We picked up burgers at Hodads which was incredibly busy and the girls played in the sand for a couple of hours. When Star got fussy, I walked back to the house with her and put her down for a nap and Bart stayed and let the big girls keep playing, much to their delight.
That afternoon, while Star snoozed, the big girls and I walked a few blocks to the tiny little library branch and we played with Legos and read books for a while. I also got a library card to add to my growing collection (I wasn’t planning on it, but I had to print out our tickets for the zoo the next day, which meant I had to get a card, which meant we had to walk BACK to the house, grab my license, and then walk back to the library).
The highlight was the baby giraffe which had been born only a few days earlier and looked so tiny next to his gigantic parents (although he was as tall as I am!). The rhino was also incredibly impressive and I loved seeing the panda and the polar bear too.
We’d known the weather was forecasted to be bad, so we were all appropriately dressed and stayed nice and warm.
Eventually, everyone was getting tired of walking and ready for some lunch, so we said goodbye to the animals, packed everyone up in the car and headed back to Arizona.
It was a quick trip, but the perfect way to kick off two weeks of vacation and spend some time as a family.
(Of course, we’d already committed to going to California to see Merrick and Philip and their boys for New Year’s and that ended up being a lot of driving in two weeks but. . . we all survived).
k Wall says
I'm intrigued by libraries that let anyone have a card. My local library system limits cards to state residents.
The Maughan-sters says
I was wondering the same thing. Here (Illinois) u have to be a resident of that city to have a card providing proof such as a electricity bill, etc
Rachel says
I'm so glad you posted this! We are right in the middle of planning a trip to San Diego over Mother's Day. I'm having a hard time figuring out which neighborhood to get our rental house. We need a house big enough for 6 adults and 2 kids, so sadly your recommendation won't work. Did you like being on Ocean beach? I've also seen listings on Mission Beach and Windansea beach.
Paige Flamm says
This is such a fun trip! After doing airbnb on our honeymoon, and in the Outerbanks, we've decided that hotels just don't cut it for us anymore! A separate room for kids at the same price as a hotel… aces in my book.
Erica says
Would love to see a post on tips and tricky for using airbnb!you always seem to be pleased with your stays and this one looks great!
Sherry says
I thought of this post today when my three-year-old has a spectacular tantrum after being ejected from FHE. It was not our best family night.
cait says
I love that you shared the joys & the frustrations that come with traveling with little kids; it is nice to see others traveling and it not being perfect all the time like some people make it seem 🙂
Brianna Soloski says
In the photo where Bart is hanging off the elephant tusk, the ground looks like a muddy pond because of the rain. At first glance, I thought how brave is he to do that (and then realized it was just the wet pavers).
Kelly says
I grew up in San Diego and go back almost every summer (and sometimes for TG or Christmas to see family). It's one of my favorite places in the world! Looks like a really nice trip, and I'm going to keep that adorable cottage in mind for my next family vacation!