The Greatest Show on Earth

The Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus came to town!  I can't remember if/when I went to the circus, and Jonathan was a little boy the last time he went.  The theme for this circus was Super Heroes, so I thought that was a great one for our boys!

August 16, 2014

 Ready for the show!

 Just seeing the size of the elephants or "ef-a-lants" as Caleb calls them, was pretty amazing.

 The motorcycles driving in circles inside the huge metal ball were pretty cool.

 Of course, they came home with light up swords as souvenirs.

 Jonathan claims it wasn't as good as the "old school" 3 ring circus of the '80s and '90s, but we all enjoyed it!

First day of Pre-K 4!

So this happened...my firstborn is starting to look like a big boy.  I am really noticing that he is almost  five.  Gulp, sigh, shudder, but smile.  Smile for this healthy boy that is full of energy and ready for new adventures! Those dimples.  They need their own blog post. :)

 He is pretty proud of his snapping abilities.  Me too!  I can't even snap with my pointer finger.  Can you?

Annual picture.... 

Another annual picture in front of the school.

His teacher this year is Mrs. Paula Brady.  Mrs. Brady was my Pre-K 4 teacher.  She fills their little hearts with love, hugs, and Christ.  I couldn't ask for more. 

Here is the re-cap of Day 1.  Looks like he had fun!

San Diego {Day 8: Afternoon & 9}

{Day 8: Afternoon at the Beach}

We spent the entire afternoon at the beach per Dylan's request.  We walked down the cliff right by our house to a little private area of Tourmaline beach.  The Surf Park looked pretty packed so we opted for the road less traveled.  Do you ever have those moments that as they happen you say, "I never want to forget this?" This afternoon was one of those moments for me.  I loved hearing Caleb belly laugh as the waves crashed into him. I loved watching Dylan smile from ear to ear when he finally got the hang of the boogie board.  I took a few videos so that I could always have those memories physically present.  I will let the pictures tell our story....

The Pacific is definitely different than the Atlantic.  It's not quite as warm ;), the sand is darker, and there was a lot of seaweed.  But we didn't have marine life up close to the shore, and I fell in love with looking over and seeing the cliffs almost like they were rising up out of the water.  It has character, a different kind of beauty.  

My favorite photo from the boys at the beach.  Dylan grabbed Caleb's hand and told him that he would help guide him into the waves.  I thank God that they have each other.  

{Day 9: Headed Home}

Caleb snagged the window seat for our trip home.  Both boys were the greatest of travelers.  On our way home, Jonathan said, "I think this has been our best "4 of us" trip yet.  I couldn't agree more.  SoCal, we will see you again. 

San Diego {Day 7&8}

{Day 7: USS Midway}

I got up and went on a run and then the boys met me down by the ocean.  They were really wanting to take pictures, so .......

 Caleb actually took this one..not too bad for a 2 1/2 year old!

We thought the boys would enjoy touring the USS Midway.  And we kinda wanted something that required a little less energy and walking to do for the day!  I was pretty awe struck at the size of the ship.  We didn't explore every area, but they did see all the planes on board.  Caleb loved climbing in and out of them.  My cousin Michael was in the Navy.  He wasn't on the Midway, but he was on a different ship in the same fleet during Desert Storm. 

 Maybe he is going to be our pilot? ;)

 Nana LOVES the Cheesecake Factory and we don't have one in AR!  There was one downtown right close to the Midway, so we stopped there for lunch.  It was Dylan and Caleb's first experience with over the top cheesecake.  They were fans.  And let me just say, I am blessed to have in-laws as great as this couple right here.

 Our afternoon was spent back at home,  seeing who could make the biggest splash in the pool.  Love this action shot.

~Date night~

We were lucky enough to enjoy an evening out just us!  We ate dinner at Eddie V's Prime Seafood.  Our table was right here, on the patio, overlooking La Jolla Cove.  Thanks to my friend, Laura Rowan, and her brother, for the recommendation.  Our meal was excellent!

Then we walked down to the coast to watch the sunset.  We were taking this selfie when a lady came up and asked if she could take our picture.  Southern hospitality in SoCal! ;)

We call it our official 10 year anniversary date night and trip really.  After dinner, we walked up and down Prospect Street and shopped a bit.  Great evening celebrating 10 years!

{Day 8: San Diego Zoo Safari Park}

We weren't sure about visiting the Safari Park because we had already been to the zoo.  But, we kept hearing that it was even better than the zoo.  On our final morning, we got up and headed to Escondido to the Safari Park.  The drive was smooth, and we got there about 9:00am when the park opened.  It is 1,400 acres of land and the animals have more "free" range than at the zoo.  It was much less crowded, and our entire clan decided we liked it better than the zoo!  

We took the Africa tram around the land and saw so many different animals roaming with each other. We did some walking as well.  The landscaping was full of waterfalls, creeks, lush greenery, and more.  It was very pretty.  

The boys fed lorikeets.  Dylan loved it, Caleb wanted to love it but was a little scared of them. 

 There were not any bald eagles at the zoo, but two at the Safari Park.  That is Dylan's favorite animal right now, so he was OVER THE MOON to get to see them.

 They were pretty close to us and even talked while we were standing there!

Nana and Pawpaw got Dylan this bald eagle at the Safari Park.  His name is "Baldy" and he is now his best friend!

 Both boys got much needed naps on the ride home!

Our Day 8 afternoon will have to be in a different post!

San Diego {Day 5&6}

{Day 5: Sea World}

Nana's favorite! We hit the ground the next morning and headed to Sea World!  It was a lot more crowded than we had anticipated, but we enjoyed it. 

Family selfie at the Dolphin Show.  It was everyone's favorite!

 Shamu is pretty incredible!

 "Baby Beluga in the deep blue sea...."  The beluga whale and polar bear exhibit was amazing!

 Tea cups in Sesame Streets Bay of Play!

 Caleb touching sting rays.

 Daddy and Dylan in Turtle Reef.

 They were loving on their souvenirs from Sea World.  Shamu and Polar Bear.

 And loving on each other...

{Day 6: Legoland}
The boys both say that Legoland was their favorite "thing" of our entire trip!  It was pretty awesome. The park was laid out great and it was definitely geared towards ages 2-12 like the website said.  We had a wonderful day there.

They were great Junior drivers and both got their own drivers license!

Pirate Shores was all about water.  We packed swimsuits and the boys had a blast at the splash pad and Swash 'buckling water playground!

Dune riding with Daddy.  Dylan went airborne on one of his trips down the slide!

 Dylan mastered the Monkey Climb all the way up to the top to hit the buzzer.  Thanks, Pawpaw, for finding this little activity!

Lego boat ride!  He was so proud to be the driver!

Another nap for the littlest one.  This one lasted 2 hours.  The boy was tired!

While Caleb napped, we took advantage of the two roller coasters that he was too small to ride.  The Lego Technic Coaster did not disappoint!  Dylan is a thrill-seeker for sure!  Check out that hair!

Miniland U.S.A. was pretty amazing.  EVERYTHING was made out of legos.  Right behind Dylan, there was a marching lego band playing patriotic songs and they actually marched and moved!

This was on our Coast Cruise.  I think this guy is made out of 400,000+ legos.  Wow!

 Nana and Dylan found New York City!

 Enjoying the cruise ourselves.  A nice little rest for the legs.