Here Comes Santa Claus!

Yesterday had to have been one of Audrey's best days. We started our morning at the Hard Rock Cafe to have breakfast with Santa. We enjoyed music by Hullabaloo, one of Audrey's favorite bands, and got a chance to sit with Santa. It was awesome! She has never wanted to see Santa up close, but she did great! She also got a butterfly painted on her face. We all had a blast! Later that night we went to the hot cocoa stand on Garrison Street, enjoyed the amazing holiday lights and saw a few friends. A special guest arrived to say "hi" to all of the kids...yep, it was Santa! Two Santa sightings in one day, it was so much fun! We look forward to having breakfast with Santa again next year! Audrey loved visiting with Santa and she asked him for 3 special toys, a dollhouse, a fire truck and a puzzle. Looks like Santa has some shopping to do.

Vacation time!

We just got back from our first big vacation with Audrey; a trip to Maui for 5 days. We have heard so many dreadful stories about kids on airplanes, but our little one was a trooper. She was very excited to go to Hawaii and we told her all about the fun on the beach we could enjoy every day and the airplane ride we would take to get there. She was so thrilled and asked every day if she could go. We stayed in Napili at the Napili Kai Resort. It was very beautiful and low key, just our style. The weather was amazing and we played at the beach and enjoyed the sunshine. We met some great people and a cat too. Mama Cat was a resident at Napili Kai who slept out side our door every night. She welcomed us in the morning with an adorable meow :) Could have been the salmon food we gave her. Audrey loved having a sweet animal around and it made our trip really special. We look forward to another trip to Maui and many more fun memories.

Happy Halloween!

We celebrated Halloween a little early this year with a few close friends. The Pearson family had a party for the kids and Eric dressed up as Buzz Lightyear. The kids were all over him. It was hilarious! He was the celebrity hit of the night. We enjoyed treats, did a little Trick-or Treating and enjoyed some time with friends. Audrey dressed up as a kitty cat and loved going door to door getting candy. It was so cute to watch her. We had a fun night and Audrey was so excited that she could barely sleep. She didn't eat much, had candy and cookies for dinner and that could have kept her up too? On Halloween night, we went to Trick-or-Treating to a couple of houses in the neighborhood and then went home to pass out candy to kids at our house. I was so excited when a big group of kids actually showed up because we have not had any kids come to our house in a few years. I buy candy every year and then we end up eating it. Audrey loved seeing all of the kids in costume come too! The weird thing was someone stole the pumpkins we had out front but it was a great Halloween weekend overall!

10/3/10

Our family headed to Big Bear on October 2nd to see Audrey's Aunt Sandi and cousin Naomi. We had never been to Big Bear as a family. We had a fun visit, took long walks, laughed and played. It was a great trip! This all changed on our way home. We stopped in Murrieta for a bite to eat and a potty break. It was a hot day and we needed to let Ivory, our dog get some water too. We ate and decided to get back on the road and head home. After a few minutes on the freeway, a large SUV came into our lane swerving out of control. Scott tried hard to get us away from them, but it was impossible. They hit us and sent us over the side of the freeway. We rolled at high speed and landed upside down. When we stopped, the car was quiet and I immediately looked back at Audrey. She was just sitting quietly in her seat, albeit upside down. I got out of my seat belt and went to her. I couldn't believe she was ok. She started to cry and I did too. I was so happy she was unharmed. I called for Scott to help us out of the car and to look for Ivory. He found Ivory, but she had already passed. She was not belted in and she ended up underneath our car. It was so horrible and sad. She was always protective of us and it saddened us that we couldn't protect her.

It was a tragic event and we lost an amazing dog who truly was the sweetest one I have ever known. The rest of us were able to walk away. Scott and I had some injuries but we are so thankful that we all survived. We are doing our best to move on and stay positive for Audrey. She still asks about Ivory daily and she says she misses her. We were happy that Ivory got a chance to run around, chase squirrels and be a dog. She will be remembered as part of our family.

Disneyland!!!

We celebrated our 4 year anniversary with a trip to ‘the happiest place on earth’. Audrey had never been and we couldn't wait any longer. We arrived on Friday and it was awesome! There were short lines, very few people and it was a great day to go. Audrey was so excited! She had heard us talk about Disneyland but never knew what it was. She saw the carousel and wanted to go there first. We enjoyed a few rides, met Mickey and Pluto, then decided to head to the hotel and rest for a bit and go back for some nighttime rides and maybe even watch the fireworks show. We stayed at the Disneyland hotel and it was nice to be close by and enjoy the full Disney experience. Audrey was so excited and couldn't wait to ride the monorail back for more rides and see the fireworks.

We returned later to a much more crowded scene and after a bit decided that it was too much. We enjoyed the show from just outside our hotel and stayed up later than usual. Audrey was tired and almost too excited to sleep. We can't wait to go back and see Mickey again.

Monday funday!

We started our week with a play date at the New Children's Museum downtown. It's a great place for kids and we love all of the fun things they have there; except for the jumpy. Audrey is not a big fan of those. As a matter of fact, the first thing she said to me when I told her that we were going to meet Lilly at the museum was, "I can't like the jumpy, Mom." I can't like is her way of saying I don't like. I would correct her, but it's so cute :) We had fun playing in the rain house, painting and listening to a story.

Audrey had a surprise visit from her Dad and we had lunch with him too. Scott works a few blocks away and it was great for him to see her and play for a bit. We look forward to our next visit. It was a great way to start off our week.

Summer fun with friends!

We had a busy weekend filled with fun. Since we don't have many resources for childcare, I am trying to get a good support network amongst our friends. It's crucial to have friends with kids close in age and it's a wonderful thing when we all love hanging out together. On Friday, Audrey's friend Brody came over for a play date and it was great for her to have a friend at our house. It's a pretty cozy (small) home and we don't entertain much here. It was so much fun, they play really well together and it was great to help out a friend.

On Saturday we celebrated a friend's second birthday and then went over to see the Pearson's for a BBQ. Blossom, Brian and Brody were there too. The kids all played together the entire time and we actually enjoyed some adult conversation and great food. It was a perfect evening and we all had so much fun. It's great to see Audrey enjoy time with her friends and they are all so cute!

Weekend fun!

We had a great weekend, but once again it flew by. I love it when we are all home together, laughing and just having fun. On Saturday we went to a friends house to celebrate a first and a third birthday for their two adorable daughters. We met them almost a year ago at a photo shoot. They are all so nice and we enjoy hanging with them. The party was so much fun and they have the perfect backyard for a kid party. Audrey made herself right at home and started playing with all of the toys. We met some nice people and enjoyed some good conversation and best of all, cake! They live in a small house which is beautifully re-done and it's a great, cozy space…it makes me realize how much I want a yard to enjoy with my family. It's great to just sit outside and play.

Here are some photos from the party. Audrey and Isla are enjoying cake together and Malia is enjoying her cake too.

On Sunday we enjoyed a lazy day at home, my favorite way to spend a day with my family.

Who's the boss?

Our little one is going through a big stage now and she is constantly bossing us around; well at least she tries to. When she wants something she just says that. "I WANT music." We have to stop her and re-direct her from demanding her needs to asking for them. It has been challenging but we are getting through it. I just hope it doesn't get too ugly. We went out for pizza last night with Grandpa Jim and Grandma Lynda and it was not as successful as we had hoped for. We were the ones with the screaming kid in the restaurant. It's never fun to be those people, but it seems like everyone has one of those moments and last night it was our turn.

Home Sweet Home

It has been almost a year since I left my corporate job and became a stay at home Mom. There have been compromises, adjustments, long days and amazing days. It has been an incredible journey for our family and I am very thankful that I have had this time with Audrey. Today was one of those amazing days where we just played, laughed and danced to Lady Gaga in her room. She actually did her first somersault by accident. She looked up at me, a little scared about what she did, but I just said "yeah, you did it!" All it took was a little encouragement and she was ready to do it again; then it was my turn of course :) I just love watching her have fun and smile. I realize what really matters in life and I owe it all to her. She shows us how simple life can be and more importantly, she continues to remind me of that, I just need to pay attention more. Here is a photo of her in her room today, so fun!

Fun on the 4th!

We spent our 4th over at an old friend's house in Point Loma. These are friends that I grew up with and they are really more like an extended family. We were always at each other's houses, well, we were usually at theirs; they had a tree house :) We played hide and seek, had water fights, rode bikes and skateboards together. This was back when kids spent more time playing outside, that is, until the street lights came on. It is so fun to reunite, catch up and have our kids play together. We spent time there last year too and although another year went by, it felt like no time had passed when we reconnected. Audrey had a blast and made herself right at home. She played with toys and chased bubbles with her friend, Lilly. Mary and Eric were a big part of our childhood and memories of our life in PL. Eric and I are close in age and we walked to school together daily. Mary, (Eric's sister) and my brother are the same age and now we all have kids the same age, so cool! We had such a great time reminiscing about the good ole days and we look forward to seeing them again. Below are photos of Mary with Audrey and Lilly and the girls having fun together.

Where did June go?

Last month was a busy month for us, hence the serious lack of blog entries. My husband left an old job, started a new one. Audrey shot a commercial for Target and we took a mini-vacation to Palm Springs. Audrey has become so much more independent and she wants to do everything herself, except for using the potty. That one is going to take a little longer. I can't believe it's been a month since my last entry, where does the time go? Having a little person makes it a little challenging to stay on top of some things, but it's totally worth it. Looking forward to some sunny weather and fun times with Audrey.

I have included some photos from our trip to Palm Springs. We stayed at Rancho Las Palmas and it rocked! Very kid-friendly, great food and there's a lazy river. We had fun, relaxed, took naps and enjoyed some family time. Can't wait for our next vacation.

I'm sorry :(

Yesterday was a rough one for little Audrey Jane. We took her to the doctor for a shot and it was horrible. We have chosen an alternate approach to vaccinations and we have done a few, but still have reservations. We decided to get one and it was the first time she got the shot in her arm. She looked so surprised and scared when it happened and Scott and I felt horrible. She had a terrible reaction for the next few days, lots of redness, swollen arm and enough tears to make any parent feel bad. We won't be doing that again any time soon.

It's a family affair

You do not get as much privacy with a toddler as you had before. When I'm at home with her and I need to use the restroom, Audrey will stand outside the restroom and talk to me, pass flash cards underneath the door, etc. She doesn't understand why I would need any privacy and she doesn't feel the need to give me any. The other night I wanted to take a bath and Audrey was playing with her dad, so it was a perfect opportunity for me to have some alone time. A few minutes later, Scott came in to talk to me about some work stuff, Ivory (the wonder dog,) joined in with her curiosity for my love for a bath. Before I knew it, the whole family was in the bathroom with me. I turned to Scott and said, "seriously, guys." No photo for this post :)

I Got Legs!

Lately Audrey fights me to put on a pair of pants and she simply says, "No, I got legs!" She wants to be bare legged and just run around the house. I know that most kids go through a naked stage, so I guess I am thankful that she just wants to go without her pants. The other day I was trying to get us to the park and she was all for it, that is until she realized that it would require her to put her pants on. "Would you like to go to the park?" I asked. "No, I got legs, mom." She decided that playing at home where she could be pants-free was just fine. She kept running around saying, "I got legs!" She was so happy and it was cracking me up. Since she was moving around so fast I was only able to snap a quick photo. She is going to love summer!

Happy Mother's Day!

I was REALLY looking forward to sleeping in today, but when Audrey came running in to say "Good morning Mom!" I couldn't resist her sweet offer when she asked, "You wanna watch Dora with me?" We watched a little Dora and headed out to breakfast. Audrey fell asleep in the car, maybe waking up before six is tiring to her too? We all went back home and took a long nap; it was awesome! When Audrey woke up we went to breakfast at Mary Jane's in the Hard Rock Hotel downtown. It wasn't too crowded and it was very kid-friendly. The food and service were great and we look forward to going back. On Saturday, we had a pre-Mother's Day celebration with my family at Mission Bay Park. It was a relaxing day by the bay and the weather was beautiful. Audrey had fun playing with her big cousin Mila and their new bubble guns from Grandma Donna.

The Children's Museum

Today we ventured out to see the New Children's Museum. It was really fun and Audrey was excited to explore some new territory. She loved the kitchen area and we spent a good 45 minutes there. We went over to the outdoor painting area and she was so happy to get creative and a bit messy. She kept saying, "look at me, Mom, I'm painting." It was so cute! I love going out with her and taking her to new places. It's amazing to watch her take it all in.

We love LA!

We drove up to LA again for Grandma Pat's 70th and a callback for Gap. We stayed at Hotel Palomar again and it was awesome! Audrey was treated like a little princess there and she seemed content with that. Audrey even had a quick intro to hula hoop class. We had a fun visit with Lisa or "isa" and we look forward to another stay.

Fun with Finn!

Today we met up with Finn and his mom Anne at Liberty Station Park. Audrey and Finn had fun playing, sharing snacks and a few laughs. They were so cute! We look forward to more play dates and fun with friends.

Dinner with Friends

Our friends Blossom and Brian invited us over for Easter dinner. We had so much fun, it was truly an amazing evening! Audrey is completely enamored with their two kids and they always have fun together. Blossom prepared delicious appetizers and gourmet burgers with potatoes for dinner. This was the ideal meal for Audrey since she is always asking for "burger & fries." The food was incredible! Blossom's parents were there too and they are so sweet. Audrey learned that Blossom's mom was the grandma of her 2 friends and by the end of the evening she had joined in and was calling her Grandma too. We loved our Easter celebration, even though it started with an earthquake. It was a bit scary and we were happy that we were all safe.

Happy Birthday!

Audrey is now 2 and we can't believe it! We started our morning at Azucar for chocolate toast, a favorite treat for her. The owner made her a special cookie with her name on it and she was pretty happy about that. Then we took her to the Zoo for a few hours and had fun watching the gorillas. We even visited the petting zoo and pet a few goats. Later we went to visit her aunt, uncle and cousin Mila. We enjoyed her special day and are looking forward to celebrating with friends and family this weekend!

Ouch!

Audrey sustained her first major ouey today and it was not fun. She has fallen and had a few bruises before but there was never any blood or serious crying till today. She was playing near the dining room table, grabbed a hold of one of the chairs and pulled it down on top of her. It hit her in the face and she fell to the floor. I scooped her up and she was hysterical. I was too of course. I held her close and then looked at her to see if she was OK. I noticed her face had blood all over her cheeks, nose and mouth and it freaked me out! I couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from and Scott came over to help. As it turns out, it was her lip...her very fat lip :( It was so sad. I tried to ice it, but she was not really into that. We took her and her fat lip to Nordstrom Cafe for lunch, got her a balloon and a big pink cookie; the cure for all injuries.

Tea Party

Audrey and I had a date last Friday with our friend the McGhee's. Audrey was so excited to have a play date with Shay, Lindsey and little Morrigan. Shay decided to throw a little tea party for them and it was awesome! She served up some yummy treats and Audrey was in heaven. It was so cute to see them all at the table eating and enjoying themselves. Shay set the table and made everything a surprise, it was really sweet! We had so much fun and we look forward to our next visit.