California.. So much to be THANKFUL for!

We are back!! And we had a blast!!

First off, Sophia handled the flight to San Diego and back like a rockstar! She was up for a little bit during take off and landing, other then that she slept. It was such a relief and Nate and I were both happy that she got a nap in.

When we landed in San Diego we were immediately greeted by Russ and Sophia went right to him! She was so happy-it was the cutest thing ever. We loaded up everything in the truck and went back to Gpa Russ’ house where we relaxed for the evening since it was late, and Russ was going out with Carly for her birthday- (Happy Birthday again Carly!). Sophia also made sure to chase Gee & Malikeye. Nate, Sophia and I settled in for the night-excited for the weeks adventures and family time. The next day we had breakfast, and went on a family walk around the neighborhood- the weather was fantastic! We then went to lunch and went to 57 degrees so Nate could help his dad out with a few things. We made plans for the week which included: going to Legoland to see the Aquarium, Sea World, San Diego zoo and walks on the beach. Without going into every detail of our week-we accomplished all those things AND more. It was fantastic!

Our first adventure was to Catalina Island, where we had lunch at the Catalina Island hotel and went for a walk on the beach. Sophia was skeptical of the sand at first, but after Gpa Russ found her a sea shell she was in LOVE! She ran and walked up and down the beach and was mesmerized by the ocean waters.

The next day we drove out to Legoland and went to the Sea Aquarium. Sophia was able to stand next to and watch the fish. She was also able to touch some sea life, which she did with NO hesitations! She is so outgoing and loves trying new things. She liked watching the fish next to the tanks best!

A few days later we made our way to San Diego Zoo. Sophia loves animals so we knew this would be a treat for her. We saw the giraffes, elephants, monkeys, tigers and a few others. It didn’t take too long for her to get tired out and she fell asleep. Nate and I walked around for a little bit longer before we headed home.

Our next adventure was to Sea world. We weren’t to sure Sophia would be able to keep up with the dolphins and Shamu swimming around, but she was beyond thrilled with the dolphin show. She would get so excited when the would jump and swim around. On the other hand, for Shamu-she wasn’t excited at all and wanted to move on. This was probably a combination of no nap and that Shamu really didn’t swim much-Nate and I were disappointed as well. We went to the Shark exhibit as well-but Sophia fell asleep here too. Our little girl was tuckered out!

In between our adventures we went on walks on the beach and the boardwalk-San Diego is so pretty and the weather was great most days. While walking on the Boardwalk we were able to bring Sophia on the Merry go Round which she loved as well. Sophia also had a favorite restaurant (as well as Nate and mine too! ) which is Old Town Mexico-its DELICIOUS! We were also able to spend some quality time with Gpa Russ and Carly. Our hearts are full from all the family time we got and we are blessed that we had this opportunity to spend some time with Gpa Russ. Nate and I both feel its important for Sophia to spend time with all of her family. We cant wait to come back again soon!

Last, but not least, for Thanksgiving this year we got to celebrate with Grandpa Russ and Carly! We decided to stay in and have a home cooked meal. Russ and Nate cooked the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberries and more and we all sat down and had a family dinner! We have so much to be thankful for and we feel so blessed to be able to spend time with Russ and Carly and celebrate some holidays here- since we aren’t able to for all of them!