Last Days of Summer Vacation

This summer flew by so fast and I can't believe that I go back to work on Wednesday:(  Mason and I have had such an amazing time together, but unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.  Mason has matured so much this summer and will soon be my little toddler.  Some of the things that Mason has accomplished this summer are:
1. Crawling everywhere
2. Pulling himself up and cruising around furniture
3. Saying "uh-oh" every time he throws something on the ground
4. Eating more table food and liking it better than his formula
5. Getting super excited every time Mickey Mouse Club comes on the TV
6. Being a little social butterfly, especially when there are younger kids around
7. Giving me kisses whenever I ask for them
8. Looking for Penny whenever he wakes up or when we get home from being out
9. Being extremely well behaved at restaurants (even if we have to bribe him with puffs:)
10.  Clapping at the most perfect times
And so much more!

Since we only had a little time left together, I decided to take Mason to his favorite place, the splash pad!

I love this place!

Covered in sunblock and ready to enjoy:)

This is the face of pure happiness!!!

Thanks for a great summer munchkin!!!

Mason and Jackson Time

Mason has so much fun with his cousins!

Saba and Jackson

Mmmmmm!  Does that table taste good Jackson?

Yay!!!  This is so much fun:)

Please don't drop me Auntie!

We always have the best time when Jackson comes for a visit!!

1st Family Vacation Day 5

This morning was awesome because we got to eat breakfast with Shamu, actually 2 killer whales but they will always be Shamu to me:)  They did flips, jumps, twirls, and all kinds of tricks right in front of us.  I could have watched these beautiful mammals for hours!  We then hopped in the car and drove up to La Jolla.  We had a fabulous day!  We got to hang out with cousin Taryn all day:)  We walked, and walked, and walked some more all along the shore.  The ocean was gorgeous and Mason was happy because he was in his stroller and nowhere near the sand.  LOL!  He was also on his best behavior throughout the entire day!  I can't believe our first family vacation is almost over, but we have so many amazing memories!

Breakfast with Shamu

The whales were so close that some people got splashed while eating breakfast!

The whales did all kinds of tricks right in front of us:)

This was one of the highlights of our trip!

Marc and Taryn in La Jolla

On the walkway out in the ocean to the see the seals

Peek-a-Boo!

July 2012 in La Jolla

July 2011 in La Jolla (The 2012 trip was so much more fun with Mason on the outside of my belly:)

1st Family Vacation Day 4

After breakfast, we had to change hotel rooms within our hotel.  I was frustrated and did not want to move, but the hotel notified us of this prior to our arrival.  When we saw our new room we were pleasantly surprised.  This new room was double in size!  We would have rather stayed here for the majority of our trip.  Next year we will book early and request this room for sure!  Mason was in heaven.  There were 3 full length mirrors for him to admire himself in:)  After the move, we headed out for a fun-filled day at Sea World.   We went to numerous shows including dolphins, pets, and Shamu.  Mason enjoyed the Pets Show the best.  He met a girl there and flirted with her the entire time:)  Mason loved clapping throughout each show as well.  He was super exhausted from this whole week, that he even passed out for over an hour while we were at the park.  We decided to spend our last evening in Coronado at our favorite pizza restaurant (Mason ate kalamata olives and LOVED them:) and then walking around the Del Coronado.  We loved this little island very much and look forward to more trips here in the future.  Tomorrow we are off to La Jolla to hang out with cousin Taryn! 

Mason loves mirrors!

Mason really enjoyed Sea World!

The dolphins were my favorite:)

Poor Mason got his first sunburn today:(

Mason had his first 4D movie theater experience.  Unfortunately, he did not love it and we had to leave before the show ended.

Marc picking up a starfish.

Mason passed out while we walked around the park!

Mommy and Mason at the Del:)

1st Family Vacation Day 3

Day 3 was quite interesting.  After breakfast, we got in the car and drove 45 minutes to the San Diego Wildlife Safari.  Once we got there, we headed straight to the safari tram.  This was a 25 minute tram ride that took us through the "African" safari.  Mason was mildly interested, but cared more about the bottle of sunblock then the animals:)  We saw so many amazing animals such as: lions, giraffes, zebras, gorillas, tigers, gazelles, and so much more.  This park is huge!  The grounds are absolutely beautiful, but I did not anticipate all of the walking.  I probably should not have worn my 3 1/2 inch sandals:)  As we were heading back to the main area for lunch, my sandal broke and I was left to walk barefoot (yes, me barefoot, the biggest germ-a-phobe ever!) on the zoo grounds to the shopping area.  Mason already had a meltdown when we had to change his diaper, and my shoe breaking was the last straw!  To top it off, I had to spend $30 on a pair of regular flip flops!  I do not own any flats, and now I was forced into buying these expensive, ridiculous shoes.  Needless to say, we ate lunch and drove back to our hotel.  Mason was super cranky most of the day.  His gums were bleeding and he can't stop putting everything in his mouth.  Poor guy:(  Mason was having a rough day with his schedule being off and the pain of teething.  After we all showered (Mason has been taking showers this week because we don't have a tub:), we decided to take a ferry to downtown San Diego.  This was probably not the best idea with the day we had, but we decided to give it a shot.  Mason's first boat ride was uneventful and downtown San Diego wasn't too exciting either.  After walking to the Gas Lamp Quarter, we decided to turn around and head to the ferry.  The area was dirty, Mason was fussy, and Marc and I just wanted to eat dinner on our quaint little beloved island.  We have been spoiled by all of the amazing food:)  At dinner, Mason was his sweet happy self again. All of the diners were in love with him and he was loving them!  Today was kind of an off today, but I am positively optimistic about tomorrow!! 

All ready for the safari adventure to begin:)

Mason checking out the giraffes.

His hands were rarely far from his mouth all day:(

The lions were sleeping the same way Penny does, on her back with her legs spread:)

The $30 ridiculous shoes I had to buy!   

Mason was ready to leave the safari at this point.

Marc measures up to the gorillas:)

The scary, yet awesome, Coronado Bridge

Mason does not seem happy about this trip to downtown San Diego.  We shouldn't have left the island:)

Real men wear pink!  This lady on the ferry called Mason a girl 5 times even after I told her he was a boy!  Really lady???!!!

Mason's mood got better once we were heading to dinner.

Mason LOVED trying pizza, cheese, and ham for the first time at this great restaurant!