Adventures in San Diego

David and I decided it was time for a family vacation. The boys are very into Lego's right now, so we decided to go to the San Diego area and see the beach, SeaWorld, and most importantly - LegoLand! We left around 8am on July 5th. Our GPS (Lola) told us it would take about 10.5 hours to get there - Boy, was she wrong!!

Sophie is potty trained, and we're SO happy about that, but it makes traveling a little bit...well, llonnggerrr. Before Las Vegas, we had already stopped several times, including gas, lunch and breakfast, so it was taking quite a while. But after St. George we were really staring to make great time - cruise control set at 80 mph, MJ blaring on the CD player, happy, smiling kids. And then it happened. Construction in Vegas. We were suddenly down to 8 mph (sometimes zero mph) for an hour and a half!!! Could this have happened in a worse area??!!?? Two very inquisitive little boys looking all around outside with curiosity at the (horrible, vulgar and downright trashy) billboards that were VERY slowly passing us. This is the only time in their lives that I have wished that they couldn't read. We told them to get their gameboys out and play a game, and luckily, they never looked up again.

Finally, we got out of the construction mess just in time to take a wrong turn (Dave thinks we took a wrong turn. I think Lola has a wicked sense of humor). We ended up taking a scenic drive to our hotel. In the dark. With hungry, cranky, tired kids. And a REALLY cranky momma (sorry, Dad!!). Not a good start to our vacation. But, we finally arrived (almost 15 hours from when we started) and got settled down for the night.

Our hotel was great. Marriott Residence Inn. Bedroom upstairs with a bathroom, another downstairs with a full kitchen. We loved it. Oh, except for the stairs. Here's where the adventure continues.

Sophie got up Monday morning and was so excited. She ran upstairs to see Grandma, went potty, and then we were all off to their continental breakfast. As soon as we were done, Dad went to print off our tix to the Zoo and Grandma, I and the kids went back to the room to pack a bag and get ready to go. Sophie had gone upstairs to see Grandma and the boys. She was walking downstairs and somehow her feet got tangled and she took a LONG tumble down 14 stairs. I heard thump, thud, WHACK. And then the scream. Not just an ordinary scream. The "I am really hurt and need help!!!!" scream. I went running, smacked my hip hard on the edge of the dresser and got to where she was laying and screaming at the bottom of the stairs. I knew she was hurt but was hoping that she was more scared than anything. Not so. She was REALLY hurt. After an hour she still couldn't put any pressure on her left leg. Dave went to the store to get Ibuprofen and I called the pediatrician. The doctor told us just to watch it and give Ibuprofen. They don't like to do anything for 48-72 hours until the swelling goes down. She had calmed down by this point and was yelling at the stairs, telling them how naughty they were, so we decided to try to go to the zoo. She couldn't walk but we had a stroller for her so off we went.

We got to the zoo around noon and Dave dropped all of us off at the front. Then he went to park. He took FOREVER to come in the zoo. And he had a look on his face. A look that said "don't worry, it's going to be okay". Not good. Apparently, after dropping us off at the front of the zoo, he hopped back in the van to go park and we had no brakes. He went slow enough to get into a parking spot and then made some phone calls, finding out that we had a major repair to look forward to. Since we were already there, we stayed for a few hours and then began the next journey of trying to find an auto repair shop. Long story short....new front brakes, $700, Rental car for the next day $80. Lucky us. But seriously, we felt so blessed. What if that would have happened in the middle of all that construction in 113 degree heat?? It happened at the best time (if there is a good time for this to happen). We felt very blessed. Also, our hotel ended up being only a mile or two away from a dodge dealer and the car rental place, so it worked out as well as it could have.

Sophie was a trooper. She hardly ever complained. We gave her Ibuprofen for the first 48 hours and then she didn't seem to need it anymore. We went to the zoo, SeaWorld, to the beach and visiting relatives, and then to LegoLand and on Friday we came home. Her very favorite was the beach. She loved it. She was shivering and so cold, but she would just cry when we made her get out to warm up. I can't believe how tough she is - she did all of that with a hurt leg. When we got home, we immediately went to the doctor and they took x-rays. Her leg is broken and she gets her cast (from her toes to above her knee) next week.

The boys and Brielle had just as much fun as Sophie. Their very favorite was LegoLand. They loved the rides, building with Legos and their souvernirs. All in all it was a great trip with lots of Adventure!!!