Vacation, Day 8, Home Again

We left at 12:30 to head home and didn't get there until 8:30 that night. I didn't take any pictures because everyone was a tad temperamental (me included, I just wanted to get home). Nothing exciting happened, we drove and stopped in every town to go to the bathroom. I swear my children have bladders the size of a pea! :) We finally made it home and I'm glad to be back!

Vacation, Day 7, A Museum and A Baseball Game

Day 7 brought lots of fun! First of all, it was my 31st birthday. I know I'm so old! Since it was my birthday, Kendal and I had a girls day out. Derek took Brandon to a Padres game and Kendal and I headed over to the New San Diego Children's Museum. I've heard the boys had a great time. Brandon ate everything in sight (2 corndogs, 2 drinks, dipping dots, and ice cream) and had fun yelling for the Padres (even though they lost). Kendal and I had fun at the museum. Our favorite part was the port-o-party. It was a port-o-potty but inside was a disco ball and an i-pod. So we climbed in and boogied down! Another of Kendal's favorites was the dress-up capes. She dressed up in her cape and pretended to be Snow White. After we picked up the boys from the baseball game we headed over to Macaroni Grill for my birthday dinner. Great, yummy food! With cake for dessert! Then home again...

Inside the Rain House.

Cape dress-up.

To work these, you walked on the top set of wheels and it moved it around. It was pretty neat!

Vacation, Day 6, Random Fun

We had decided earlier on in the week that on Saturday we would go to the beach. Well, because of Derek's bad sunburn we put the kabosh on that idea. Instead, we decided to do a little shopping and to head out and see the San Diego temple. First we went shopping. We headed over to Horton Plaza where there is a Steve & Barry's. It's the best store in the whole world because it has clothes and shoes for everyone and the best part is that everything in the store is $8.98. Yes! Everything. So, I got a few things for the kids for school and then we headed over to Seaport Village. It's a little village (hence the name) that has some shops and places to eat. We got something to eat at a little fish restaurant and then ice cream at Ben & Jerry's. After that we headed over to the temple. That was my favorite part of the whole trip. When we got out, the peace that flooded over me was in high contrast to the time spent running around. As soon as we got out of the car one of the missionaries said, "You must be a Utah family." I asked him how he knew and he said we just had a certain look about us. Hhmm... could be good or bad. We spent some time there walking around and then headed for home. But, on the way Derek saw a Whole Foods. I don't know how many of you watch "Top Chef", but that's where they go for their food for the challenges. We'd never been in one and Derek had been dying to see one. They really are pretty amazing. They have a full deli with wonderfully, delicious food. But, as a claustrophobic, there were too many people in there for me. I was going crazy and couldn't wait to leave. After we left the mob, it was back to the condo to eat the food and head for bed.

Seaport Village

The newest faces of Ben & Jerry's!

At the San Diego Temple.

Vacation, Day 5, Sea World

Today we decided to go to Sea World. When we went in Florida, we didn't spend a lot of time there so we decided to go while we were in San Diego. We spent most of our time watching the animal shows. We saw the Shamu "Believe" show, the Cirque de la mer show, the Sea Lion show, Elmo in 4-D (and I didn't see the difference between 3-D and 4-D), and the Dolphin Show. The Dolphin Show was the best though because Kendal got to be in the show. We had just walked in and sat down when they came up to us and asked if Kendal and Derek would want to be in the show. Of course we said yes. It was a really neat experience for her. Derek got to feed a killer whale and Kendal got to pet and tickle the dolphins. It was a great way to end the day!

Kendal holding a starfish.

Brandon holding a starfish.


Brandon and the sea lions.


Brandon and Dad high above San Diego. Brandon had been dying to ride in the Sky Riders at the Wild Animal Park but it was way too expensive ($3.00 each way). Sea World was quite a bit
more affordable ($3.00 both ways) so we couldn't resist.


Mom and Kendal high above San Diego.

Kendal and Derek in the dolphin show. It's easiest if you click on view all images and then you can see them all.

Vacation, Day 4, The Beach

Today we went to the beach.
I didn't bring my camera because I didn't want to get sand in it, so there are no pictures.
We got a good parking space right by the showers and bathrooms.
We boogie boarded.
Kendal, Brandon, Dad, and even Mom boogie boarded.
We ate lunch.
We were cold at times because the water and weather were a little chilly.
We had a run-in with a seagull who was pilfering through our bag to get our chips.
Kendal couldn't stop shivering.
After 3 hours we decided to come home.
Now we are using many medications to try and fix our sunburns.
You don't want to see pictures because you would cry for us.
Derek's skin hasn't seen the sun in five years.
You would really cry for him.

(I'm tired and can't really string together words to make sentences so this is what you get.)

Vacation, Day 3, Wild Animal Park

Wordless Wednesday
San Diego Wild Animal Park

Vacation, Day 2, Zoo Fun!

Today we decided to go the zoo. The night before we decided that since the zoo opened at 9:00 am and closed at 4:00 pm we'd get up early so that we could stay all day and see everything. Well, that didn't happen. So, we got to the zoo about 11:00 and stayed until about 3:30. We had a great time and saw lots of cool things. I think my favorite was the insect museum. All in all it was a great day with lots of fun.

Hitching a ride with momma gorilla.

Hanging out with the hippos. Kendal was extra goofy today!

Hippos may not be fast, but you'd get there eventually....unless they're made of metal,
then you wouldn't get there at all.

This was after the polar bear plunge.

They had a really cool petting zoo for the kids and the kids loved these little goats.

Do you know what's even slower than a metal hippo? A metal turtle!

This was the African Bird-Eating Spider. That's Derek's hand against the glass to give you
an idea of how big it is. If I was a bird, I'd be watching my back.

The buggies in the Bug Town Itty Bitty City.

Vacation, Day 1! Woo-hoo!!

Day One:
5:30 am - Wake up. Well, it was more like roll out of bed, because the last time I saw 5:30, it was when I was young and in college.
6:00 am - Load the car. Notice the neighbor opening her blinds. Surprised that she knows what 6:00 am looks like. Odd.
6:30 am - Head over to Lin's to get some dry ice for the cooler. Marvel at the idea of people being at work so early. Huh.
7:00 am - Gently wake the kids to get them in the car. Yeah, they know what 7:00 am looks like just as much as I do.
7:12 am - Leave the house hoping we remembered everything. So far we have.
7:12 am - 11:00 am - Drive, stop (for the kids and Derek, and maybe me to go potty), drive, stop, drive, stop, drive, stop. I'm really not exaggerating.
11:00 am - Stop in Baker to look at the world's largest thermometer. Everyone needs one of those.

11:00 am - 3:00 pm - Drive, stop, drive, stop, drive, stop, drive, finally get to the place we're staying.
3:00 pm - Meet the owner of the condo we're staying at. He shows us around. We discover that there really is a condo heaven. There's a great pool, jacuzzi, tennis courts, and a fitness center. There's no way I'm staying at a hotel again. Not when this condo is the same price and it's much nicer.
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm - Decide to go to the beach. Head out without any directions and promptly get lost. Call the owner and get vague directions. Discover we're still lost and neither one of us wants to ask for directions. Drive around for awhile and finally find the beach. Spend lots of time looking for a parking space near the beach and realize there are none to be found. Decide to park miles away and walk. Realize that this trip that should have taken 15 minutes took about an hour. Say a silent prayer asking that getting home won't be as bad.
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm - Play, have fun, and get dirty. Listen to Brandon worry about washing his hands and feet (it's a genetic defect he got from his mom:)). Get in the cold water up to my ankles and hope that Derek will be willing to take the kids in the water, as it's too cold for me. He does. Hang out in the warm sand hoping that Kendal's lips will turn back to their normal color sometime this millennium.


7:00 pm - Head for the condo and promptly get lost. Drive by the temple and marvel at how beautiful the San Diego Temple really is. Hope that when we want to go to the temple on Sunday we'll be able to find it. Maybe we'll pretend we're lost just so we can come across it, because that's how it usually lost.
7:30 pm - Still lost. Sign up for the internet on my phone so I can use mapquest to get us back. Learn the hard way that typing on my phone is far more labor intensive than using a computer. Make a goal to get directions BEFORE we leave the condo next time.
8:00 pm - Find our way home and then head out to get something to eat. Get lost again. Realize we could never be on the Amazing Race because we'd never find our way and we'd both be too stubborn to ask for directions.
8:30 pm - Find the restaurant we wanted a mile from the condo, had to use yellowpages.com to find it. Pathetic, I know. Have some of the best food I've ever tasted at Rubio's. Kind of like Cafe Rio. Stuff ourselves.
9:30 pm - Take the kids back, give them a bath, and put them to bed.
10:00 pm - Type, type, type.
10:30 - Go to bed.
More fun tomorrow.

Edited to add: I'm not sure what's wrong with my formatting. It looks normal until I publish it. Sorry it's all a little squishy. Maybe it's a little stressed out about us getting lost so many times.

Crazy Fun!

This week started off completely crazy. Long story short, my Grandma is in the hospital after a bout of dementia that was caused by dehydration and an infection. She's doing great now and should be out in a couple days. I tried typing up the long story but it kept going on and on and I was even bored reading it so I won't subject you to that. So, that was Sunday. Yesterday I got a call from my sister-in-law (Travis' wife) who said that Travis had been hurt at work. He works on an oil rig in Wyoming. We're still a little sketchy on the details as he was on morphine when he talked to my parents (who are in Atlanta till Friday, they left last Saturday) to try and explain it. My dad couldn't understand him so he handed the phone to my mom and said, "You were a speech therapist, maybe you can understand him." She couldn't though so we're missing a few details. The story could be this: he was carrying something that wasn't tied down and it fell and then he fell. He hit his head, back and shoulders really hard and broke his ankle. His head was bleeding but they checked him out and it's fine. The doctor said his ankle was the worst break he's ever seen. His foot came completely detached from his leg. Yuck! He tore a whole bunch of ligaments and they had to use two plates to put it together. He can't put any weight on it for two months and will be out of work for a year. Despite all that, the doctor said he can come home tomorrow. So his wife went up to pick him up today and will be bringing him back home tomorrow. She's such a trooper! I think I would be a sobbing, quivering mess, but she's holding it together. She's amazing!

So, to prevent further tragedy from befalling the Carney or Barney family I have taken severe preventative measures. My children, as we speak, are wrapped with pillows secured with duct tape, lest they even think about breaking a bone or even walking (it could harm them). I have turned off my power, water, electricity and gas since a freak accident COULD happen. And I have decided to walk or bicycle everywhere I need to go. Nope, never mind, I won't even leave the house since something could happen. We're scheduled to go to California on Sunday so I have to keep the family safe until then. Wish me luck!

Kendal's 4th Birthday Party

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Just for you Aunt Moo!

Sorry it's sideways, I can't fix it 'cause my computer hates me. Thanks for the gifts, she loves them!

Happy Birthday Kendal!

Today is Kendal's fourth birthday. I still remember the day she was born vividly. I went in at 6:00 in the morning to be induced. Everything was going good until I started having really hard contractions. Every time I had a contraction her heart would stop until the contraction was over. They had me lay on my right side to see if that would help. It didn't so they had me lay on my left side. That seemed to help a little. As I got closer to delivery and the contractions got closer her heart would stop for longer. I was getting scared and apparently so were the nurses as I watched one pick up the phone to call the doctor. My mom was out in the hallway and saw the doctor come running down the hall. As soon as he got to my door he stopped, calmly walked in and asked, "Are you ready to have a baby?" I started pushing but it wasn't going quick enough and her heart kept stopping, so they grabbed the vacuum and sucked her out. When he pulled her out, he started counting, "1...2...3...4...5. Wow!" The cord was wrapped around her neck five times. It was no wonder that her heart stopped beating. She was a fighter then and she's my stubborn little fighter now. She has the strongest, most independent spirit of any child I've met and I love that about her. I know she was sent to our family to help us. She makes us laugh and picks us up and cuddles like no other. We wouldn't be us without her. Happy Birthday baby girl! I love you.