Fall Fun!

We have been enjoying this beautiful fall weather and keeping busy. We took Audrey to her first Lakers game and she sat in her seat for about 20 minutes, then decided that we should show her around. We were happy that she watched the players warm up and the first 1/4 of the game. She was a little overwhelmed by the amount of people that were around and she kept clinging to me and saying "people." Her favorite part was getting a souvenir from the game. We took a photo of her and she was very pleased with her new purchase.

Dinner with Friends

We brought dinner over to our friend's house to welcome their newest addition, Paige. She is a beautiful little girl and it was so fun for Audrey to visit with the new baby and their son, Ty. Audrey and Ty were instant friends and they played great together. First they enjoyed some pizza, shared toys, looked at Halloween decorations and had some cookies for desert. It was a great visit and because the kids were having fun, us adults were able to enjoy our dinner and even hold a conversation. It is so nice to spend time with friends and we love those Tuminello's! We look forward to our next visit and Audrey is already asking us, "Where'd Ty go?" Here is a photo of their dinner together.

Dining Out

Going out to eat with an 18 month old is never dull. We make it a point to dine at kid-friendly places and bring plenty of entertainment with us for back up. Our ammo consists of books, crayons, wind up toys, and sometimes a ball. If I forget something, then I resort to plan B, which is allowing her to empty and refill the sugar holder. Each experience is completely different and not always pleasant, so we have to be prepared. I have included a photo of one of the good times at Rock Bottom downtown. We were so excited that she sat the entire meal and ate really well. Most of the time she eats a few bites and wants to get down and cruise the place. Usually Scott and I take turns walking around with her, while the other inhales their food. It's quite different from the old days when we could carry a conversation and we ate at a normal pace. Whenever I am out to diner with friends, I have to remind myself that I can eat slowly and enjoy my meal. Bon appetit!

Think Pink!

On Saturday we went to OktoberBreast in Encinitas, a great event to help fund a cure for breast cancer. Boobs on the Move is the team who puts the event together and I am a proud supporter. I participated in the 3 day walk when I was 5 1/2 months pregnant with Audrey and it was so fun to be a part of the team and spend time with these magnificent women. This was Audrey's second year at the event and it was great because she could run around and play with the other kids. She enjoyed some pizza, a cake walk and some hoolahoop time. She was a little confused and wasn't sure what to do, but she was having fun. Her cousin Mila came with us and she had a great time and won a cake too. This was my 4th year at the OktoberBreast and it is always fun. We bid on an auction item for Audrey and we won, yeah! Here she is enjoying her new purchase.

Family Reunion

We recently took a trip to Grandma's house in Walnut to see Audrey's aunt Sandi, whom she had never met. It has been awhile since we have seen Sandi and it was great to introduce her to her niece. Audrey was happy to meet her, but she was enjoying the pool at the time, so it may not have come across that way. We had a nice visit and a big surprise when her Aunt Barbara and family arrived to surprise Sandi too. Audrey loves to spend time with her cousins and they are so sweet to her. We enjoyed some time with everyone and then it was time to head home to San Diego. We didn't get enough time with Sandi, so we drove up to Laguna 2 days later to meet her for lunch. We were so happy to get some more quality time with her and there was no swimming pool around to distract Audrey.

Beachy Beach

Little Audrey loves the beach and we have been spending lots of time playing in the water. At first she was afraid of the water, but she got over that immediately! She now asks us every day if we can go to the beach. She refers to it as 'beachy beach." I am not sure where that came from but that's what she calls it. Our trips to the beach have changed dramatically with a toddler. We have tons of gear to lug, and it is not as relaxing as it used to be. I remember sitting on the beach, reading a magazine and enjoying the sunshine and now I am usually covered in wet sand and expected to fetch pails of water till Audrey is done making mud pies. The part that I don't get is that we walk down to fill up her bucket, then we go back to our play area, she immediately dumps it out, then asks for more water. It gets tiring going back and forth and Audrey figured that out, so now she prefers to be carried. It's tiring, but so worth it just to see the big smile on her face when we head towards the water. I included some pictures of some beach time and Scott heading toward the ocean to fill her bucket.

Vacation

We just got back from a very interesting trip to Santa Barbara with Audrey. It ended up being fun, but it was more like a scene from the movie Vacation at first. We made reservations for a place that a friend suggested and it looked like a great place, kid-friendly, etc. The website made it look like a paradise and they even referred to it as an 'oasis'. If their definition of oasis is being located 10 miles outside of the fun part of Santa Barbara, next to a freeway, then it was an oasis alright. Our stay there was short and sweet. When we arrived we went straight to the pool, which Audrey loved. After some swim time, we went back to our room to rinse off and we discovered mold on the wall near the tub, then the spigot fell off...it was a little scary. We decided that we should go search for other accommodations and that this was not the place for us. We called a few places and most of them were booked, but we found a place that only had availability for the one night, so we took it since it was getting late and we needed food and rest. We would have to find another place the next day, which was a bummer, but Audrey was getting tired (and so were we) so we settled in for the night.

When we woke up the next day, Scott called the place that we stayed at on our honeymoon and got us a room there. I was so excited and impressed by his negotiating skills. We never thought to call there because we were looking for a kid-friendly place with a pool for Audrey to enjoy. We remember it as being a romantic place and we never realized that they even had a pool. It worked out great and we plan to go back there. It is a great place, kid-friendly and the people there are amazing! The Inn of the Spanish Garden is officially our favorite vacation spot! We enjoyed our anniversary and we were able to share that with Audrey too. We even stopped by the hotel in Laguna where we got married 3 years ago. We wanted Audrey to see how beautiful this place is and admire the ocean view. We took some shots of us on the deck where we had our ceremony and reception and one shot in the hotel lobby, where we had our fist dance.

On our way back home we stopped in Ventura to see Audrey's grandparents and pick up Ivory. She enjoyed her vacation with the other dogs, but I could tell that she missed us, well Scott :) We survived our trip and we are looking forward to the next one!