove were so fun to explore. Isabel saw little fishies swimming around, hermit crabs crawling up rocks, and the big waves crashing on the tidepools. We walked down to Children's Beach and saw the seals that hang out there.
- Isabel had so much fun swimming with Daddy in the jacuzzi of the pool. She has gotten bolder in the water, jumping around and getting her head into the water. She trusts her Dad and the jacuzzi seemed to be the perfect size for her!
- Isabel slept in a big girl bed at the house! We got bedrails and she did great! Slept all night, every night. She woke up earlier than she normally does at home, but that's ok. We might be ready to transition out of the crib soon!
- Jake and I got to go out to dinner twice. Our nanny came down with us for the first half of the trip and we were able to sneak out after Isabel went to bed for some really good food. We ate at Georges and Nine-Ten, both in La Jolla village. Both were great!
- Last, but definitely not least, my brother and his family joined us at the end of our stay. It was so great to have them in San Diego with us. We had a great barbecue on our last night with them, Jake's Uncle Ronnie and a friend of my sister-in-law who just moved down there.
Lowlights:
- Naps were hard, as Isabel usually passed out as soon as we got into the car after our excursions and didn't transfer out of the car very well. Or, if we were home, she'd fall asleep ok, but wake up after about an hour, at the most (her naps are usually 2-2.5 hrs long). So, she was a little sleep-deprived and got cranky at times.
- The Zoo was big and it was hot that day. Isabel didn't seem all that interested in the animals. Maybe when she's older...
- We were extremely careful to make sure the pool gate was closed and Isabel was always in sight while we were staying at this house. But, on the last day as we were all packing up and getting ready to leave the house, Isabel got out of our sight for a split second and we found her walking along the pool edge. The pool gate was open. The worst part was that she had closed the house door behind her, so we wouldn't have even heard if she had fallen in. SO SCARY. Jake and I are still shuddering at the possibility of what could have gone wrong in that moment. We thank God that He was watching over her!
All in all, it was a great family vacation! The highlights definitely outnumbered the lowlights. Everyday was fun and Isabel had a great time! She didn't want to leave ("no home!") and neither did we! Can't wait to go back someday soon.
We hope you enjoy our pictures. We're also posting the
Elmo video. More vids to be posted soon, but need to do some editing first.
