Weekend in San Diego...

When Mike told me that he was surprising me with a little getaway to San Diego, I was thrilled! Mike had been fighting a pretty hard battle here at work and now that it's all behind us, we can go back to living normal lives... Well, as normal as the car business allows anyway! {WINK} I told Leyla that we were going to San Diego... AND the Safari Park {not sure when they changed the name... it was the Wild Animal Park when I was growing up} AND staying at a hotel. Her eyes lit up and she repeated, "YAY San Diego!" over and over again... =) She was ready for a fun time... which brings me to this. Here is the planning that is involved in taking a trip with a toddler to have said fun time:

I remember when Mike and I used to, on a whim, go for a romantic weekend rendezvous...

My suitcase, "Pre-Leyla":

1. Toiletries

2. A couple of outfits... including heels for a fancy dinner...

3. Magazines for lounging by the pool... {Ahh, remember the days? HA!}

4. Not much else, really... other than maybe a carefree spirit. ;)

Here was what we packed for our short weekend trip... I said to Mike as we loaded up our car, "Can you imagine what it would take for us to vacation in Europe???"

My suitcase, "With Leyla":

1. Toiletries... including heavy-duty baby sunscreen, diaper rash cream {just in case}, cortizone cream {just in case}, HER lotion, shampoo, toothbrush, hair brush, hair ties, etc...

2. DIAPERS/WIPES... Romantic, no? {WINK}

3. My outfits... including flip flops and tennis shoes comfortable enough to chase after our toddler, HER outfits... which doubled mine... you know, because their clothes get dirty in a nanosecond. Their clothes are little but they still take up lots of space???

4. Bottles, sippy cups, bibs, toddler utensils, a cooler to store a GALLON of milk

5. SNACKS! Goldfish crackers, Cheerios, string cheese, etc...

6. Entertainment: Books, DVDs, toys {including Mr. Teddy & Lenny the Lamb}, crayons, and coloring books

7. My 5 pound camera {WINK}, charger, extra memory card, laptop, and HER Elmo camera {I kid you not!}

8. Oh... I did bring a couple of magazines... and I never got the chance to read them, by the way. =)

So there you have it! Mike and I have come to realize that we're in for lots of "preparation-heavy" trips ahead. You know what though? There's really nothing like a family vacation. Although there is a lot of work involved, we got to spend quality time with each other... with a little twist. I'm so thankful that were were able to get away and have a little fun in the sun as a family. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our time in San Diego...

We love seeing her experience her "firsts". It was fun to watch her explore our hotel room and take in the view from high in the sky that first morning.

Here I am lurking around again... {WINK} Leyla's books came in handy on our trip...

The hotel was very modern and fresh... it featured lots of artistic details. It turned out that the San Diego Rock n Roll Marathon was on Sunday so... it was crazily crowded! These were taken early in the morning before the crowds started to show up...

Going out to breakfast is always a treat... We found this great little place away from the crowds before heading to the Safari Park...

On our walk back to the car, we passed this doorway... She was frustrated because there were no doorhandles on the outside... She's trying to stick her little fingers between the doors. =)

The weather was absolutely perfect. It was clear and sunny but not too hot.

 

 First destination was, of course the petting zoo. She loves her animals so much... Actually, in her words, "I yike the aMinals"... =)

They have this amazing balloon that takes you across the park for a bird's-eye view... I'd love to come back and do that when Leyla gets a little older.

Next we went on the tram that took us through the park. We had a great view of the animals... We weren't sure if Leyla would get bored but she actually did pretty well. She called it a "choo-choo train" instead of a tram. {HA!}

After a long day out, it was nice to come back and relax. We took a little walk by the hotel at sunset.

So, I've been OBSESSED with finding the opportunity to take some pictures of Leyla in tall grass. {I know, I know.} We found this area by the water... I was thrilled! Well, Leyla went in enthusiastically at first {bless her little heart} but it ended up being more prickly than it looked... So she was only there for a minute... but hey, at least I got my chance. {HA!}

As we were walking, we got a ride on one of these bikes... It was nice to get a family picture. ;)

 

 

We were originally going to stay til Sunday... but with the Marathon going on, we figured that we'd avoid the crowds. We got home late on Saturday night after some yummy food in Old Town San Diego and carried our sleeping Leyla inside the house. The next morning, as much fun as she had while we were gone, she seemed REALLY happy to wake up at home. She revisited her toys and the doggies like we had been gone for months instead of days. She would bring me her toys one by one and say, "this is my toy" with a smile. 

As much fun as vacations are, it's always nice to come home...

HAPPY MONDAY!