Thanksgiving in San Diego!

Sea World and all of the amazing sea creatures far exceeded our expectations! It was such a wonderful trip!

I love the traditions of Thanksgiving; the food, the family, the joy! But this year we were lacking in joy and all my siblings are living far far away... so that leaves me alone to make all the food. Well, me and my Mom, but she and I haven't been on speaking terms since I lost the baby and she abandoned me in my time of need. I have since forgiven her for that, but in the moment all the emotions from October were still raw and painful. So we decided to escape life for Thanksgiving this year, and I am soooooo glad we did! It was just what we needed. Sunshine, the ocean, new experiences, and happy memories visiting with friends! And it was so apparent on that first day when we checked into our hotel and the kids instantly fell asleep by the pool. It was like we were all physically and emotionally exhausted from all of our trials over the past two months and we needed a break. And what better way to take that break than soaking up the suns loving rays by the pool?

Now THIS is the life!

Getting Evie to slow down is impossible so this view really took us by surprise!

This was our first trip in our new car and we LOVED it!! We didn't have to listen to Austin complaining about car sickness because he has his own air vent now! I didn't have to squish in my seat stuffed with luggage at my feet because our car is huge! And Evie is now sitting up high enough to see out the window! Oh and Dad was loving the Sony stereo system ;). This car has changed our world just enough to make me slightly grateful for the car accident that fatefully brought it into our lives. We made good time because we left early before the Thanksgiving traffic set in. Since we were traveling on Thanksgiving day we figured it would be best to just hang around the hotel and relax, which turned out to be an amazing idea! Nowhere to be, nothing to do, just relax and enjoy each others company without any stress or drama. It was amazing :).

Off for an adventure in our new Ford Flex!

Checking into the hotel and then off to the pool!

This Thanksgiving was all about family and living in the moment. It was everything I wanted and more. These beautiful humans are everything I wanted and more.

We spent the whole afternoon by the pool until the sun went down. We were all trying to get over horrible chest cold that had plagued our house so we spent  more time in the hot tub than we did in the pool. It just wasn't quite warm enough for that. We had gotten out to dry off on the lounge chairs when both kids suddenly passed out asleep and Josh and I found ourselves alone! It was a Thanksgiving miracle! We talked, and read our books for about 3 hours before the kids woke up again and we couldn't believe it! They were hungry when they awoke so Dad went to the hotel Restaurant to grab us a pizza and we brought it back to our room and then ate it in bed while we snuggled up together and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on the TV. In that moment we all felt so happy. It wasn't pumpkin pie and turkey, but it was just what we needed and more. Thankful was an understatement in that happy moment :).

Getting our hot tub on! It was about 65 degrees outside and the pool was just a little bit chilly for these desert rats.

My boys :). Austin is getting so big! I wish I could stop time...

Dad catching up on some light reading while the kiddos napped! This never happens people!

And Mom just soaking it all in. The silence, the sunshine, the amazing comfort of being on vacation and not having a care in the world...

Evie woke up from her nap and attempted to swim in the pool before the sun set, but it was very cold and she wasn't in there long!

On Friday we experienced Sea World for the first time and loved it! Since Sea World doesn't open until 11am in the fall, we got to sleep in and slowly get ready for the day. The whole pace of this trip was slow and steady and we loved it! It was so unlike our typical vacation where we are zooming around trying to do everything and experience as much as we can. But not this time. This trip was all about relaxation. The kids LOVED the tide pools at Sea World where we could pet the fish and sharks and the Killer Whale show was awesome! We also rode all sorts of kiddie rides and had a great time! Nobody wanted to stop for food because everywhere we turned there was something else to experience and enjoy!

How amazing are God's creations?!

Watching the killer whale show and loving it!

Cotton candy mustaches for the win! :)

The kids LOVED the tide pools. These little fish sat and nibbled on your fingers so of course we had to stay for a while for this one ;).

Tiny wonders....

So many new rides to explore!

Yay for kiddie rides!

Thumbs up for a successful day at Sea World!

On Saturday we spent the day at Mission Beach with our good friends Susie and Brian and their little ones, Wayne and baby Clark :). Susie was my college roommate and best friend! I love her so much and we try to get together whenever we are in California where they live. The kids spent the whole day playing in the sand, collecting sand dollars and seashells, and feeding the seagulls. Meanwhile, the adults talked and talked while listening to music and just soaking up the sound of children laughing and the ocean tides rolling. I was in my happy place and wished the day would never end. I snuggled baby Clark almost the entire time and soaked up his new baby cuddles. It helped ease the loss of my own little one by having a baby to love on; almost therapeutic. Susie and Brian have a townhouse in San Diego so after our amazing day of playing at the beach, we went over to their house for dinner! It was so fun! We bathed the sand off of all of our kiddos in the bath while the Dad's went out and got us some BBQ food for dinner. Then we put on a movie for the kids upstairs while the adults hung out downstairs and watched a movie. It was the perfect end to such a wonderful day :).

My happy place :).

All our babies playing in the sand. The whole day was so picturesque!

We found all sorts of new things on Mission Beach. Even the sea weed was different from what we were used to at Huntington beach!

My favorite part was  when Austin looked up at me and said, "I like the way you think Mom, you're always coming up with good adventures." And in that moment my heart smiled and all I could think was "THIS is what it's all about. All the hurt, all the pain, all the years of no sleep. THIS right here."

Feeding the greedy seagulls who basically ate ALL of our food and kept coming back for more! The kids didn't mind ;).

Feeding the birds with Susie...

It is so fun having memories with my friend from our college days and the crazy teens we were back then, and now maintaining that friendship as adults with our own little ones. It's not as exciting, but it's definitely wonderful!

Our little beach babe :).

My best friend and soul sister, and her beautiful new baby! I love you Susie-Q!

The sand at Mission beach was smooth with no seashells. It was very different from what we were used to. There were, however, a TON of sand dollars and Austin made it his mission to find them all!

Austin found a new sea creature that we had never seen before!

And then of course he threw it..... boys :).

On Sunday we spent a second day at Sea World and did all the things we didn't do on the first day. The dolphin show was amazing and the kids loved visiting the penguins and feeding the flamingos. Everything was so expensive there, but we did find a gift shop that we could actually afford for the kids to spend their saved up money. Austin bought a set of best friends necklaces and gave one to his Daddy. It was the sweetest thing in the world! They were mood necklaces where the penguin pendant changes colors with your mood. So Austin was constantly asking Josh what color his necklace was and if he knew what his necklace says, just in case Josh forgot who his best friend is :). Evie also bought a penguin necklace,  but she didn't want the best friends one like her brother, she wanted her own individual necklace as if asserting her independence as she has so often been doing lately. Oh the joys of your babies growing up.... As the sun began to set and the weather grew colder, we sadly said goodbye to Sea World and all of our marine friends. The kids were tired from their big adventures but oh so happy.... we all were :).

Our second day was more sunny and warm than the first; perfect for a full day outdoors!

Oh Evie, your adventurous soul and contagious smile makes every vacation one in a million!

Austin and Daddy showing off their new best friends necklaces :). I love that Austin loves his Daddy so much and I love that Josh wore his necklace proudly :). This crew melts my heart on a daily basis!

This was the first trip where the kids asked to ride the rides by themselves! It was definitely a milestone and I didn't know if I should be proud or cry!

They were so proud of themselves for being big enough to ride alone! I couldn't belive Austin went on this one alone, but he did!!

The flamingos were so beautiful! We bought food to feed them but they were rather snobbish and refused to eat it. But the pigeons, however, came right up to us and ate out of our hands! So it definitely a win in our book!

We slept in on Monday morning and then slowly made our way to check out of the Hilton Garden Hotel. We felt so much more relaxed and energized than when we had checked in, which was precisely the point of this vacation and  we would do it all again in a heartbeat! Sometimes life throws you lemons and you have to do your best to make lemonade. This was our lemonade and I wouldn't have had it any other way :).