A Huge Flatbed Truck Full of Excuses

I feel terrible for neglecting this blog. I feel almost as bad about the fact that I have accomplishing nearly none of the goals that I had for my maternity leave (watch the all 8 (?) seasons of Madmen, finally finish creating my digital photo albums, get back into super awesome shape.)

Instead, what exactly have I been doing? Well, for one, there has been a surprising abundance of sleep in my life.

Beau has decided that he would like to be known as the Best Baby in the Entire Universe and to prove that he is worthy of such title he likes to sleep for 9 hours in a row, then nurse and sleep for 3 more hours, then nurse and sleep for another 3 hours, and it just goes on and on. Lola, upon realizing that Beau was quickly becoming my favorite child, decided that she must join him and will now go to bed and not wake up until morning.

Let me repeat: Lola is now going to bed and not waking up until morning. This is the first time in her ENTIRE LIFE which has so far spanned 4 years and 10 months (or 1,760 days for that matter) in which she has not gotten up at least once to yell for me. This means that for the first time in 1,760 days I have slept for a consecutive 9 hours.

If I would have known that she needed a little sibling rivalry to stay in her bed, let's just say she would of had a sibling a lot sooner.

Other than sleeping, we've spent a lot of time at the park. I infiltrated Josh's park-mom group, and can say that since September I have spent HOURS sitting on a blanket under old oak trees soaking up as much sunshine and friendship as I possibly can.

We've also had lots of visitors. Both of our families came up to visit right after Beau was born, and then we had a full house for Thanksgiving. Not to mention that I've taken the kids (so weird to type "kids!" I have "kids!") on a few day trips. First to San Francisco, then Apple Hill, and also out to Oakland.

(Lola "testing" to see if the bear at Apple Hill is real. Luckily for her hand, it's not.)

And, of course, it's now Christmas. Technically, post-Christmas, but still, the days have been busy with all sorts of winter activities.

My maternity leave ends in exactly one month. I'm terrified of the transition, but that's a whole other blog post. In the meanwhile, it's time to get started on those photo albums.

Let's Play Ball!

A few weeks ago, Lola was selected to officially announce the start of the River Cats game. Along with getting to announce the game, she was also given a t-shirt, hat, and baseball. She was very excited about her new outfit.

Before the game, she went on the field and had the opportunity to meet Dinger, the mascot of the River Cats.

She also got to meet the manager of the team, and he signed her baseball for her. 

Then, she was prepped by "Mike on the Mic," on how she was going to say, "Let's play ball!"

 Apparently, right as it was announced that Lola would be starting the game, she turned to Mike and said, "I don't think I want to do this." He got a good laugh out of that.

After she squeaked out, "Let's play ball!" we returned to our seats and enjoyed the game.

A Sunny End to Winter

 It's hard to believe that it's still winter. These past few months have been cold, much colder than what we've experienced in the past, but it's as if winter just ran out of steam and gave up.  It has surrendered to the California sun.

And, surprisingly, the rain has stayed away, so we've been enjoying a lot of outdoor activities that are typically reserved for late spring or early summer.

Here's Lola at the Farmer's Market, excited about her balloon animal butterfly.

Enjoying some outdoor art time.

 And, on a field trip to the fire station with her preschool class.

 Each of the kids got the chance to hold the fire hose and spray a cone across the parking lot. I, along with some of the other parents, were a bit jealous.

This Kid is 4 Years Old

Intent on making her birthday, a day filled with all of her favorite things, we began with birthday pancakes. Birthday pancakes are different from ordinary pancakes because they are filled with sprinkles, then covered in whip cream and more sprinkles.

Then, in an attempt to burn off a little sugar, we went down to the river. Lola enjoying throwing rocks in the river with her grandma and aunt.

Later, we met up with two of Lola's friends at the local children's museum. They had a great time playing, painting, and eating dinosaur cupcakes. 

That night for dinner, we ate her favorite food, gnocchi with gorgonzola. Afterwards, Lola opened a few gifts before we ended the night with peanut butter ice cream, and of course, more cupcakes.

Lola's Birthday Fun in San Francisco

Every year, I tell myself that I'm just going to do something small for Lola's birthday. I'll plan one activity, but then, I'll want to add a party, you know something involving friends, and then of course there is the actual day itself beginning with the birthday breakfast, birthday lunch, and birthday dinner. And yes, all of them involve dessert and singing Happy Birthday. So when it's 10 o'clock the night before the big day, and I'm in the floral department of the grocery store because I decided at the last minute that I want to surprise her in the morning with birthday balloons, I really shouldn't be surprised.

I create my own stress.
I own that.

This year, I began the festivities a week early by taking Lola to San Francisco to see "Dinosaur Petting Zoo," a performance by ERTH, a Sydney-based puppet troop. I feel strange calling it a puppet show, because these are no ordinary puppets.  Inside the auditorium, I wasn't able to get a very good photo, but you can at least tell that this T-Rex was pretty big. Big enough to intimidate a room full of small kids.

One of my favorite parts of the show involved when they would ask the audience questions. One question was, "When did dinosaurs become extinct?" and a child answered, "The 80s!"

After the show, we were able to meet a baby dinosaur in the lobby. I petted it too. I was surprised at how much it felt like a real animal. (The keeper commented on how he loved Lola's dino hoodie)

Then, we met Amy, Adam, and Shirley at Thorough Bread and Pastry for lunch. I fulfilled Lola's request to have a dinosaur birthday cake by purchasing a yummy chocolate cake from the bakery and throwing a small plastic dinosaur (one that she already owned, but didn't seem to recognize) on top of the cake. 

She was very please with the cake.

After lunch, we took a quick family photo to commemorate the occasion.  Happy SF birthday, Lola.

San Diego Friendships

Somehow, my friend Karen and I were lucky enough to have children born in the same year. Even though we don't get to see each other often, so when we do, we try to get the kids together to play. On this particular trip, Lola and I met Karen and Tate at the San Diego Zoo. A place filled with very cool animals as well as these amazing Icee beverages.

The kids had a great time chasing each other and playing, while Karen and I got a few hours to chat and catch up.  At one point when they were playing, Lola turned to Tate and said, "I'm angry. You're not my friend."  None of us, including Tate, could figure out why she was mad, and she since she refused to tell us what exactly was making her so angry, it remained a mystery.

Regardless of what was wrong, her foul mood quickly dissipated and minutes later she was proclaiming how her and Tate were friends. By the time we left the park, Lola didn't want to say good-bye to her friend.

Ten Things to Do in San Diego When You're Thirty

Let's face it, activities that you may have found desirable while in your twenties (ahem like, drinking tequila in Tijuana) may not have the same appeal in your thirties when staying out until 10 PM feels like a really late night.  Of course, this is a huge generalization, and the friend for whom I am creating this list for is a blessed 29 years old, but in my life, my "San Diego to do" list has slowly evolved into the following checklist:

1. See Sunset Cliffs. Better yet, buy a coffee from the Cafe Bella coffee cart in Ocean Beach ("OB") and then park at the cliffs, drink your beverage, and enjoy the amazing view.
2. Eat at El Camino. It's Mexican-style decor is kitschy, its noise level is loud, and the margaritas are strong, but while you are there, you will forget that you are thirty. It's close to the airport, so if you sit outside, you can watch the airplanes pass by dangerously close overhead.  My favorites: the classico margarita and the al pastor tacos.
3. Go for a walk/run/bike ride at Mission Beach. Park at the Mission Beach Boardwalk (it's free!) and then find the concrete path that everyone else is on. If you're lucky, you might see a San Diego icon:  the very tan, fit, rollerskating man who wears only a mask and a banana hammock.
4. Drink a pint at Shakespeare's. It's a British Pub, filled with devout soccer fans watching their televised games, and an extensive menu.  My favorites: The pasty and Cider & Black.
5. Visit the bakery counter at Cafe Zucchero. If you know me, you know how much  I love coffee and a good cannoli.  The cafe has a variety of Italian desserts, including several gelato flavors. I would tell you that the gelato is great, except I've never tried it. I always end up with a cannoli. 
6. Have a cocktail at Top of the Hyatt.  Located on the 40th floor of the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel in downtown San Diego, it offers panoramic views of the city. If you've ever heard the story of how I met Elton John in an elevator, then you might remember that this is where I met him. Ditch your flip flops for some classy closed toe shoes and drink a martini. You might see some royalty. 
7. Hike to the top of Cowles Mountain. You need to burn off some of these calories that I'm encouraging, and while you're at it, you can see experience another view of the city. It's approximately 1.5 miles to the top, and can get a little crowded on the weekends, so plan accordingly.
8. Maximize your guacamole intake at Taco Fiesta. Every San Diego native has their favorite taco shop, and for me, it's Taco Fi. My favorites are the Rolled Taco with Guacamole special and Horchata. If you aren't afraid of serious caloric intake, order the Carne Asada fries.  And note, stop here after hiking up Cowles Mountain, otherwise you might experience a little heartburn from all the hot sauce.
9. Eat breakfast at the OB Pier Cafe. Specifically, eat the mango pancakes. Arrive early to get a window side table to watch the morning surf patrol (the OB Pier is a heavy local surf spot).  If you feel yourself rocking side-to-side mid-meal, it's because you are; just cross your fingers that your breakfast isn't interrupted by a Southern California earthquake.  Sometimes in the winter, the OB Pier will be closed for repairs. If it is, eat at Margarita's in OB. They always have cheap cheap breakfast specials.
10. Visit Balboa Park.  It's the largest cultural park in the United States, and between the 15 museums, the world famous San Diego Zoo, and the countless gardens and restaurants, there is always something to do. Even if you nix all the attractions, it's a great place to have a picnic under a eucalyptus tree and watch the tourists and natives wander about.  My favorite Balboa Park activities consist of visiting the Lily Pond, and having lunch on the outdoor patio of The Prado.

San Diego is a pretty darn big place, and while my list is focused on my favorite places in the central part of the city, there are plenty of other really great neighborhoods and sites to see.

I know there are lots of people who read this blog that are either frequent visitors or live in San Diego. If you have any other suggestions for my friend, who will be visiting America's Finest City very soon, please leave a comment below. :)

Sunset Cliffs

Running 12 Miles in Wet Shoes is a Good Distraction

I know this is going to sound incredibly naive and juvenile, but I believe I can do anything.

Granted, the challenges in my life tend to fall into the category of first-world-white-girl-kind-of-problems, which lowers the bar quite a bit, but still, I find that if I tell myself I can do anything, oftentimes, I can.

So when Josh asked me if I wanted to complete a Tough Mudder obstacle run in Tahoe with him, I agreed. I will admit, I did hesitate when he first asked me.  Not because I was scared of  the Tough Mudder, but I didn't know if doing something like this with Josh would be good for our relationship. Josh and I have openly admitted that we don't know if our marriage would survive if we were ever contestants on the "Amazing Race."

That, and in general, I'm not someone who believes that  jumping off a 15 foot plank into ice cold water is "fun."  But, I complied because (1) this meant we would get to spend a weekend in Tahoe, (2) I thought it would be a memorable way to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary, and (3) I can do anything.

It just so happened that the day before the Tough Mudder event, was the day that we found out Archie had the legion in his spinal cord. After spending much of the day sobbing on the tile floor at the ER with Arch, I took him home, handed him off to my mother, kissed Lola good-bye, and drove up to Tahoe with Josh.

At what was supposed to be our romantic anniversary dinner, Josh and I gazed into each others bloodshot eyes and drank cheap wine.  We tried to talk about the run, how much we loved the fresh mountain air, the challenge of running at 8000 feet. I tried really hard to make it through the meal without crying. We ended up having to box up most of our food.

The next morning, we dragged ourselves out of bed, put on lots of Dri-Fit clothing, and made our way to the start of the course. Josh had a great time, and used the words "fun" and "awesome" throughout the experience. I, on the other hand, was trying so hard to avoid thinking about Archie, that I don't think I said much of anything. I felt like my body was on auto-pilot and all of my energy was focused on each immediate task. Even though I had spent weeks prior to the race stressing about how in the world I was going to survive such a messy disaster, on the day of, the race became such a non-event.

About three-fourths of the way through the race, we had to climb into a giant pit of mud. It was disgusting. Afterwards, there was a photographer waiting to take photos of the participants.  Josh is grinning because he loved the mud.  I know I am smiling too, but that's because I was no longer in that disgusting muddy pit.

These last few days of summer

Put away your pumpkin spice latte, Internet. It's still summer.

Well, or should I say, it's still summer in our town. The daytime temps are continuing to hover around 90 degrees which means we are continuing to spend our weekends at the community pool. Earlier, in August, we had something like 10 days of temperatures of 100 degrees or higher.  Never before has 90 felt so good.

In honor of this hot weather, Amy visited us. She fled her cloudy city in search of some sun. She got plenty of that, and this cute kid who was eagerly waiting for her at the train station.

Lola, in her newest pose, the double thumbs up.

We spent the weekend engaging in a trifecta of things you do when its really hot outside:

1. We saw an outdoor movie at the park.
2. We swam at the community pool.
3. We went to a River Cats game and ate Merlino's Freezes.

This was Amy's first time at a River Cats game, and her first experience eating a Merlino's.  Hopefully, it lived up to its yelp hype. 

We did wear our jackets at the game, but I think that's only because after sweating out 90 all day, 70 degrees is just a little cold.

Family Camping Trip, Part IV

On one of the afternoons of our trip, we went to see the local elephant seals. Whoever named thee animals really did a great job.

 Lola was mesmerized by them for approximately 3 minutes. However, the rest of us probably could have stayed and observed them all afternoon.

I tried to take a photo with Lola, but she wasn't into it. 

 

So, instead, I took a photo of Daisy, who by the way, was also interested in the seals for about 3 minutes. 

I think we were the only American tourists at the seal santcuary. We were surrounded by European travelers. So, in typical tourist fashion, I requested that someone take a family photo for us. Lola has such a serious look on her face, she might as well be saying, "These are my people."

Next Time, I'm Eating Cracker Jacks.

Last weekend, at my request, we spent Mother's Day watching our local minor league team play baseball. It was a beautiful day. Sunny and warm, but not too sunny and warm. It was nice. 

 

We sat had "lawn seats" which meant we sat on a grassy section by the left outfield, you know that section behind the first baseman (that's what you call it, "the left outfield," right Liz?).  We brought a large blanket to sit on, and enjoyed the fact that we weren't confined to stadium-style seats with a squirmy toddler.

 
 Lola enjoyed the freedom that is ballpark food. Nachos for her! And, a "Dinger Dog" for me. The last time I ate a hot dog was probably a decade ago, and I think eating the Dinger Dog made up for all that lost time.

Unfortunately, the River Cats lost the game, but the highlight for me was the 4th inning. That's when Lola stood up, looked very concerned and said, "Mama, WHERE ARE THE CATS?!"  Duped once again!

Fairytale Kids

While Chee Chew and Elliott were here, we visited Fairytale Town. Elliott watered the garden.

 Lola sat on a giant turtle.

Elliott in Sherwood Forest.

 Lola and Josh outside the barn.

 Lola and Elliott inside the Little Engine that Could.