This year Joey's brother Tim and family, Lauren and Robert, came down to visit us for Christmas.They live in Seattle so we thought it would be fun to have a little west coast family Christmas. Their son Robert is about 6 months older than Jack so they got along great. It was so nice for Jack to have a playmate over the holiday.
As usual, we packed their visit full of fun San Diego sightseeing. I'm not as good as I used to be about taking pictures of every activity but I got most of them. So here we go!
They arrived on the Tuesday before Christmas and we had an easy day around the house, walked to the park, and went out for dinner nearby. The next day, the sightseeing began!
LA JOLLA, SUNSET CLIFFS & CHRISTMAS EVE
We started the morning having breakfast at Caroline's Seaside Cafe by the pier. This is a great spot to get a view of the rocky California beaches and surfers. The weather was perfect.
The two munchkins were already best buds.
After breakfast we took a walk down La Jolla Cove to see the seals, sea lions and other wildlife, a must do for any first time visitor.
The sea lions were especially close and social this morning.
One was even hanging out in the very accessible tide pool area - which made for great photo ops.
We ended up walking like 5 miles that morning (tracked by Tim and Lauren's new fitbits) so this pregnant lady was pooped. That afternoon, I stayed home to rest while everyone else went out to see the sunset at Sunset Cliffs.
That night I made cheese fondue for our Christmas Eve tradition. I tried a new recipe and I think it was the best I've made yet.
The boys had their own little dinner at the kid's table.
After dinner, we got into the Christmas spirit by wearing our hats and/or reindeer ears and let the kids open a couple presents.
Jack definitely understood the idea of presents this year and really enjoyed unwrapping things.
We put the kids to bed and Santa started working on Jack's new wagon.
CHRISTMAS MORNING & BALBOA PARK
On Christmas morning, Jack woke up excited to open more presents. We were super excited for him to see the wagon but his reaction was kind of confused. Luckily Robert was there to point out the exciting new gift from Santa.
And then he hopped right in.
We spent the morning leisurely opening presents.We all received very thoughtful gifts and enjoyed seeing the boys opening their presents..and helping open ours. We got Tim, Lauren, and Robert "Goodnight Ipad," a variation on Goodnight Moon, that looked pretty funny. They seemed to like it. :)
Jack got some fun peg puzzles from Grandma & Grandpa Heithaus. Jack LOVES puzzles. I wonder where he gets it?
We got Jack a little wooden train set that was also a hit.
Joey and I decided not to do too much for each other for gifts this year but I couldn't resist getting him a GT outfit for baby girl.
Robert got a big firetruck from Tim &; Lauren that he loved. Like most boys, he's a big fan of all things planes, cars, and trucks.
After presents and breakfast, we took the boys for a spin around the block in the new wagon - still in their Christmas PJs and santa hats. It was adorable. This picture doesn't do it justice.
After nap, we opted for a leisurely afternoon at nearby Balboa Park - another first time visitor must do. We walked through the main strip, stopping for a pic at the Dr. Seuss Whoville tree...
And then played for a bit at Pepper Grove park, a great playground.
The boys (young and old) had a blast running around and climbing trees. Thes little guys are lucky to have such great dads.
Then a quick stop at the cactus garden, one of my faves. All in all, it was another 5 mile day and I was wiped!
WILD ANIMAL SAFARI PARK!
The day after Christmas we headed north and inland to the big wild animal park. This is becoming another San Diego Christmas tradition. It was another beautiful day. Robert was getting quite fond of his Aunt Crystal. I had a little buddy. :)
We rode the Safari Tram through the Africa section of the park. The boys were less entertained than I expected but it was still fun.
My two buddies.
The rest of the park is just like a regular zoo. We saw some ducks and got to feed them. I love that Robert is wearing Jack's little bear backpack leash in this picture. It definitely came in handy for that little crazy man!
We got a great view of a family of gorillas - including a little baby. The boys were so excited.
The tiger viewing was also especially good.
Another fun but exhausting day!
LITTLE ITALY, THE BAY, THE GASLAMP, AND KIDDIE RIDES!
On Saturday we went down to our old stomping grounds for breakfast at Pappalecco, my favorite Italian coffee shop, and checked out the Little Italy farmer's market (sorry, no photos.)
Then we walked along the bay and checked out all the cool ships.
With a quick walk through the Gaslamp district - which is definitely not as interesting in the daytime sans drinking.
We rode the trolley back to Little Italy, which the boys thoroughly enjoyed, grabbed some fish and chips and walked to the waterfront park.
It was nice to let the boys (and adults) run around and get some energy out.
On the way home, we stopped by Balboa park again to let the kiddos ride the carousel and train. Jack rode a moving horse this time and loved it.
Robert chose a giraffe.
And the adults hopped on a horse too. It was fun but I have to admit, I got a little motion sick.
Next was the train. We took turns going with the boys. We only let them ride twice this time. I think it goes without saying that this was a hit.
Whew, see what I mean? We kept busy!
BEACH DAY
Sunday was their last day and Tim wanted to try a little surfing. We had a relaxing morning and went over to Mission Beach in the afternoon. The guys suited up and jumped in the water and we let the boys play in the sand.
We watched the guys surf for a bit. Here they are going for a wave. Swim, guys, swim!
And only one man standing...
Tim had a little trouble getting up at first, mostly due to the fact that he was wearing Joey's too small wetsuit and had a hard time even lifting his arms. He came out for a little breather after an hour or so. Surfing is exhausting business!
He pulled himself together and gave it another go. And by the end of the day, he could stand up! It was a lot of work but he really enjoyed it. Great job Tim! The boys just kept playing in the sand the entire time - like for over 2 hours. Who knew the beach was so entertaining!?
SAYING GOODBYE
And like that, their visit was over. On Monday morning, we said our goodbyes. But first, a cute shot of the boys in their PJs. (Jack's PJs courtesy of Chris and Sam - another great Christmas gift!)
Then a few hugs...
And couch pics.
We really enjoyed having them here over the holiday. We have gotten somewhat used to being alone on Christmas and it was so nice to get to spend it with family. We hope to do this more often!
We both had the rest of the week off, so we just spent it lounging around the house and recovering from our busy visit. It was a great end to a great year!
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