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Thursday, July 30, 2009

Oh Happy Day

This week has been a little interesting... dare I say, difficult? with the little man...

Every evening around 6:30pm I have been on the phone with Kevin requesting the exact time (to the second) that he'll be home... and then we camp out on the front porch until he arrives (usually around 7:30) and I get a little break. Who knew that being loved to death by a toddler could be so exhausting! :)

We have spent a lot of the time out of the house neglecting chores, unpacking, etc. this week to help keep the little man (and me) somewhat happy.

Today we adventured down to Gilroy Gardens. I have been wanting to go for awhile and was ecstatic that we finally had a chance!

We loved every minute.

Spinning strawberry sundaes... I got a little sick, little man loved it.


Waiting for the train- I love watching little boys play on gates and try to climb. Too cute!


Choo Choo train time! Andrew was a little nervous at first (and so was I) because he wouldn't sit with me on the seat and didn't want me to hold him... but once the train started moving, he loved it.


I am glad we have many more years until this kiddo will be able to drive a car. He loved to drive the old fashioned cares with one hand, or no hands... and then couldn't understand why the ride was bumpy...


He was a little bit nervous about the boat ride... and I was somewhat concerned that the pitiful seatbelt wouldn't hold him when he dove into the water. Fortunately, he stayed still and kept most of his body in the boat.


A little concerned when we bumped into the boat next to us


We tried the carousel twice- the big kid one and the little kid one. The little guy refused to ride on the horse. He loved the horsies when the ride was over but was a little freaked out by them when we were moving. We just sat on the little bench and went around and around.


The caterpillar roller coaster was awesome.


I was a mean mom and sent Andrew on some of the toddler rides that he could do by himself. He wasn't too happy at first, but he only cried a little bit.


I love this picture because it looks like he's saying, " give me a sec, I can calm myself down."


He looked so grown up! I loved it! After the ride was done he was so proud of himself and so excited!


We started over again with the fire trucks. First sad and mad...


then happy!


The balloon ride was one of his favorites... although he wasn't a fan of the seatbelts.


Love that smile!



The last ride we went on was the fish ride. By this point, Andrew finally seemed to figure out the whole ride thing... and he realized that I would be there to wave at him every time he went around. Once he figured that out, each grin got bigger and bigger and he would say "mama" when he'd see me. It was so precious. I love my little man!


Looking for mama...


Found her!


The kiddos were exhausted as we hauled them out of the park and stuck them in the car. Andrew was fast asleep before we even drove out of the parking lot. The other boys zonked out before we left Gilroy. The ride home was pure bliss!


Little man was so tuckered out he even went back to sleep once we got home and slept for another hour and a half. What a great day!


I am already looking forward to our next trip!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Time for Utensils

The little man is slowly figuring out how to use a fork ... the problem with this is now he also has figured out that he can use a fork to throw his food even further than before :)

Here he is trying to show off his skills. We rarely let him eat with a fork b/c he makes such a big mess, but he loves it.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Last days of our Alaska vacation

In Skagway, Alaska, we got to go the Musher's Camp for a dog-sled adventure. The weather was bad up in the mountains, so our dog-sledding trip on the glacier was canceled. Instead, we got to get pulled around on some pretty heavy wheeled dog-sleds.


The dogs went much faster than I had expected, so the drive was pretty exciting. Afterwards we got to play with the team and take pictures. The dogs were very sleek and muscular... kind of like the dog version of marathon runners.


We met a famous musher who has led a team of dogs across Alaska in the Iditarod sled race. He showed us his gear. I got to try on his coat. It was nice and warm and heavy. Can you see me in there? The coat could practically stand up by itself.


We also checked out the little houses where the dogs live...


and tried out the real dog sleds (minus the dogs)


and then got to play with some of the newer puppies. They were adorable!



We arrived back just in time to board our ship (and not get left behind). As we sailed out of Skagway, there were some beautiful views and we even saw some whales.


Our next day was a very choppy day at sea. Several members of our group had to leave dinner early b/c they felt so sick... and almost everyone spent the day downing dramamine and taking naps. I attempted to go to a pilates class. Most of us were rolling around the room and found that it was pretty hard to stay balanced... but it was still a lot of fun and a good workout.

Our last stop was Victoria, B.C.

The weather was gorgeous. We took a tour bus around town and then spent some time shopping.


We stocked up on a lot of chocolate... especially Cadbury bars.


We also visited Craigdarroch Castle... which was built by the wealthy Dunsmuir family. It was fun to climb the stairs to the top and explore the rooms.



After enjoying the lights around town and snapping some pictures, we got a cab back to the ship.



We spent our last evening on the boat eating a lot of good food and lounging in the hot tub...


and then we went back to Seattle!! Although the cruise was tons of fun, it was nice to finally be back on land!!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Juneau

After we left Ketchikan, we headed to Juneau, Alaska... the capital.

We hopped off the boat and headed up to Alpine Adventures zipline for an afternoon of fun!








Our guides were hysterical and kept the day entertaining.



The weather in the rainforest was fabulous and the zipline adventure was probably the highlight of the trip!

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Reasons we love vacations to Utah

1. 5 Star Accommodations (which are also baby-proofed)


2. Incredible babysitters




3. Time to hang out with Aunt Elise & Baby Maddie!



4. Breakfast at McDonalds with Grandpa


5. The Gateway fountains


6. Chick-Fil-A!!
Can I have some more please?

7. Helping Grandma Julie water the plants


8. Lots of fun places to go!



8. Swimming with cousins and playing at Grandma Shari's house


We are already counting down the minutes till we head back again next weekend for Baby Maddie's blessing!