SeaWorld

Our family skipped our usual Tuesday activities of work, preschool, etc. It was our 8th anniversary, some friends from Portland were in town, the weather was perfect... all were great excuses to visit SeaWorld for a day of fun! A new area, Sesame Street Bay, had opened since our last visit so we spent a lot of time in there and Thomas loved it. The rides and activities were all perfect for him. We also caught the dolphin and whale shows and rode the SkyTower. On a clear day, the view at the top is amazing!

fourteen months

Some days she's 14 months going on 4 years.

atelier

Our living and formal dining spaces where we dance (hence the often used term Dance Party Room), read books, scoot around on scooters and ride-on toys, host arts & crafts playdates, etc. has become our atelier. I love that term. That's what they call the art studio at Thomas' preschool. Atelier. Doesn't that just sound like a place you'd like to hang out in? (Me, too!) After hosting this morning's crafty playdate, we continued with art projects in this space all afternoon that eventually evolved into lettering projects. Thomas has taken an interest in writing letters (he says "drawing" letters) so this evening we practiced writing them and spelling short words. He's so serious when he does it! I love watching him draw the individual letters. The letter T takes three strokes, X takes four...

this is getting ridiculous

friends

Both Thomas and Meredith had a great time at their friend's birthday party this afternoon. Sweet little Melania (I could hug her all day!) celebrated her 2nd birthday with many friends and an afternoon of fun games and good food. Meredith loved hanging out with the "big girls" (3 and 4 years), smiling and laughing with the three under 6 months and doing all she could to avoid Jacob (pictured above with her). This little guy adores her and is constantly trying to kiss her cheek, hold her hand, feed her food... It's the sweetest thing, but she doesn't want any of it. However, she did enjoy jumping around in the bounce house with him. Thomas, on the other hand, has a great time with everyone and Melania's almost-4-year-old sister, Tiana, is no exception. She was teasing him, trying to get him to chase her. He loved it.

a good night's sleep?

Thomas has taken to falling asleep on the stair's landings at night. I know he needs a new bed, but is this really a better option than his toddler bed? Over the past week, he's been found sleeping on the stairs 6 of the 7 evenings. Silly boy.

book report

We signed up for the local library's summer reading program and were thrilled to learn it's very similar to the one we've done in Portland the last two summers. The difference? The child must be 3 years old and instead of simply noting that you've read a book the child has to give a "report" to a library volunteer. Sounds like a lot of pressure for some 3 year olds, right? I wasn't sure how it'd play out with Thomas, but today we visited the library so he could "report" his first book and he did very well.
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The reporting process is all very organized and terribly cute. The volunteers are junior high kids and the girl he talked with thought he was the cutest thing ever [would it have been wrong of me to inquire about having her babysit them sometime...??]. He answered some of her questions with replies other than yes, no or I don't know, but in the end she only asked him yes or no questions. My hope is that by the end of the summer when asked a question by anyone and everyone his first response will not be I don't know. Maybe I should just be satisfied that he gives a response at all at this age since many don't? Who knows, but that's my goal in this exercise. His goal, I'm sure, is to earn all the fun rewards along the way.

easy morning

I walked around the corner this morning to see this beautiful sight. Soft music in the background, the warm sun streaming in the window, Thomas comfortably lounging in his underwear and the two of them laying on the floor and looking at a book. Together. Quietly. I treasure moments like these.

playground ~ sprayground

All the kids enjoyed the sprayground. Meredith didn't care for the "surprise attacks" of the fountains, but Thomas and his pal loved it. Michael will be joining him at preschool this fall.

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Today we joined friends for some play and a picnic at a park that has something for everyone - sand pits, small and large play structures (covered!), a sprayground, playing fields... you name it, they have it. Of course, this park isn't located just anywhere, but inside a nearby community that is eerily familiar. Have you see The Truman Show? Yes, it reminds me of that community. It's all very nice, clean, new, etc., but also a little weird... However, the park was totally fun!

Before heading out this morning we made a small birthday gift for a friend. Thomas enjoyed breaking up the crayons and putting them into the little molds for baking. Such an easy and fun activity and they make a great gift (when in a cute container) for those birthday parties that you are asked to not bring anything to. I mean, really, how can one go and not bring something??

Happy Father's Day

Torrey Pines Golf Course ~ Del Mar, Calif.

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Our favorite man (that would be M) enjoyed the entire afternoon on this beautiful golf course today watching the 2008 U.S. Open Championship. It has been U.S. Open fever around here this past week. Everyone is talking about it, many are volunteering at it, a few actually go to it, and it is televised everywhere you go. One of the perks of working for a golf company is that M gets to go at another's expense. His day included a chauffered ride to and from the golf course, unlimited food and drinks at the Hospitality Tent, and up close views of all the professionals playing today including everyone's favorite, Tiger Woods.

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M had a great time and really enjoyed being a spectator at such a huge sporting event. The kids and I watched the last few minutes on television as Woods rolled in a birdie putt to force a playoff tomorrow with Mediate. It was pretty exciting to watch that particular moment on television so I can only imagine what it must have been like to be there! I'm just happy he had such a fantastic and memorable Father's Day. He is, afterall, our favorite man!

the joy of (being) three

left to right:

is this a new superhero or Thomas with goggles drinking milk?

zipping down a super fast slide at the indoor playground

trying out the bouncing "horses"

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We love all the outdoor activities around here, but sometimes we need a break from the sun. Lucky for us, a new indoor playground opened nearby earlier this month so we joined some friends there this morning to check it out. Endless physical activity for the kids; Thomas loved it! Meredith would have preferred to be at home taking a nap, but was a good sport.

did you believe me?

m rides quad from c on Vimeo.

red button = GO!

Meredith has learned that she can easily get on Thomas' quad. She enjoys watching him zip around on it and now she's thinking that she'd like to try it, too. Initially she'd just sit on it and rock back and forth in hopes of it moving for her. She was perfectly content with that, but then Thomas showed her the red button you push to make it GO! And now she can get on this thing and actually hold the button down to make it move forward. Without steering she can't really go far, but the fact that she can actually GO is enough to make me consider moving this to the garage. I have to wonder what will be next. She's always keeping us on our toes!

comfy ride

A new car seat for Thomas finally arrived yesterday! Seeing him in the new seat makes me realize just how much he had outgrown his old one. This new one is definitely a much safer seat for him. He says he loves sitting lower in the car because now he can reach things on the seat between he and Meredith. He also loves the arm rests that he can raise and lower at his leisure. I'm sure the cup holder will be a hit soon, too. It's a good thing he's so fond of it because he'll be in this one for a long, long time...

pool playdates

This afternoon we enjoyed our second pool playdate in three days. The beauty of living in Southern California is that if you don't have a pool of your own, your friends probably do. It was a very fun afternoon for all of us. Thomas didn't want to leave but instead wanted to hang out and copy all the things Grant was doing -- like retrieving things from the bottom of the jacuzzi, wearing swim goggles, playing with a swim board, kicking the water hard to splash everyone, jumping into the pool... He's really enjoying water play these days which is fun to see. Meredith also really enjoys the pool!

[Almost 4 months into our California adventure and last weekend we purchased our 4th bottle of sunscreen for the kids. Really! In Oregon we'd buy a new bottle every year -- not because we were out, but because we'd throw out the 85% full bottle from the year before for fresh stuff. It's crazy how fast we're going through it here.]

in lieu of a nap today...

...pull-up arranging!

bubbles

Today I picked up a bubble making machine at Target exactly like the one we played with yesterday at a friend's house. I knew the kids would love one at our house and sure enough, all four loved the bubble machine. There was much squealing, jumping, dancing, clapping and biting of the bubbles. Fun stuff!

kissed by a boy

First kiss!

from 2 year old Jacob at our neighborhood park

I believe it was Meredith's first kiss from a boy. Jacob had been following her around the play structure for awhile and at one point found himself face to face with Meredith, so he kissed her. Very sweetly and I believe on the cheek though I didn't clearly see it since his back was to me. Anyhow, she stared blankly at him after the kiss. Then she turned and walked away.

[No worries for little Jacob... He must be okay because today she received an invitation to his birthday party. I guess rejection doesn't sting so much at 2 years. ?]

101 questions

harbor seals at Children's Beach (Casa Beach) in La Jolla

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Just a typical conversation with our three year old on the streets of La Jolla yesterday afternoon...
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me: "I have to go to the bathroom, too. Let's find one."

Thomas: "Mommy, do you pee out of your penis?"

me: "No, mommy doesn't have a penis."

Thomas: "Does pee come out of your bottom?"

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M and I look at each other, trying to figure out how to best answer his question. I totally wimp out.

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me: "No, mommy pees out of her "private area"."

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But, of course, today I'm trying to understand why I responded in that way. Had Meredith asked me the question, I'd tell her exactly where mommy's pee (and hers!) comes out of. We don't use nicknames for body parts; Thomas has known for as long as he could talk that he has a penis. Why shouldn't he also know what the correct term is on the female's body? I feel so silly today.

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T on the concrete breakwater (wall pictured at top) with his daddy

beach morning

the kids snack on sand covered crackers (yum!) while I pack us up

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We woke up this morning to a wide open day and beautiful blue skies. I knew there was only one thing to do so the kids and I loaded our beach essentials into the car and went to the beach. Hitting the beach at 9:30 in the morning still feels a little weird, but the sun was out and the air was warm. I thought I was being pretty cool taking the two to the beach by myself (last minute decision, M was working, blah, blah, blah...). After all, there's a lot of stuff to take and parking right off 101 and lugging everything up and over the dune sounds a bit daunting. Meredith walks well but trekking over sand dunes is still a bit tough even for Thomas (I make him carry things). However, once we were settled and the umbrella was up I looked around and noticed that I was not the uber cool mama I thought I was. On either side of us were mamas hanging out solo with their own three small children. Wow. We quickly introduced ourselves to one of the mama & three kids combo and spent the next two hours hanging out with them. Thomas had a great time with Fletcher (3.5y) and Meredith enjoyed watching Hartley (9m) eat sand. Their older sibling, 6y old Isaac, was annoyed by all since the four were intent on destroying everything he worked so hard to build in sand. It was a really fun morning!

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One of the things I really love about living in this area is that nearly everyone you meet is a transplant. I have met very people who are actually natives to the San Diego area. Maybe it's because of the way in which I meet people, but there are also just a lot of people who have moved here in the last 5 years. I can see how it's comfortable to live in hometowns where your friends are the ones you went to high school with, but living where you don't know anyone and meeting people from all over is really quite fun. Unfortunately, Angela and her kids are vacationing from Florida (dad was surfing), but it was still nice to chat it up about vacationing in Florida, the marathon last weekend (she ran -- weird thing is, she's the second person I've talked to this week who also ran Chicago in 2002 -- M and I both ran it that year), fun things to do with kids in this area...

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Well, everyone is either a transplant, on vacation, or retired. Lots of grandmas and grandpas living here... And let me tell ya, that Meredith is a hoot. I'll bet she's surfing by the time she's 4. Seriously. She loves the ocean and didn't even care when the water rushed back to the ocean, her balance was tested, and she fell face first into the water and sand. Something water-related is definitely in her future.

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post-beach picnic at home

second day of school

Are you wondering how the second day of preschool went? This morning was a bit hectic getting out the door and Thomas repeatedly told us that he didn't want to go to preschool, but once there he walked in happily. Meredith and I hung around for a few minutes talking to the other children and when it was time for us to go I gave him a hug and a kiss and out the door we went. All afternoon he's been asking about Miss Abby and talks about going to preschool again tomorrow. When asked what he did today, he doesn't say much but over the course of the afternoon I heard about the bugs they studied with magnifying glasses, the front loaders working nearby they got to watch and the painting project he worked on. It may have started out rough, but he clearly had a good second day of school. After naps/quiet time we headed over to Legoland for a couple hours of rides, a show and lots of play and walking. These two were pretty tired by the time bedtime came around!

first day of school

Today was a big milestone day for our little family. Not only was it Thomas' first day of preschool, but it was also the first time he'd been in a stranger's care for an extended period of time. He's been excited to go to preschool ever since we registered him two months ago. The last few days have been filled with questions. "Will there be books to read?", "Will there be music?", "Is there a radio?", etc. It's been a bag of mixed emotions for this mama to watch her little boy take this next step, but Thomas made it very easy this morning with his smiling face and excitement. He's ready for this. And, now that the first day of preschool is over, I'm feeling pretty ready, too.

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So what will Miss Meredith and I do without Thomas? This morning we joined friends for a walk at the beach and shopped at Costco. We'll soon be enrolling in some fun activities for just the two of us to enjoy. I really look forward to this special time with her!