From a Panda to a Mouse and a Marathon along the way About This Page:

[MinnieJen]

Who: Myself 37, Husband (not allowed to call him DH) 39, Son 3, Son 16 months

Adventures planned: San Diego Zoo, Legoland, SeaWorld and finally Disneyland and California Adventure

When: 8/11- 9/9 in total
Why: Disneyland half marathon for me, my first race ever!!

The Plan: To drive from Denver CO to Oceanside CA with a few stops along the way. Stay at our family vacation condo that we have for the month of August. We have been to the SD Zoo a couple times before but it would be our first time to Legoland and to Seaworld. We planned to spread out our adventures over the time we had at the condo so my husband could work and I could train for my race. Our condo is on the beach so we could spend lots of time with the boys in the sea and sand. At the very end of our trip we would drive to DLR and stay 5 nights at the Grand Californian. We have stayed there once before a year ago with younger boys and much less time. This time we will be able to really take it easy and enjoy touring at our toddler and preschooler’s pace.


Stay tuned to see how the plan played out….

[chezp]

Great start!

[Nicole626Stitch]

Can't wait to hear more!

[Gin7274]

Great start, can't wait for more.

[Colexis Mom]

Great start!

[disney_duke]

Such great plans! But I've done that too and travelled with 3 little kids...... so I'm very curious to see how it all panned out!!!

[mcc0313]

Great start, looking forward to hearing more.

[MinnieJen]

Arriving:
Our drive went well, the boys loved the DVD system in the new car. My 3 year old found a great love for Handy Manny in a matter of a day and we actually stopped to pick up a DVD along the way! We rested for the night in St George UT at the Wingate and we were upgraded to the King Suite and it was amazing. The complimentary breakfast in the morning was perfect, lots to choose from and fresh! Once we arrived in California I got us settled in the condo. It takes a bit to get us organized and stocked up but it is the beach so totally worth it.

San Diego Zoo:
We arrived around 11 am and bought the zoo tickets that include unlimited double-decker bus tours and the Skyfari Aerial Tram. We did do the Skyfari tram at the end of the day to get us back to the front of the park. It is apparently very similar to the old Skyway ride at DL.

We got in line right away for the Giraffe Feeding. On Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 1pm and then 5-6pm you are able to pay $5 for 3 biscuits (you can buy many) and hand feed these sweet gentle animals. We had done this once before so we knew how very cool it was to do and how long the line can be. My 3 year old loves animals but giraffes in particular and he was so excited, he would have done it all day if we had let him. I cannot more highly recommend doing this. They take pictures for you and the giraffes are amazing. It is magical!!

They have opened the new Elephant Odyssey and it was very cool. It has great viewing areas, lots of room and an area for them to “play” with lots of BIG toys. After this we went to get some lunch at Sabertooth Grill attached to the Odyssey. I got the Chicken rice bowl and it was yummy and healthy with lots of veggies. Hubby got the fajita nachos it was a big plate with lots of steak, he liked them quite a bit. We got the boys a kid’s meal that included an animal bucket that we used at the beach for the rest of our trip!

I love the pandas so we did wait in that line. It can be a long line but it moves very quickly. They give you information about the two specific pandas that they have out that day as you walk past and take pics. A must do on our list every time.

We saw many more animals and by late afternoon we had a crashed out 3 year old in the stroller and 1 year old sleeping in the baby carrier. I picked up some t-shirts and a hat and we headed back to the condo for dinner some beach time.

A couple things we noted this time, as it was quite warm that day, is the abundance of shade and the abundance of steep hills . Be prepared if you have kiddos in strollers for sore calf muscles from the uphill pushing.


Stay tuned for Legoland adventures.....

[chezp]

The Elephant Odyssey sounds really neat - we loved the pandas last time we were at the zoo.

[Colexis Mom]

Thanks for the review of the zoo! Can't wait to hear about Legoland!

[disney_duke]

Yes, those hills. I had no idea there would be so many hills at that zoo!! Provided a bit of a workout. Sounded like you guys had a great day though!

[Nicole626Stitch]

Glad you had a great time at the zoo! Can't wait to hear more!

[MinnieJen]

Let me start by saying my husband loves Legos! He jumped at the chance to take the boys here. I think he was thrilled to hear there was a lot for them to do. I was still worried there would not be enough for my boys with them being young but we found many rides and activities for them. They dug in the sand with buckets and shovels at Dig Those Dinos. We rode the train and saw lots of Lego animals at SafariTrek, my 3 year old is quite the driver! Water works was a nice way to cool off the boys and mommy and daddy too as we chased them around. When my youngest fell asleep in the carrier we did the Coast Cruise, the humor is very tongue in cheek and reminds me of the Jungle Cruise.

We got lunch at Knight’s Table BBQ. We ordered chicken and ribs and fruit and cornbread. Everything was surprisingly good quality and we even enjoyed the "gold sauce" so much that we are looking to buy some online.

MiniLand USA was unbelievable The miniature Lego cities were amazingly detailed. My hubby was in Lego heaven; he spent a good 45 minutes taking pictures and video. The kiddos and I did a snack in the shade so he could take his time.

About the middle of the afternoon my 3 year old started acting a bit off. He was grumpy and super clingy to me. As I carried him I noticed a slight fever on top of the hot day. Even though there were other rides we planned to try we decided to call it a day and get him some medicine and rest. He slept in the car almost immediately. Poor cutie. He was under the weather for a couple days but perked up just fine with rest and extra snuggles.

Stay tuned for SeaWorld.....

[chezp]

Sounds like a fun time at Legoland - we never made it there on our last couple of trips to that area.

[disney_duke]

Can't wait to take the kids to Legoland some time soon. It really sounds pretty cool! I'm glad your little one wasn't too ill. That can be extra scary on vacation!