The Motorcycle Cake

A birthday is just not complete without a cake!  Since we were on vacation for Preston's actual birthday, we made his cake and opened presents once we got home.  This year, he wanted a motorcycle cake...and waa laa... this is what Laura and Preston created together!  We had a lot of fun figuring out the details and where everything should go!   We had a lot of cake left over after the motorcycle was done, so CJ came up with the idea for the tank - and again Laura and Preston created!  So in the end we had Red Ralph the motorcycle and his sidekick Turbo tank! 

Happy Birthday Preston, our Motorcycle Man!

San Diego Temple

We had only ever heard about how beautiful the San Diego Temple was... So we decided that our short trip to San Diego wouldn't be complete without a stop at the temple.  We are so glad that we were able to stop and see it in person and witness it's beauty!  Yes, it is as gorgeous as everyone says it is!  The temple and the grounds were breathtaking. Hopefully next time we can make it inside!

 

San Diego Zoo

 

On our third day in San Diego we hit the zoo.  The weather was significantly cooler..we were bundled up, but still got a little chilly!  The animals were fun to see- some that you don't always get to see - camels, kawala bears, pandas, zebra, warthogs, giraffes, and rhinos were among our favorites.  It is such a huge zoo - we all chose a favorite animal that we wanted to see and then made a strategic plan and map to make sure we hit at least one favorite of each family member!  Clay wanted to go to the aviary, Laura wanted to see the panda bears, CJ wanted to see the lions, Preston's choice was the rhino, and Aparri and Detric were happy to see them all!  To start the tour off - we hopped on a two story stacker bus and got a quick overall tour of the zoo.  The kids thought the bus ride was great!  Plus, we were on the top, so double the fun!  Among the "must Do's" of the day included the gandola.  Which, we did several times!  The kids had fun just riding from one end of the zoo to the other from up above!  The feel of the zoo is unique - you feel like you are in the jungle all day long!  We loved riding the escalator up through the vines and greenery and ending up in a place full of statues of animals that the kids had fun with!  It was a great day - lots of exercise as we walked around the vast grounds, enjoyed the scenery and animals, and left with everyone accounted for! (Yes, we lost Aparri for one brief moment....ok..those brief moments aren't so brief for Mom when your child disappears...we were waiting for Clay and CJ who had rushed off to the restroom, when Aparri had decided to run across the busy walkway to crank one of those penny smashers that makes souveniers without telling Mom first...when Laura noticed she was gone..instantly went into panic mode..we were standing next to the zoo exit!  She yelled, "Aparri, Aparri, Aparri" and luckily, Aparri came running back quickly..whew.. heart out of stomach and back into it's rightful place. )