After much thought and consideration, Nate and I decided we needed to do our part as outstanding American citizens and help stimulate the economy = family vacation! (Not to mention our bounce back passes at Sea World were about to expire). Southern California here we come.
Flying with a 3 year old was a 1000 times nicer than an 18 month old. We were even complimented on how well behaved he was on the airplane. I think this was the first positive behavior comment Rusty's ever received and the first time he sat still for 2 hours. It was a pleasant surprise. 
First stop...Sea World
I forgot the camera in the car so this is a picture from last year. The new Bay of Play area was fun and Nate actually kind of liked the Shamu show this time because they cut out some of the cheesiness and added cooler tricks. My favorite is still the shark exhibit.
Next stop...Disney Land - the Happiest Place on Earth
Our first ride was Small World, we decided to get it over and done with as fast as we could. Rusty enjoyed all the little people but hated the music and kept his ears covered the entire ride.
Rusty found a lot of joy at the bumper cars and wanted to get everyone, which he was pretty successful at.
Tom Sawyer's island was a great way for Rusty and Nate to burn some energy. We had never been out there, but it was really neat and will for sure be one of the first things we do on our next visit.
Stop #3...The Zoo
I could have skipped the zoo this time and been fine, but Nate and Rusty wanted to go, so we did.
Rusty's impersonation of a hibernating bear...
and a growling tiger (this was probably the highlight of my zoo visit).
Final stop...Lego Land
We weren't planning on going to Lego Land, but Rusty is EXTREMELY persistent and spoiled so of course we ended up going. We had a really good time and the fact that he's grown almost 3 inches since our visit last year helped out a lot.
*This picture cracks me up! Bob the Builder 4D was pretty cool and Rusty kept his even cooler glasses on the whole time.
We jammed quite a bit into 5 days, but had a lot of fun doing it. I love family vacations!
