San Diego Weekend

We had a action packed, fun-filled weekend in San Diego with Nanny and Auntie Mimi (Josh's sister for the uninitiated). We arrived Friday afternoon a little early, so we wandered over to Fashion Valley to find a potty and kill some time. We went in to a sweet toy shop (Gepetto's I think) and the kids looked around for a bit. When we said we had to leave there was no fuss (per usual) and once again I was kind of amazed at how good my kids are. I know of a lot of parents who wouldn't dream of taking their kids into a toy store with the intention of not buying anything. I don't even have to tell them we aren't buying anything. Occasionally they will ask for something to be on their birthday list, but that is the end of it. Just love them.

After we settled into our hotel room it was off to Sea World! Here's the kids taking their tour guide jobs very seriously:

Fin especially takes this job seriously. He mapped out our entire day, and urgently chided everyone to keep up and stay together! Later on at the hotel he circled the things on the map we didn't get to, which he would like to do next time we go. He's so cute. One of the first things we did was visit the sea lions. You can buy fish to feed them. I handed Parker a little tray of fishies not sure if she would do it or not. Griffin didn't hesitate to say no, and back up five feet from the edge. There was no way he was going to touch those things, no way no how. Baby girl didn't even blink. She picked up the giant slimy fish and dangled them over the window into the open barking mouth of the sea lions. She loved every minute of it and wanted to do more when they were all gone. I love how she has no fear of animals whatsoever.

This seal was the smartest of the whole bunch (the one on the rock) and was cracking us up. All the other seals hung out on the edge barking, while he sat stock still and made the most annoying, held out braying noise you've ever heard. It was so jarring and bizarre a noise, most people would throw their fish to him. We wondered how long it took him to figure out, if I make this noise, I get more fish. He was too funny.

We saw the Pet Show, which has dogs, cats, pigs and birds. How they train cats to do anything, let alone run around on a stage with all those animals is beyond me. Parker watched all the shows with her hands firmly planted over her ears.

Beluga whales. I think this Arctic Exhibit was my favorite animal exhibit. So cool to see the whales swimming around from above, and then below.

Parker trying to show the polar bear her tiny toy penguin. Fin wouldn't get anywhere near the polar bear.

Family picture in the Arctic.

After traveling through the Arctic Josh, Mimi, Fin and I all waited about an hour in line to ride the roller coaster Atlantis. Fin didn't complain once while waiting in line, just every once in a while would look at me and say, "are you sooo ess-cited??! 'cause I'm sooo ess-cited!" When you look at the ride, it looks pretty mellow, there's a big drop into water, and a few smaller drops. But oh. my. goodness. Its crazy! *spoiler alert-if you want to experience the surprise of the ride on your own don't read further* The first thing you do is come down a huge drop (about twice as long/fast as splash mtn) As you round the corner, spectators can pay a quarter to try to squirt you as you go by. I made it out of the fall perfectly dry only to get hit in the side of the head by a blast of water. Cheaters. You then enter a tunnel and stop. We're sitting there watching the boat ahead of us when-whoosh!- the boat in front of us flies straight into the air! Yeah. The track separates and you get rocketed up into an elevator shaft! While you're going up seven stories your boat is slowly tilting left, then right. Then you rocket out into the next few drops and turns. It was fantastic. When we were all shrieking and freaking out about the boat in front of us going up the elevator Fin started shaking like a leaf. But when we finally came around the last turn into the dock, Mimi was trying to talk to him, and he finally turned to her and said, "Mimi! I'm twying to see the track right now!" hahahaha! He wasn't scared at all once it was done and of course, hasn't stopped talking about it since.

Shamu Rocks show. Nanny bought the kids glow sticks. This show was at 9:30 and Parker almost nodded off several times, but she hung in there.

Nanny and Fin's "evil" faces:

On Saturday we headed downtown to go The New Children's Museum, we took the trolleys to both kids delight. Wish we had good public transit up here!

Nanny and Fin waiting for our transfer:

The New Children's Museum. Every exhibit is curated or created by an artist. The whole place was amazing, with all sorts of great stuff for the kids to do. They had a blast.

Building a "tent city":

The tunnel that led to "tent city":

Lunch at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Gas Lamp:

Riding on the trolleys:

Parker figured out I was taking pictures and started posing. This is her pose:

Fin's pic of Daddy, Nanny and the hotel:

The first night we were in San Diego we went to this place next to our hotel called the Valley Kitchen Family Restaurant, and the people who worked there were so amazing with the kids we went back again. Its just a semi-shabby diner like place, with nothing incredible on the menu (though the french fries were amazing) But they went above and beyond keeping the kids occupied, giving them the usual crayons and paper, but then later coming by with some oyster crackers, and small plastic cups for the kids to play with. Parker was exhausted and started crying and out of nowhere the manager came by again with a straw stacked with maraschino cherries and a fruit plate. Everyone was just so happy and helpful we were all kind of shocked and really pleasantly surprised. I'm sure they see a lot of exhausted kiddo's traveling with their family, and it was so nice to see them trying to be helpful instead of sighing and being condescending.

Doesn't Parker look like she's going to cut someone if they try to steal her mashed potatoes?

Fin and I having an important discussion about Atlantis (the rollercoaster at Sea World):

Parker and Daddy took a dip in the pool Sunday before we headed to Balboa Park:

Sunday after checking out of the hotel we headed over to Balboa Park, which was so amazing. I'd never been there before and the sheer amount of cool stuff in there was mind boggling. Tons of museums, gardens, beautiful buildings. You could spend all week there and not see it all I think. But the ultimate (for Fin at least, and by proxy, us to see him so excited) was the Model Train Railroad Museum. It houses the largest model train exhibit in North America. It's like Mecca for Fin. When he first entered he was like a bee running from one side to another, breathlessly asking can we see this can we go see that? I had to stop him and say, duder, take a breath, we'll take as much time as you want, you can see everything. He loved it all.

Parker flying like a butterfly in Balboa Park:

Carousel at Balboa Park:

The weekend really was all about the kids, but we all had so much fun. And Mom and Dad and Mimi got to go out dancing Saturday night in Gas Lamp, so I guess it wasn't all about them ;) All weekend both of them were so good, even when they were tired and hungry and hot. We're so lucky to have kiddos like that and so lucky to have family like Nanny and Mimi who love them for who they are as much as we do.

Our Week in Review

* "Time for nap kiddos, let's go!"

"But Mooomm, we didn't do our yoga yet!"

*We practiced our counting and math with our ever useful "fuzzies" (see, oh mother and sister-in-law, they are useful!) :)

*Froze some toys in a block of ice and let the beans have at it with a spray bottle and a hammer. Parker was NOT about to let me freeze her toys (but after she saw what fun Fin had, she wanted in. We got some princess' on ice right now)

*We had some balloons left over from PK's party, so I decided to try paper mache with the kiddos. They were surprisingly very serious about it and needed little help from me.

*Luckily this is only flour and water

*Our balloons drying in the sun. We painted them and added little buckets underneath and the kids have been giving their small toys hot air balloon rides all afternoon.

Happy Birthday Parker!

You're three today!! No longer a baby or a toddler, but a big bad "preschooler." It pains me to say that my "baby" is three. It does. I had to hold back tears when I realized one of your birthday cards this year was made from the same paper I had used for your birth announcements. It's an emotion only another mama could empathize with. Of course I'm happy that you are healthy, and growing, and every day you surprise me with something new, but a part of me will always think back to when you were a newborn, soft and new, then a gurgling baby, and a toddling tot. I've loved you so much at every stage in your life its sometimes hard to see them go. Its amazing to me that you could change so much and yet still be, irrevocably, you. You're still that sweet, girly, stubborn person you were when you were a baby.

You still love animals, great and small. This year you've decided that bugs are included in this category and instead of screaming, you now coo and sigh over them. "Awww Mama, dat fly is nice! He's so nice, he sayin' 'Hi Parker!' " "Aww Mama, wook at dat ant, he crawlin' on me. He tickles! Hey ant, stop tickling me!" Your aunt has declared that you will be an animal right's activist when you get older, so strong is your passion for all things four (or six or eight) legged.

We had a "Pixie Picnic" for your birthday this year to combine your love for all things tiny and all things fairy. You've always been drawn to Tinkerbell, and its one of the few movies you'll sit all the way through. And you are obsessed with all things tiny. Doesn't matter what it is, if it is tiny, you love it. Some of your favorite "toys" this year have not been toys, but those tiny styrofoam birds they sell in the floral department. You carry them gently everywhere. They sleep with you, eat with you, drive with you. For Easter your Nanny gave you two tiny feathered chicks in a wire basket originally intended for decorative purposes. You talk to them through the wire, carry them around the house, and feed them bits of your sandwich. It doesn't faze you a bit that you can't take them out. For your birthday you received a plethora of tiny toys and you were so excited about them I caught you at 10:30 last night still playing with them.

You've started a new habit where you whisper to yourself. We can't figure out whether you are talking to someone (imaginary friend?) or just to yourself. You asked me today what was on the plate I was holding and I said, "Potatoes." You said "Oh, potatoes" and then you whispered "potatoes" When I said, "Who are you talking to? Why did you whisper?" you just looked surprised that I had heard and shyly said, "No one." When you're playing by yourself, you're constantly whispering. Whether you are doing the dishes at your play kitchen, playing with your dollhouse or tinkering about outside, you seem to have a constant dialogue going. At the beach I caught you wandering around whispering to the seaweed. I love that you have such a rich imagination and its always amazing to be reminded of the inner lives kidlets have apart from us.

You are still fiercely shy. You have gotten better when it comes to individual people, warming up quicker than you did in the past. But crowds of more than three people still freak you out. We couldn't sing Happy Birthday to you at your party. When I even suggested it to you, you immediately panicked and covered your eyes and cried. You opened your presents for everyone, but the second you realized all eyes were on you, you were out. Your shyness is random, one minute you're talking to a complete stranger, the next you're too shy to say hi to an auntie. I know better than to try to force you, but I hope you grow more confident soon, I hate to see you so distressed.

I relearned this year how futile it can be to try to force you into something. We tried to potty train you earlier this year, using the same time-tested methods we used for your brother. We had early success, and then it all went downhill, till finally, we threw in the towel. A few months later, with all the stress gone, you simple picked out some undies you wanted and we were done. A few "naked" days and you had the hang of it. A friend asked how we did it, and I had to confess we did nothing. No books, no special potty, no treats or threats. It was your decision, and of course we were thrilled and did a lot of happy dances when you succeeded, but ultimately, it was all you. Looking back it seems so obvious that you just weren't ready. You hear over and over that kids will do things when they are ready, but it is so hard to "live" that. Potty training was a great reminder to me that I should trust you sometimes and let go.

You love books, you love "reading" to me, you can recognize all the letters of the alphabet, you can count to seventeen. It should also be noted that you learned most of this just by watching your big brother. You and your brother always blow us away with how much you retain and know. You recognize and can name more species of animals than I can count. You also know and ask by name for more cheese's than any other kid I've ever heard of (which is such a cruel irony for a babe who is lactose intolerant). Its not, "Mama I want some cheese" its: "Mama, I want some gooouda." Or brie. Or cheddah. Luckily you seem to be tolerating more so I've been able to indulge you a bit.

This next year is full of exciting things for you. I'm nervous and happy and excited to see how you tackle preschool and all that it entails. I love you more and more everyday, and every time I see your golden curls and turquoise eyes I'm blown away at how gorgeous you are. You've brought such light and joy to our little family, I can't ever imagine life with just one kid.

We love you so much,

Happy Birthday Squirrels

Best Dance Video Yet

Quite possible some of his best moves. He only heard this song for the first time today, making his lip synching all the more impressive. Surprise guest appearance from Parker.

*Pictures Parker took of herself while I was in the shower

Parker has a toy cellphone that "rings" thirty seconds after you close it. She's been putting it down, and running away as fast as she can. When it rings thirty seconds later, she runs back into the room,

"Someone's calling me!!"

electronic voice on her phone"Wanna come out and play?"

Parker - "Yeah! Wet's do it. Wet's go to the park! Yeah, that'd be fun!"

electronic voice on her phone "I love you so much."

Parker - "Awww dat's sweet. Dat's nice of you."

Hangs up the phone, puts it down, bolts to the next room to repeat this scene. After the tenth time or so, she comes in to hand me the phone. She sighs, "My friends just keep calling me!"

We were going to meet a friend at Disneyland who recently found out she was pregnant. I was explaining to Fin that she couldn't go on some of the rides because of the baby. Thus ensued a day long interrogation.

Fin -"Can Sristy's baby go on the Matterhorn?"

Me - "No, that one is too fast and bumpy for the baby"

Parker - "The baby say, 'Hi Snow Monster! What's up dude?' "

Ten minutes later:

Fin - "Can Sristy's baby go on Pirates?"

Me - "Yeah, she can go on that"

Fin - "But MOM there are WATERFALLS!! The baby can't go on WATERFALLS!"

Me - "I'm sure it will be okay, those are small waterfalls."

Fin - "I don't know about that."

A few days later, out of the blue, Fin says to me, "Maybe Sristy just shouldn't go to Disneyland. You know, because of that baby."