SeaWorld Summer Fun

Summer is just not complete without a trip to SeaWorld! Aleya tried to rub Shamu's belly.

Shamu underwater viewing is always a favorite for our family.

Then there is the fantastic Shamu show, "Believe."

It took a lot of coaxing to get Aleya to touch the starfish.

She finally got over her fears and picked up a small one.

We love to pet the manta rays, too. They feel slimy and smooth.

Orrin was selected as an audience participant.

The sea lions are so funny! They did some great tricks this time.

New at Seaworld is the Seasame Street Bay of Play. We got to meet several of the characters. Aleya found the large blue hairy monster quite disturbing.

Aleya was a little scared of giant Elmo, but was willing to give him a low five.
Aleya finally started warming up to the giant characters, if mommy was nearby.

A new ride was Elmo's flying fish. Here is the Angelfish.

The swordfish.

Here is the clownfish.

Mormon Night at the Padres

I organized Mormon Night at the Padres for our ward again this year. It is much more fun to go together in a group. We had over 40 people attend.

Amara and her friend Chloe are enjoying the baseball treats.

We all had a lot of fun. The game came down to one play . . . almost a grand slam, but the outfielder had an amazing catch at the wall to end our chance at scoring. Dang. Padres lost. But, I feel baseball is all about the atmosphere and friends, so we had a great time anyway.

Family Gathering at Emerald Bay in Laguna

We headed up to Orange County to Laguna Beach at Emerald Bay for a family get together. Some of my extended family from my dad's side of the family were in town.

We played in the surf and sand and ate a nice picnic dinner.

Orrin thought he wanted to try surfing, but when he reached the water, he changed his mind. I think he needs lessons first before he tries it.

Joseph enjoyed playing volleyball with the aunts, uncles, and cousins.


Afterwards, we hit the warm pool for some more fun before heading home.

Happy Pioneer Day!

Our stake chose to forgo any Pioneer Day activities, so we crashed our friends' ward party in Rancho Bernardo. I actually made Amara's pioneer dress this year, but I didn't have enough time to make Aleya's. I borrowed some clothes for me.

We had ham, biscuits and gravy, and cobbler for breakfast. It was delicious.

They had a nice program and then pioneer games for the kids. Stick pulling was a favorite. These sticks were more like logs, though.

St. Regis Resort at Dana Point

Christian had a medical conference at the St. Regis Resort in Dana Point, California. We brought the whole family along for some fun.

The pools were warm like bathwater. It not very warm at the beach and a bit overcast, but the kids had an enjoyable time.

Our room was pretty posh with feather beds, a plasma TV, and an elegant bathroom. I think we should have left the kids at home so we could enjoy it more. All this fun for free! If we had stayed an extra night, they would have charged us 1/2 price for the room ($325). We passed on a 2nd night.


Aleya was having a blast.
This is the view from our patio off our room at the hotel.

Seasame Street Miliary Experience

Our family attended a free Seasame Street performance at Miramar MCAS. We waited an hour in line for a 25 minute performance. Ah, well.

Aleya and Amara loved the dancing and singing. Elmo stole the show!

Wild Animal Park Fun

I took the kids over for some fun at the San Diego Wild Animal Park.

Our aim was to cool off in the hot sun. This is a great water area for the kids to play in.


Our kids love to climb up this hill and then roll down it.

Next we went to a bubble show. What do "bubbles" have to do with wild animals?

Your guess is as good as mine!

4th of July 2008

Our Escondido 1st ward and the San Pasqual ward had an Independence Day celebration at our local Kit Carson park. We had a breakfast and then kids games.

They had all the kids race in different age groups.

Amara won and Aleya . . . well, she would have won if she knew what she was supposed to do.
Orrin tied for 1st.
Joseph took 2nd place.
Later in the afternoon, we went to the Point Loma Naval Base for a Fair for active duty families.

They had free body painting: Orrin's arm, Amara's face, and Aleya's arm.

They had free rides and bouncy houses.


Christian had to work for part of the day and didn't join us until the early evening. DADDY!

We listened to some local bands and then enjoyed the fireworks on San Diego Bay. We didn't get home until midnight.

Joseph's 1st Scout Camp

Joseph went to an 11 year old Scout day camp. He spent two days at Camp Balboa and two days at Fiesta Island doing water recreation like kayaking.


Here they are making and shooting air rockets.

They lashed and built this climbing platform.

They did archery.

On the last day, Christian camped overnight with Joseph.

Joseph also enjoyed playing card games with the other scouts.