The Beach- Part 3

When we first told Abigale we were going to California, after asking about Disneyland, she then asked if we could go to the beach and find seashells. She has been talking about finding seashells forever and was so excited for her dream to come true. My dad had to work half a day on Friday so we decided to head to the beach in the morning and then meet up with him to go to the zoo in the afternoon. At first I thought it might be too much to do in one day but it was perfect. The weather was perfect and we got just enough time at the beach to have fun, get wet, sandy, and of course find seashells. This little guy just loved the sand. I think he got a few good handfuls in his mouth :) This was when he was very close to crawling and just kind of scooted along in the sand.Best Buds at the BeachWhat a life: doing work while walking along the beach. We wish every work day could be like this!

Part 2- Sea World

So it took us a long time to decide what we were actually going to do in California and on what days. My dad's conference was Wednesday-Friday and Jonathans was Saturday and Sunday. Disneyland was a must and we tossed around the idea of Sea World, The zoo, Legoland, the beach, etc. We decided to go for Sea World because we thought the girls would really like it and it turned out that a one day pass was the same as a year pass so we went two days. It worked out great because we went Thursday with Jonathan and Saturday with my dad. The girls loved it and even after two days they were still going strong.

Here is Abigale with the penguins:Ryan really did have fun but he was a little tired: These polar bears were crazy and so fun to watch. They were fighting over a garbage can and it was pretty entertaining:

The turtles:

A beautiful Beluga Whale. They were so beautiful and majestic:




The shark encounter was so fun and made Jonathan's dream a reality. You stood on a moving walkway and hundreds of sharks swam around you and above you. It was pretty crazy to see their teeth so close to us!

The Sesame Street playground was perfect. It had a few rides that were like the Dumbo ride and the Teapot ride at Disneyland but with no line. We rode them over and over again. The girls loved them! They also had a fun playground and water fountain to play in but it was a little cold for that.







In the turtle reef exhibit they had a video game where you could pretend to be a turtle and make your way through the ocean. Abigale loved it and played it over and over again.
We saw a lot of great shows, which I apparently I didnt get any pictures of, but I did get pictures of this amazing funnel cake because it was DELICIOUS. It had ice cream and whipped cream and strawberries! YUM!Even Ryan knew it was amazing! Sea World was so much fun and I am glad we decided to go. I am especially glad we decided to do it before Disneyland because it was a fun thing to do to get us excited for Disneyland without being disappointed. Next up pictures of hte Beach and Zoo!

Trip to California Part 1

Really exciting title, I know but it works. So in January we took a trip to California. Not just a trip but THE trip to Disneyland! It was pretty last minute but it was so fun. My dad had a conference in San Diego and had asked us a few months prior if we wanted to go and we debated for a long time and finally decided that it probably wouldnt work with Jonathan's schedule and we didnt think we could afford it right after Christmas. The week before he left he asked us one final time if we wanted to go and I told him I would check flights just in case. Well, of course Jet Blue was having a $49 each way special and the very minute I was looking at flights Jonathan called and said there was a conference he really wanted to go to.. in San Diego... the same weekend my dad was going. So we took it as fate that we should go and within 24 hours we had flights booked, hotels booked, van rented, etc. Thanks to my parents we were able to go and have an amazing time.
We didn't tell the girls until that morning and they were pretty excited to say the least! They were really excited to ride on an airplane, until we got on and then they were ready to be at Disneyland.

This guy was excited for his first airplane ride! He did amazing~We flew into Long Beach and then drove to a Residence Inn in San Diego. It worked out pretty well. It had an upstairs loft for my parents, a bedroom downstairs and a front room with a pull out bed for the girls. It also had a full kitchen and a yummy free breakfast. I took this picture because I wanted to remember this moment. Everyone was so happy and excited- this alone made it all worth it.Cute naked boy soo close to crawling: That was the end of day one. Stay tuned for pictures of Sea World, the beach, the San Diego Zoo, and of course Disneyland!