For an extra special FIRST BIRTHDAY treat for Claire, some family time, and an opportunity to see family, we decided a short trip to San Diego was a must!
Lucky us, we stayed at the beautiful beaches of Coronado Island.
After a day of unwinding and jumping on hotel beds, we took a family vote and decided to borrow one of the bedspreads we were recklessly jumping on to use while we enjoyed sitting oceanside.
The vote was unanimous and totally justified.
They charged us way too much for parking and room service, so we figured this would make us about even.
:)
Claire loved playing in the sand.
She loved to watch the waves crash against the shore.
She thought she would help the waves celebrate, and took the sand she recently discovered, tossing it as high as she could.
She didn't, however, take into account that there were pretty high winds that day; and the same wind that was playfully kissing her cheeks, would also be the wind that redirected the airbound sand right into her eyes...
OUCH.
After plenty of healing kisses from Mommy and Daddy, and a few tears and some extra blinks...life was good again.
***
Claire's big treat was a visit to SeaWorld.
Okay, okay, it was a big treat for the three of us, and we all had a BLAST!
Claire's favorite part of the day was watching the Shamu Show.
Our enjoyment came from watching her watch the show.
After the show, we headed down to the Gaslamp Quarter to catch a Padres game.
We didn't buy tickets ahead of time, so we decided to try our luck and walk up to the window.
As luck would have it, we ended up with KILLER seats.
Little did we know, we were in for an experience...
We were certain that Claire would conk out early on during the game after our day of fun at SeaWorld.
WRONG.
To our surprise, she was full of energy.
And, for one reason or another, Claire caught the attention of the other fans around us. She wears her love of the game on her little baby sleeve, and others tend to take notice...
Before the first inning was over, she had the ENTIRE section cheering for HER.
By the time the third inning came around, Claire scored an ice cream sandwich from the man sitting just in front of us.
Sweet! Just what the kid needed - MORE SUGAR.
In the fourth inning, another fan came to join his friend in the row right behind us.
Earlier in the game, he caught a ball while sitting in the nosebleeds.
He asked us if it was Claire's first baseball game; and we told him it was actually her fifth.
He then asked if she had souvenirs from any of those games.
Aside from a bright blue Mariners t-shirt from Spring Training, the answer was no.
Without thought or hesitation, he took the very ball that he caught just moments before, and GAVE it to Claire.
It was turning out to be the best MLB experience EVER! We were all having such wonderful night. Great seats, free ice cream, a game ball! We couldn't believe it.
And then, just as her Daddy was bouncing her up and down on his knee, we looked up on the jumbo-tron and saw this:
Yep. It's Claire.
And it happened not once, but THREE times during the game!
The last time was the absolute best, as they repeated a previous shot in slow motion, giving me enough time to get my camera out and catch a photo.
During her last "performance" on the big screen, Claire's newfound fan club gave her a standing ovation.
Seriously.
The Padres won in the bottom of the 10th.
The score was 3-2.
It was a fantastic game, and an unbelievable night.
***
On our last day in San Diego, we spent the day with family.
Kevin's sister, her husband, and their little girl were vacationing in California all the way from Florida.
We met Claire's cousin, Ruthie, for the very first time.
She is just as adorable in person.
It was such a delightful afternoon. We talked, ate lunch, walked the beach, and just enjoyed each other's company.
It was over before we knew it, and we had to head back to Las Vegas.
However, we are very grateful for the time with The Solano Family, and even more grateful for our friendship with them.
