san diego temple, san diego zoo

a few weeks ago i got to take a quick trip to san diego to watch my brother’s kids while he took his wife on a surprise overnight train trip. oooooh i love surprises!

one really happy thing for me is waking up to nieces and nephews watching me sleep. after giving the kids big morning hugs on friday, i ran out the door to catch an early morning session at the san diego temple before noah and kristi left on their “date.” my time in that temple was celestial. i really, really love the temple and the peace and closeness to heaven that i feel there.

on saturday i took the kids to the world famous san diego zoo. i couldn’t believe how much fun we had – i was nervous taking all three rowdy kids. the zoo was genuinely super cool. and the kids were so good at the promise of gummy worms! we ate at in-n-out and we had a tangled movie night.

on sunday i ended up leaving mckay and lyla mischievous and alone in the pew and crying with cubby in the foyer. yes, we were both crying. worst sacrament meeting ever. and – a great adventure.

where heaven meets earth

crazy, unposeable but outlandishly loveable kids

animals – other favourites were the koalas, the camels and the cheetah

i also got to go to the top of a mountain and a beach filled with seals with a new friend. someday i’ll go to san diego without intent to play mom and explore the city! until then, a free trip to hang out with my favourite little people works for me.

oh! we also did this before the big surprise date {just got these pictures from kristi}: