We ALL had the most fabulous time in San Diego. Apparently, the weather there this summer has been hit or miss. Well, it was fantastic while we were there. We had cool mornings with a nice little haze that burned off by 9:30 or 10. Then it was just pure sunshine for the rest of the day!
Monkey was a champ in the car, of course. That kid can do no wrong (at least in my eyes!) He fell asleep immediately after lunch, woke up about an hour later, and watched Yo Gabba Gabba a few times. We also played with his Elmo sticker book for a bit, and he ate countless amounts of cheerios :)
The house we stayed at was PERFECT for us. It was a little 2 bedroom, 1 bath on the top of a hill in La Jolla Shores overlooking the ocean and the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. We were a 5 minute (downhill) walk to the beach and to La Jolla Shores (a super cute, quaint little beach community). And right at the beach was a playground meant for Monkey. The house had 2 patios, and seriously, it was ideal. The only non-ideal part was the uphill walk back each day...but honestly, with all the beer and wine we were drinking, the exercise was good. ;) Speaking of, I had some absolutely gorgeous jogs along the beach. It was exactly 3.3 miles roundtrip from the door of the house to the point where I couldn't run anymore along the beach due to the rocks and tidepools.
One of the patios...
The said playground...
What did we do while there, you might be asking?! We went to Sea World (2x), the San Diego Zoo, and the beach. Isn't that enough?! Our first full day, we just hit the beach. Monkey, by the way, LOVES the wa-wa. And the mee-mees (birds). He ran STRAIGHT for the water, and after the initial shock of cold wore off, he loves just running back and forth chasing the waves and his balls, etc.
The beach...
Day 1 of Sea World was rough. We went in the afternoon thinking we would have Monkey in a better mood because it would be after his nap. He was in a fine mood, but we had to wait in line for EVERYTHING. The place was ridiculously crowded! We saw the Sea Lions being fed (so cute!), saw the Sesame Street 4D show (so funny, but Monkey wouldn't wear the glasses, so it was a little lost on him), played in the Sesame Street playarea, watched Shamu, saw the dolphins, etc. I think we were all exhausted aftewards :) Day 2 of Sea World was MUCH better. We were there when they opened, and basically had the park to ourselves. We saw everything else - the dolphin show, the penguins, the arctic animals (polar bears, beluga whales, walruses), shamu again and the Sesame Street play area again (c'mon, we couldn't pass up Elmo).
Sea World play area...
The zoo was better for some reason when we went, even though we employed the same afternoon strategy. In any event, it didn't seem as crowded, and it was easier to navigate. We had a really fun time walking around and pointing out all the animals.
Zebras...
Polar Bear...
Grandpa George came out on Wed. night, so it was nice to have him around to give Mommy and Daddy a little bit of alone time. We went kayaking one afternoon, and had so.much.fun! The seals were swimming right around our kayak! They were so darn cute! Mommy got totally doused in the face with waves as we were heading out. Then she made Daddy row most of the time ;) And we also got to go out to dinner one night with some friends and have adult conversation. Good times!!
Oh, and we discovered a cute little breakfast joint in La Jolla Shores Village, where we went a few mornings before the park, and before the marine layer burned off. I discovered oatmeal pancakes. Delish! If you haven't had them before, you MUST give them a try!
And counting. That is, until we head out of 115 degree heat to nice, sunny (I hope, but it's OK if it's not), cool, refreshing, San Deigo!! We will be gone for 1 whole week, and I for one, cannot WAIT! Even Monkey has agreed he is ready for California. When we ask him if he wants to go, we get a Monkey yes, which is "ahh ahh."
We are driving, and we are prepared. We have 2 Elmo videos, a Yo Gabba Gabba video, a Curious George movie, an Elmo sticker book, and plenty o' snacks. We are leaving at lunch time for Monkey, which should mean some food and then a nice little 2 hour Monkey nap to eat up the 5-6 hour drive. Then we'll stop somewhere along the way (IS there anything along the way?) for a quick stretch of the legs, change of the diaper, and hopefully expend some of that toddler energy. Then it's back on the road for the last leg of the journey, which hopefully won't be too long. I think we can put Yo Gabba Gabba on several repeats and Monkey would be totally content! Wish us luck!!
Last night might have been a fluke, or we may have turned a corner. Monkey went down and was out within 5 minutes. Woo hoo!!
Also, he did the CUTEST thing last night when I picked him up from Nana and Poppy's. I asked him if he wanted to go home and see Daddy, Baxter (the cat) and Crockett (the dog). He said "bye-bye" to Nana and Poppy and then said "Dada, meow, arff arff." I assume that meant that yes, he did want to see Daddy, the cat and the dog. They don't get names, they get acknowledged by the noises they make ;)
Oh, and we're working towards sentences too. The other day it was "Mama, up." Translation: "get me outta here." And "Mama, Dada, night night."
I think. We are moving into the world of the terrible 2's. I think. How would I know? This is my first rodeo. But here's what we've got so far that's leading me to conclude they have arrived:
Fighting bedtime. We used to have a little guy who would actually walk himself to his crib, say "night night," and ask to be placed in his crib. We now have a little guy who cries as soon as you mention "night night" and continues to cry for about an hour after we put him in the crib (we do go in and console him every 5-10 minutes for that hour).
Opinionated Re: Clothing Choices. This morning he spotted his Elmo bathing suit. Not sure how/why, but he insisted on carrying it around and attempting to put it on (and following over in the process - that part was funny). When I pulled out real clothes for him to wear, he tried to pull everything off as I got it on him. Not fun. Fast forward to the shoes. He has a new pair of water shoes for our upcoming trip to San Diego (more on that later). He refused his regular sneakers, dragged me to his water shoes, and asked [read: demanded] that I put the water shoes on him.
Uncontrollable Temper. You have about .5 seconds to comply with the Monkey's demands, or the temper rears its ugly head.
Ahhh, guess it's just time to settle in and enjoy the ride. Unless anyone has any advice on how to deal with the above?
As for San Diego - we are headed out there Aug. 7-14th for a much-needed family vacay! Looking forward to visiting Sea World, the Zoo, the beaches, parks and enjoying the cooler weather :) I'm sure I will have plenty of pictures to post afterwards, but we will probably be noticeably absent from the 'net that week!
Ugh, at least I hope that's what it is. This little monkey has been a real pill lately. He does NOT want to go to sleep, and is waking up in the middle of the night. I feel like we have a newborn again! The only thing I can think of at this point is teeth - specifically, his canines. Look at this face - you think he's an angel, don't you?
But he is not. And this is all just when Mommy and Daddy really need some rest and some time to themselves. Ugh, Monkey! :) But we love you. How can you not love this little guy? PS - thank you Uncle Lou Lou for my silk jammies.
Hanging at the beach...
Chillin' with Daddy
Yoga on the beach. I call this "downward dog."
Sitting pretty.
Day 1 on the sand and at the beach. Monkey ran straight for the "wa-wa" and did NOT want to leave. It was chilly, as it was only about 8:30am.
Looking at the sea lions/seals/whatever you want to call them with Mommy.
At Sea World checking out the Sea Lions/Seals/Whatever you want to call them.
At the zoo, excited about the Zebras. I swear we have Zebras at the Phoenix zoo. Who knew Monkey would like them so much!?
Fighter Pilot Monkey.
Family shot.
Cuddling with Grandpa, ready to watch the dolphin show.
Shamu!!
