Topping off our San Diego trip with SeaWorld and Wildomar

I have not been to SeaWorld in such a long time and forgot that it is really an amusement park. There was way too much to see and do in our afternoon visit but we did get to see the dolphin show and the Shamu show. Owen was so excited to see the whales that when they came speeding out and kicked the show off with big flips, he gave them a standing ovation. The tide pool was awesome and Owen was amazed by all the aquariums but I think his very favorite part was the moving sidewalk in front of the penguin exhibit. Sure he liked the penguins but he made me take him on the moving sidewalk three times and Owen didn't even look at the penguins the second and third ride. I did not mind though because it was nice a cool inside.

My favorite part about going on this trip was being able to add on a couple days to go visit my girl friends from high school. Owen really liked Jillian's kids (that is her youngest in the picture above) and also had a great time with Brittany's husband Javier who spent hours with Owen throwing dirt, playing with cars and climbing up and down the stairs. I must not wait another three years to get back down to visit everyone.

Sunny San Diego

Sometimes I feel like I really can do it all! Only sometimes though, the other times I can barely finish my work in time to pick Owen up from daycare only to realize I have absolutely nothing at the house for dinner.
But this time I made it work. I had two 4-day work trips planned over the last two weeks of August and I decided to find a way to bring Owen with me on my trip to San Diego. It worked out great! My aunt came down to watch him while I had to work the conference. She was happy to spend time with him and I got to see him during our afternoon breaks and say goodnight each day. The Hotel Solamar was amazing and I would absolutely recommend Kimpton hotels for anyone traveling with kids, dogs or if you just want to have great customer service and a fun atmosphere. As soon as we arrived they invited Owen to choose a toy from the bin in the lobby and then when he was admiring the fish they just brought one up to our room. Owen was so excited to have a fish to say good night to just like at home. And I was so excited to have my little guys so close while I was working. In fact, since we had the majority of the rooms booked for the conference, some of my coworkers would give me updates on Owen, like when he was going to the pool or on his way up the elevator for his nap. He knew more people in that hotel than I did.

How did my baby get to be so grown up?

Zoo Day

I really enjoy going to visit the Sacramento Zoo now that I do not work there. In saying that I mean, now I can enjoy spending time with Owen and not worring about work stuff. I probably get to spend more time just watching the animals now than I did when I worked there. The only time I saw the animals was from behind the camera lens. It is so interseting to see the Zoo from Owen's eyes now. Really squat down and look at what he is seeing. Plus I still get to see the animals I love and visit with some friends.