Blog Archive

Oct 27, 2011

San Diego: The Beach

















The beach.  We LOVE it.  Maybe it seems so special because there is nothing like it in Utah.  I love the sound of the waves.  I love the smell.  I love the expanse of the ocean.  I love that my boys (including Mark) are so at home there.  This trip the beach was extra special because Timmy was finally old enough to really enjoy it and not fill his mouth with sand and Mark was there to play with the kids like a kid while I watched.  Even though it was pretty chilly we still had two wonderful afternoons at Mission Beach and Ocean Beach.

San Diego: Sea World

After almost two years of visiting and revisiting Sea World, I can still say that it is one of my favorite places to take little kids.  Not to mention that it seriously takes 5 minutes to get there from my parent's house.  Brian and Timmy love everything there and this time it was like we had the place to ourselves compared to Christmas time last year.  Here are a few favorites from Sea World this time.
-feeding the dolphins
-playing at the Sesame Street playground
-walking straight on to all the kid rides and riding them over and over again
-the new sea turtle exhibit.  I loved it!
-getting soaked at the Shamu Show.  Brian laughed harder at me screaming under the poncho than he did at anything else the whole trip.
-touching the sea stars






San Diego: The Mormon Battalion Historic Site

 Every time I visit this Historic Site I am in awe of the beauty of the building, the amazing technology, the attention to every detail, the missionaries, my parents who run it all, and of course the story of the Mormon Battalion itself.
 It is too hard to try to explain how amazing this place is and the incredible story it tells.  I am inspired by the sacrifices the Battalion members and their families made and the faith they had through it all.
 Timmy was very happy to go through the tour with Mark and me in Mandarin Chinese.  It was so fun to watch the new version in Chinese, and to hear about all of the Chinese visitors the Center is getting.  Brian refused to go through the tour in Chinese or in English.  He got scared when we went through last winter and has refused ever since to step foot in a tour group.  I'm not surprised by this at all.  There are some really cool parts in the tour where we hear thunder and rain and another part where the ground even shakes when a stamped of wild bulls comes charging through our "camp."  My mom took him to the "fun" parts while Mark, Timmy and I enjoyed the tour.


 Brian was really interested in the new binoculars Grandpa had for the lookout tower at the Center.

 My parent's mission will end in January.  I am happy that they will be coming home, but sad that our San Diego visits are over.  They have put so much time, thought and effort into this Historic Site and they are working harder than ever to make improvements and to get the word out to everyone about this amazing place.


Seriously if you get the chance you should visit.  You can see more photos of the building on the Church website here, or watch a video about the opening here, or read a great article about it here.

I will miss the "Battalion" or the "Center."  It is a special building with a special story in a special place.

Oct 24, 2011

Tea cups ride at sea world

This has to be one of the more evil inventions. I got all dizzy just watching jenny and brian.


Sep 30, 2011

Fishing

Brian and I have been begging Mark all summer to take us fishing.  He finally got a Saturday when we could go. Uncle Tony kindly came with us and ended up bringing the best snacks and the camera and he was the best baby-sitter and helper.  All the pictures are from him.  Thank you Tony!  We had a wonderful time and it was nice to get up to Payson Lakes and out into the mountains with some beautiful weather.

Brian helped reel in several of the twelve fish we caught.  The fish below he reeled in all the way to the very end. Meg wanted a taste, but don't worry Brian held tight and kept it to eat later at Mark's parent's house.  That night as I was putting Brian to bed he sighed and said, "Daddy's just the best fisherman."

Timmy was a little grumpy.  I don't think he was feeling well, but he did enjoy the boat rides and playing with the rocks.