Coronado beach
Tim and I love any excuse to travel, so when we were expecting Michael we jumped at the idea of a babymoon. We wanted to go somewhere warm and relaxing, and new to us. So, on a snowy day in February we boarded a plane out of JFK, and a few hours later we landed in sunny St. Martin. It was heaven! We slept in, we lazed by the pool, we read on the beach and played in the water, and we drove all over the island eating all the way. It was the perfect babymoon for us then. (See a few photos here and here.)
When we found out we were expecting again we decided to take full advantage of our time with Michael and plan another babymoon - this time with less focus on relaxation, and more focus on doing all the things that Michael loves most. He's a great traveler (by my count he's already been on 18 flights and visited 9 states!) so we were only limited by my comfort when we were planning. One of the first places that came to mind was San Diego. Michael is pretty obsessed with the ocean and ocean creatures, and we had visited San Diego before and had a great time, so we knew what to expect (great weather, a beautiful setting, good food, etc.) It turned out to be the perfect choice!
One of the great things about traveling with a two year old boy is that everything is an adventure. He was so excited just to go to the airport and see some airplanes. When we actually boarded the plane and took off I thought his head might explode from happiness.
On our second day we were up before the sun, celebrating Father's Day with balloons and cards and gifts for Tim. We spent the day at the zoo and Michael had a great time following the map and looking for animals with his new "noculars". That night we had dinner at one of Tim's favorites, Neighborhood.
We started day three with a huge breakfast at Hash House A Go Go. We spent the day at the La Jolla Cove and we all had a great time. There were sea lions, crabs, birds, fish, waves, and a cave to explore with Dad. Michael loved it! We had so much fun watching him take it all in. Afterwards we grabbed lunch at Ocean Terrace. The views in La Jolla were so beautiful - I'm so glad we spent a day there!
On day four Tim and I were so excited to take Michael to Sea World. We filled up on yummy breakfast at Snooze, and then headed to the park. Michael loved it! We knew he would, but seeing his excitement over all the animals was thrilling. He especially loved all the petting tanks, and I think he would have gotten right in the water if we hadn't held him back.
We spent the evening in Coronado playing at the beach and having dinner. One of my favorite parts came at the end of the day when we all snuggled up on one of the hotel beds and watched a movie together. We were all happy and worn out - and Michael was still holding his new Orca whales.
On our last morning in town we went back to Snooze because I had to have more Reese's peanut butter pancakes. We had some time to kill before our flight, so we played in the park at the USS Midway Museum. It was a beautiful morning, and I'm so glad we got to spend a couple of peaceful hours there.
It was such a wonderful family vacation. I'll always remember it with a happy heart and be so thankful that we had this special time while we were still a family of three.
