California Love

Day Numero Uno:
I think we need some frequent flier miles for this baby! This was the fourth time Charlotte has flown in a 13 month period. Kayu complains every time that we need to start buying C her own seat but this mama is too cheap. In my opinion, she does exceptionally well on the plane. At times she was a bit feisty and wanted to get out and move around, but can you blame a toddler? The lady that sat next to us on the plane was kind enough to share her mini M&M's with C. She enjoyed shaking them and indulging in the chocolate (Hopefully she won't become an addict like her mom). On our way to the baggage claim, a couple of the passengers commented on how cute she was and how well she did on the plane. That night we went to a hibachi place and the staff loved her there. C was very mesmerized by the chef...either because he was Asian or because he was flipping spatulas.



Day Numero Dos:
A trip to California would not be complete without a trip to Sea World! We spent the day checking out the sea life and watching the shows. And I learned that Shamu was actually a girl....who knew?! Apparently Mamu was the first whale that was adopted by Sea World. When the female came along, they decided to name her Shamu for the "she" version. Towards the end of the visit we came upon the Sesame Street kid's zone. Charlotte had fun playing with the life size xylophone and crawling through the tunnels. At one point a little Asian boy decided to get in the same tunnel as Charlotte. She was not very fond of the little boy and scrunched her face in disdain until he left.




Day Numero Tres:
We took a nice morning stroll to a local diner in Coronado. We enjoyed some breakfast and fed the juke box some quarters to listen to some oldies. Charlotte drew in the attention of the customers by dancing to the music. Then we visited a local outdoor mall where I shopped until my heart was content. In the evening we went to Imperial beach where Charlotte sported her new kitty hat. Kayu kept saying that she was going to look like a freak on the beach with her hat on but it was chilly enough that a couple of other people had hats on too.




Day Numero Quatro:
We headed to the children's museum for the day. It was our first time going to a children's museum so I was very excited about the excursion. I think Kayu and I might have had more fun than Charlotte since there was more "older kids" stuff. We got to climb the rock wall and ride the wooden segways. Charlotte explored the barn dance room and played in the rain house which had real water coming down the rooftop. She had the most fun pushing the grocery basket around towards the end. There was a little boy that came and sat on my lap when I was playing on the floor with Charlotte. Charlotte became envious of the little boy and immediately came over and laid her head on my shoulder to stake her claim. Later that night we got to see Auntie B and Uncle T. Charlotte was very shy around them at first but in no time she was running around showing off her new walking abilities.





Day Numero Cinco:
Sunday we hit the sea for a harbor cruise. We indulged in an endless array of food and drinks....sushi, made to order omelets, crab legs, chocolate covered strawberries, caviar, shrimp...and most importantly mimosas! Before B & T headed back to LA, we made another trip to the beach. Charlotte had a blast playing in the sand and making sand castles.





Day Numero Seis
We explored La Jolla shores and were pleasantly surprised when we got out of the car and heard the sea lions calling. Kayu and I took turns climbing some rocks and got some really great views of the sea lions that were lounging on the rocks. You could tell that the sea lions just ate up all the attention they were getting from the tourists. We walked further along the beach and found a sea of seals sprawled along the beach. At first glance, they looked like a whole bunch of rocks but upon further examination, they were just a bunch of lazy seals chilling on the beach.



Day Numero Siete
This morning we woke up to a wonderful surprise (insert sarcasm here). Kayu went to go get C this morning and I hear "Shannon!" I go into her room to find smudges of brown stuff all over the sheets. At first glance we thought it was poop and she was covered in it. Turns out it was puke. I'm not sure what made her get sick, put after a bath she seemed perfectly fine. After the munchkin was all cleaned up we headed to Brian's 24 for breakfast. We did some window shopping around the Gas Lamp Quarter and then headed back to La Jolla for a much sought after cupcake at Cups. We devoured a minty wonderland cupcake and some to-die-for strawberry milk. Mmm. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. We ended the trip with a nice dinner at C level where we had a great view of the water and skyline. Unfortunately, gone are the days of the quiet relaxing dinners. Charlotte was rather fussy that night so I didn't get to fully enjoy my lobster macaroni and cheese. All and all we had a really great trip and we were really thankful that my uncle let us stay in his condo down there.