San Diego

Well!  I had big plans to blog every day of my summer vacation with all my free time and realized that it's been since April since my last post.  Where does the time GOOOO???

We just returned from our first "family" vacation where we were the adults in charge of booking the hotels, rental cars, flights, etc.  We are so fortunate to have family that likes to visit and have visitors, this wasn't our first trip with Audrey, but it was the first trip where we were on our own without our own parents to lean on.  Talk about feeling grown up!  I had a moment before we left for vacation where I called my mom and worried we wouldn't do a good job, and she was very reassuring.  Overall I would say our vacation was a GREAT success... minus one minor LITERAL bump in the road...

"4 AM... Really?"

I was anxious the night before, as I usually am when I travel, and had a feeling something was going to be ascue.  The next morning we were up at 4 AM to catch our flight, which we left for with plenty of time, and still managed to be the last ones on the plane.  We were so late we had to run up to the ticket counter so they wouldn't close the loading dock (Picture this:  Two adults running with a 1 year old, arriving JUST before take off, with an ENORMOUS stroller to stow at the gate.  We made their top 10 travelors of the year list for sure!).

Since we made our flight with only seconds to spare I relaxed, because I was sure this was the hitch in our vacation and from here on out everything would go smoothly.

We arrived in San Diego after being awake for 7 hours and it was only 10:00 AM local time.  We gathered our bag(s)... (with a small pack mule) and loaded the bus for the rental car.  We found ourselves renting a small Chevy SUV which had surprisingly less trunk space than the Civic.  As Scott was loading the bags in the trunk with minor language violations I put Audrey in the back seat to hook up the car seat.  The hooks in this car are different than our Hondas and I ended up having to latch the car seat behind the passenger seat.  As I was latching and twisting and pulling I had Audrey in the back seat with the doors closed so she was contained.  The windows of the rental were very tinted so it was hard to see from the outside what was going on.  As I moved the car seat to the left I moved Audrey to the right where she leaned against the driver-side door looking at what was going on around her in this new location.  It wasn't obvious that I had switched Audrey and the car seat and Scott opened the door to load one last bag and BANG!  Out fell Audrey, head first, onto the pavement.  Scott and I were terrified.

Our Black-Eyed Beauty

There is a reason we are a perfect match.  My elementary school instincts are to stay calm even if things seem dire and Scott's Fight-or-Flight response is 90% flight.  He had scooped up our crying daughter, thrown her in the car seat and was ready to drive around San Diego yelling for a hospital while I was able to get everything latched, loaded and in the car.  I convinced Scott to pull over and regroup while I looked up the address for an urgent care.  We headed a couple of blocks into town and were fortunate to encounter some of the nicest urgent care staff you've ever met.

Not only were they reassuring, but after we were all cleared for a fun vacation they offered lots of info on delicious eateries and fun places to visit.  We were so relieved that Audrey was okay, although we spent the next 24 hours watching her very carefully.

Del mar Beach

Strolling with Daddy

Family on the Beach

Nacho's Taco Shop

Delicious!

By this time we were STARVING and felt like we had been awake for 24 hours.  We headed to a local taco stand recommended by a friend and engulfed ourselves in chicken nachos and roll tacos.  That evening, after we could tell that Audrey was okay (minus a developing black eye) we ventured into a beach town close to our hotel (Del Mar)  for some delicious sea food with an ocean view.  We were all exhausted, but the 1 year old with a lumpy head was by far the most pleasant to be around.

Bears

Giraffes

Strolling through the Parking Lot

Welcome to the Zoo!

They were about to cut off photo opps with this fine Koala bear, but Audrey won them over by saying "Bye-Bye, bear" over and over again.

Elephony

The next morning, after an early nap, we headed to the zoo.  It was a beautiful day for the zoo - overcast, 70 degrees, humid, but not too humid - where Audrey enjoyed seeing the bears, the giraffes, and the elephants.  She just amazes me with all the wonder in her little eyes.  She would search and search the exhibits and just light up when she finally found the animals.  She growled at the bears and SQUEALED when she saw the giraffes.  The entire drive to the zoo was filled with elephant sounds so we found a little stuffed elephant for her to carry around (Elephony, as Audrey says).

Pizza and a Little Ear Rubbing

Whoah!

"French Fries"

A Little Cotton Candy Dessert

Mission Beach

That morning there happened to be an expose in the newspaper about the best pizza joints in the country and one of them listed was in San Diego, so we dined well that night at Lefty's pizza. Following our dinner we drove to Mission beach where we did some people watching and stumbled upon a carousel.  Scott and I each wanted a turn to ride with Audrey so we purchased some tickets and hopped on.  After her two turns Audrey was a little disappointed to find we were out of tickets.  "Up and down?  More?"  She said as we headed to the car.

Running Along the Bluff

Our Little Cookie Monster

Happy 4th!

Family Pic

Our third day of vacation was the 4th of July. Scott and I had a difference of opinion how we should spend this holiday - Scott wanted to be in the middle of the festivities and I wanted to lay low.  Since I'm training for a half marathon this was a day where I needed to get a run in, so after a run along some bluffs to the coast we decided the time limitations made it more difficult to get into downtown and decided to have a nice fancy dinner by the ocean and see if we could catch some fireworks at the San Diego State Fair.

Our dinner was delicious.  We weren't sure exactly how to find the best spot for fireworks so we set about driving around our little coastal city.  After a while we decided to park at Starbucks and see what we could see from there.  Once the show began we realized we would have a better view up the street.  Since it was such a small town, and everyone was at the fair grounds, we parked ourselves in the street median and had a direct shot of some great fire works.  It was such a fantastic sight!  The next morning I saw in the USA Today that the downtown fireworks had malfunctioned and had all erupted within 16 seconds.  I continuously reminded Scott of how much better "MY" plan had worked out :)

Sand Castles

Ferry to Coronado Island

"Marching"

Our last full day of vacation my friend from high school drove down from LA and we headed to Coronado Island.  I should mention at this point that our entire trip had been over cast, 60 degrees, windy, and chilly.  Each day I had packed layers, just in case the sun came out and it was warm enough to venture into the ocean, but since we were planning on taking a ferry to Coronado, I decided to pack light.  This was, OF COURSE, the day the sun decided to shine and the temperatures were on the rise.  Even though we had no swim suits that didn't stop us from enjoying the ocean. Again, it's a good thing Audrey is little so she wasn't embarrassed that we stripped her down in public.  She was so excited to get into the water.  She doesn't have a timid bone in her body.  She just ran right in squealing, marching, and kicking up the water.  At one point she got knocked over face first, where a typcial response would be to cry and be shaken up - Audrey's response?  WHOAH!

Chasing some Birds...

We had a blast on the beach, even without our swim wear. Katie had thought ahead and brought towels, and we had some beach toys in the stroller, so it was a win-win! Leaving the beach was the only time I've heard Audrey cry that she wasn't ready to go "Sand, Water, Beach" she kept repeating.  We couldn't help but laugh at what the yuppies around us must have thought of our little scenario - our half naked, black eyed daughter running around splashing and getting covered in sand :)

We had such a wonderful vacation and wouldn't have had the opportunity without a birthday gift from my parents.  It was a family vacation we will never forget, and for that I'm so thankful.  Now we are safely back on our own home turf, the black eyes are healing, and we've rested up from all of our adventures.

Phew!

The ugly side of parenting

The past two days have been a test of my patience.  I feel I have passed with flying colors (thank-you-very-much).  Not only am I in a good enough mood to blog but I've also folded a load of laundry made dinner, done the dishes, and made sub plans for tomorrow (Oh yes.  My story ends with making sub plans).

It all started Sunday.  Sunday is the day when our family goes to the grocery store.  We like to go together
a. because we are both equally picky eaters and if only 1 of us goes then the other one complains about a lack of "good food" for the week
b. it is much easier to have a two-to-one ratio at the store with a one year old
c. we could leave the one year old at home and go individually but then we are back at a...

So.  Sunday.  (Keep in mind, this day does not count in the days that test my patience.  That begins on MONDAY.)

Sunday, Scott had to work a softball double header so we planned on going to the store in the evening.  The weather had other plans.  It kept storming off and on throughout the day causing game delays and it eventually became evident that Scott would not even be home before Audrey's bedtime, let alone in time for our weekly grocery adventure.  I piled Audrey in the car to get some groceries but remembered last minute that the car seat we were planning on buying was on sale at Babies R Us in Fort Collins, so I made the hasty decision to get that instead of food.  The highlight of this decision was that it also meant I got to have dinner with a great friend, who is so wonderful to Audrey.

Once Audrey and I got home and we cleaned out Tober's kennel (oh...did I forget to mention he pottied in his kennel while we were gone? No big deal... LOAD OF LAUNDRY NUMBER 1.) I made sure I had the things I needed for lunch the next day and got to bed early.

Monday morning arrived and I woke up to find we had NOTHING to eat for breakfast (if you exclude the boxes of cereal and oatmeal that don't count as "good food" in my book).  I made do with a random conglomeration of snacks but was off to a rocky start because I was hungry for some waffles.  Once I got to school I had to survive a crazy day of a Read-A-Thon (in theory, a great idea.  In practice, not so great).  My class struggles with schedule changes so this threw us in a tizzy.  Then, we had a very kind fireman come to read as a guest, but he was a little TOO kind b/c halfway through the kids had convinced him he could sign all their backpacks (like he was a celebrity...).  I searched frantically through my supplies to find something besides articles of clothing/backpacks he could sign and found a stack of "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" bookmarks.  They made do.

Once the day of reading was finished I hopped in the car to get Audrey and head to the grocery store (one-on-one, Scott had to work late).  This is when I came across my Windsor Arch Nemesis:  The train.  Windsor is where windmill turbines are made, which is again great in theory, but they have to ship by train, and the company that makes them waits until 4:00 in the afternoon to ship 50 enormous turbines through town.  The train tracks divide the town in half and if you are unlucky enough to try and maneuver through town when it is time for them to ship you will wait 45 min.  No joke.  At a flashing light.  With no where to go.  It's miserable.

Well.  I have sat at that train crossing for 45 min. for the last time.  I drove in a 20 mile semi circle around the town of Windsor back to where I started (but on the OTHER side of the tracks) to pick up Audrey in time to see that the turbines were still doing a great job of sitting, blocking traffic.  I felt very proud and vindicated.

Audrey and I then proceeded to the grocery store where I went straight to the back to get some string cheese and a free cookie for Audrey to munch while I was shopping.  By this point I was tired, hungry, and remembering the morning, when the only options for breakfast was oatmeal.  By the end of the trip I had enough food to make 11 meals and 5 options for breakfast (Toaster Strudel, Waffles, Bagels, Poptarts, and pancakes).  By the time we got home it was time for a quick dinner, bath, and then bed.

Wake up and it's Tuesday.  Today!  I got up early and had plenty of time for a wonderful breakfast of a toaster strudel AND a bagel and was off to work.  Work went by quickly enough, it was a nice day settling back into our routine.  Scott stayed home to thatch our yard (another story ENTIRELY...he's just now coming in after 13 hours and as he puts it "13 hours, and the yard still looks like garbage), to get ready to seed so he went to pick up Audrey at the sitter.

We ended up both heading home about the same time when all of a sudden he's panicked and pulling over to the side of the road.  Audrey has gotten sick and thrown up EVERYWHERE in his car.  She's a mess.  He's a mess.  The car seat is a mess.  It's pretty awesome.

We met up at a tire shop and cleaned Audrey off.  I brought her home and gave her bath number 1 while Scott cleaned the carseat (LOAD OF LAUNDRY NUMBER 2).  Audrey has been fighting a cold so I thought her vomiting was probably just a residual of her congestion.  She ate what I thought was a fantastic dinner, but as I was cleaning her up I realized she had gotten sick (the other end...) all over her high chair.  Cue bath number 2, and LOAD OF LAUNDRY NUMBER 3.

While I was getting Audrey in her second bath Tober thought he had had enough, and went to the restroom on the dirty laundry waiting downstairs.  LOAD OF LAUNDRY NUMBER 4.

Now, I've just finished making sub plans for tomorrow, am about to gorge myself on junk food (in case I come down with the stomach bug too, I'm planning ahead and eating my favorite foods now...), and will hopefully enjoy a minute or two with my husband (after he finishes chasing the moth that just flew in the window...).

:)

The Easter Post with all the Pictures...

Reading a book from the Easter Bunny

Easter morning

Studying the treats

Grandma and Grandpa are hilarious!

The Easter Bunny brought musical instruments

Easter is SERIOUS business

Mouth full of snacks...

Getting ready for church can make a gal hungry!

Posing on the sheet we use to cover the couch b/c of Tober's hair

So I managed to hold back on Facebook but our blog is fair game for me to post any and every picture we took on Easter.  It will be hard to believe these are my favorites.  There are many more to choose from :)

Our extended Easter family

Our Easter family

Hunting for eggs with dad

Grasping her loot...ONE egg...

We had a wonderful Easter weekend.  We got up on Saturday and drove to Windsor to meet the Easter Bunny at a small coffee shop.  It's the perfect place to see the Easter Bunny because it's never crowded and we know who is inside the suit :)  Audrey was unsure at first but after her 3rd attempt at sitting on his lap she had warmed up.  She was never upset necessarily but the Easter Bunny had to be on his best game to keep her from slipping off his lap and onto the floor in an attempt to escape.

It looks like she's got the hang of it!

So proud of herself

There's always time for a break and a snack

After meeting the Easter bunny we drove down to Colorado Springs where Scott and I got to take Luke to get a tux for prom AND go to a movie!  Audrey had a great time with my mom and Bob and slept like a rock while we were gone (she saves up her restless nights for work nights of course...). 

The next day we were ready ON TIME for church.  Audrey got to play with other little kids in the nursery.  I was worried about her during the service since it was a new place but when I went back to pick her up she had a crowd gathered around her and she became noodle baby because she didn't want to leave.  STINKER!

Learning to take the steps

Hunting eggs with grandma

The church had an egg hunt and Audrey was adorable running after the other kids who were searching wildly for eggs.  It was announced during the service that there was one, rare, golden egg worth a special prize and despite our greatest efforts Audrey just wasn't able to cram a lesson on colors into her busy egg hunting schedule.  She only found the eggs that we picked up and put in her basket but she had a great time running around swinging her basket and climbing on the hill.

Happy Easter

We went to my aunt's house for Easter lunch and had another round of egg hunting, this time just for Audrey.  She had a better idea of what to do this time but once she realized the eggs had Teddy Grahams inside she became MUCH more interested in snacking.

Carrying the basket

EASTER BUNNY SAY WHAT??!!

NOW she's got the hang of it!

We had such a nice time eating Easter lunch and spending time out in the beautiful weather.  I have pictures of Easters past where we're in winter coats, boots, and long sleeves.  I much prefer sandles and sun. 

"If only the eggs weren't so well hidden..."

"Hooray!"

We are still gorging ourselves on the Easter treats we got in our baskets.  I'm on a sugar high from m&ms and peanut butter cups.  It's a good thing Audrey's too young to know we're eating her treats as well...

HILARIOUS!  ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS!

"Um, excuse me guys.  Could you keep it down?  I'm discussing yolks..."

Happy  Easter!