La Jolla and Old Town

We drove to La Jolla... it was cloudy and cool that day. 

Walking down a LONG flight of stairs to a sea cave...

The sea cave was really pretty!

View from the sea cave. 

Someone offered to take our picture, but the lighting conditions were quite challenging. 

We also walked along the beach...

So many birds on the rocks!

Everyone was checking out the sleeping sea lions. 

We did some window shopping... Lauren tried on this fun pizza hat!

The next day we briefly stopped at Old Town on our way to the airport. It was a fun area and we would love to go back there during a future San Diego trip.

Coronado Island

The community swimming pool at Coronado is our favorite! It's so fun to be able to swim outside during the winter. 

Justin and the girls walking along the boardwalk. 

Surrey bike selfie!

Another selfie, this time with Emily using a selfie stick.

San Diego Zoo

We visited the San Diego Zoo... here are the girls checking out the gorillas. 

We saw the back of one of the pandas... apparently she was very tired. 

Black jaguar!

The penguins were admittedly a bit smelly...

Emily thought it was a great idea to have barfing stations throughout the zoo for people who could not tolerate the smell of the animals. :P

Belmont Park

The condo we stayed at in San Diego was walking distance from Belmont Park. The girls loved this ride!

I lost track of how many times they rode this.

Front row in the submarine...

The girls love roller coasters!

All smiles with a giant bowl of ice cream. 

Lauren on the carousel.

Emily on the carousel.

Mission Beach, San Diego

On New Year's Day, we flew out to San Diego! We arrived at our condo as the sun was setting. 

The girls brought their scooters to ride up and down the boardwalk. 

Playing in the sand...

The view from the master bedroom patio. 

We did a lot of outdoor activities but also enjoyed lounging at the condo. It was a great week!

Din Tai Fung

The Chinese dumpling restaurant Din Tai Fung recently opened in our area... we ate dinner there and it was fantastic!

Christmas 2018

On Christmas Eve, we went to the Rufener's house. The girls played the piano and we sang Christmas carols.  

Lauren playing the piano. 

Emily playing the piano. 

Girls watching Uncle Lane open a gift. 

Family selfie!

Girls giving Daddy a gift on Christmas morning. 

Emily gave Lauren a soft furry pillow... she had Lauren close her eyes since it was not wrapped.

She also gave Lauren a soft cuddly blanket. :)

Lauren gave Emily a copy of the Big Nate book she's been wanting.

She also gave her a set of brush markers...

And a sketch journal!

The girls always enjoy opening the gift box from Aunty Carol and Uncle Joe. 

The girls' big gift this year was drones!

They still love stuffed animals too. 

Girls enjoying Christmas dinner with cousins Kay and Kali. 

Emily and Lauren made this incredibly decadent and delicious chocolate cheesecake for dessert!

Family selfie with Bear!