Pumpkin Patch and Beach Picnic

I love adventures that revolve around holidays, especially with little ones. We had such a fun outing this weekend taking our little guy to the Pumpkin Station in Del Mar CA. This pumpkin patch is extra special because it has fun kid rides and a petting zoo, not to mention tons of huge pumpkins. At first I thought the whole thing might go over Wade's head but to our delight he was thrilled to play and go on rides. We started with the merry-go-round which he thought was pretty cool although I think my poor husband was starting to get a little green towards the end of the ride.

Then we headed over to the petting zoo to feed the goats. Wade really loves animals just like his mama.

Because Wade is walking everywhere now I think it made the whole experience a little more fun because we could see what interested him and where he wanted go. He just loved the pumpkins, banging on them mostly.

He also got to ride in a pretty sweet car. Doesn't he look like a little James Deans?

Once again my poor husband took him on the train that goes round and round. Wade thought it was awesome, I think Dave was done with the rides after that.

More huge pumpkins.

Saturday was just gorgeous so we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and finish our afternoon with a picnic at Solana Beach.

Wade had to use his walking skills to explore and he wanted his daddy to see everything he found.

We watched the ocean and made friends with some people that thought Wade was pretty cute.

After snuggleing with both of us, Wade decided it was time to go take a nap.

We had such a magical day exploring and watching our little one light up with each new thing discovered.

The Petting Zoo

Last weekend we joined our friends at Zoomars Petting zoo in San Juan Capistrano. We had such a fun time watching Wade and his buddy N playing with the animals. These boys provided more entertainment than we were prepared for. We started the day with Guinea Pigs and Bunnies. Neither boy was too sure about these little creatures. Their faces were priceless.

I think they wondered what these furry little things were.

We then headed over to see the Zedonks. Yes that's a word. It is a half zebra half donkey.

The boys decided that playing on the park bench was the most fun!

I thought the train ride was pretty cool.

The Goats were acting like they were starving but they didn't look like it.

Our last stop was the pony rides. N seemed to really like this part but it was not popular with Wade. If he wasn't tearing up he was trying to put on a brave face.

San Juan Capistrano is such a cute town. Next time we decided to explore more of what it has to offer.

Fun in Oceanside Harbor

Today's adventure was spent exploring the scenic Oceanside Harbor in Northern San Diego. The Harbor is right next to the Camp Pendleton Marine base off of the 5 Fwy. It has so many fun things to do, see and eat! We started our day by walking around the Harbor and admiring all the different boats, dreaming about which one we would love to own some day.

One of the the extra big boats had a live band playing reggae music. People were dancing on the boat and the dock. Some of the dancers had some serious moves. It was definitely entertaining to watch and the music was great. We ate lunch right next to boat at the "Harbor's Fish and Chip".

This place was very popular and with good reason. The food was outstanding. But even better than the fish and chips was the yummy ice cream we snacked on afterwards at "Cascade Glacier Ice Cream".

I think this was Wade's favorite part of the adventure. He got to try cherry ice cream and mint chip. The Ice cream man gave Wade a little behind the scenes demo of scooping cones.

It was pretty cute. This whole adventure was relaxing and easy. It was so nice to be able to take in some beautiful scenery with my little family.

Beautiful La Jolla

Last Saturday we packed up and headed out to spend an adventure day in La Jolla California. Although we had been to La Jolla before neither my husband nor I had ever really explored the beautiful beaches, fun shops and yummy food this little area has to offer. We started the day by getting some lunch at Carl Strauss Brewery. Having a 10 month old in a restaurant can either provide free entertainment or a stressful atmosphere. Luckily we were provided with free entertainment this time around and the people around us seemed to enjoy Wade's outgoing personality. Once we were full we set out to see the baby seals and enjoy some sightseeing and window-shopping along the way.

We stopped to see some birds outside a pet store. Wade couldn't understand why we wouldn't let him grab the birdies and I think it made the pet store a little boring for him.

Down at the cove in La Jolla, seals come to nurse their babies. The beach used to be a nature preserve but now there is some debate over who the beach belongs to. Because of this people were able to roam and swim around the seals. We kept our distance as not to disturb the seals because after all they were there first.

We loved watching them from the cliffside, and we could see everything from where we were standing. Wade really got a kick out of all the seals.

I think he just thought they were weird looking babies, but it was pretty funny to watch him. This is definitely a fun place for young kids. La Jolla was so beautiful and full of fun things to do that we are considering spending a couple days in a hotel and exploring more of what this little cove has to offer.

What a perfect day!

Rochester NY

Over the weekend we braved the 6 hour flight plus a layover to Rochester New York to see Wade’s Auntie Alex graduate from RIT. This was our biggest adventure as a family.

The plane flights weren't too bad. Wade insisted on wearing the neck pillow whenever he was awake, which was pretty funny to us and those around us. He did have one meltdown on the flight to Rochester and one on the way home, understandably. The meltdowns probably only lasted about 5 minutes but seemed to last forever. Thankfully we had some very nice people sitting near us telling us they weren’t bothered by it at all. I think Wade had won them over with his huge blue eyes.

Rochester was beautiful, the weather was perfect and we had such a great time hanging out with the family. Wade got to spend a lot of time playing with his Grandma and Grandpa and Aunties.

We ate out at some fun restaurants including a delicious Tapas place downtown. It was so nice of Grandpa CB to walk Wade around the restaurant while Dave and I enjoyed ourselves. While we were in Rochester we also got a little tour of RIT and saw some of Alex’s photos hanging in the school halls. She is a very talented photographer. We are so proud of Alex! All in all the trip went pretty smoothly and we really enjoyed being around family.

Some things we learned from this trip
1. Save the flights that are longer than 4 hours until you baby is down to 1 nap a day and make them direct.
2. Book a hotel room with a bedroom, so you don’t have to sit outside the hotel room door with the monitor while your baby naps for 2 hours.
3. A 3 hour time difference is huge for small babies and can mess up their schedule completely.

Coronado Island

Last weekend ‘the Adventurers’ headed to Coronado Island via the humungous scary Coronado bay bridge.

We ate lunch at the Ferry Landing and then set out to explore. The exploration was done mostly by car due to a teething 8 month old and some stormy weather, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the beautiful old neighborhoods and beaches.

On our way off the island we discovered a white sand beach near the famously haunted Hotel Del Coronado.

We had a great time playing in the sand and enjoying having almost the whole beach to ourselves. It was short trip but we will definitely be going back when Wade turns one and we can rent one of those ridiculous tourist bikes!

We have a really big trip coming up so stay tuned for next blog post!

First Airplane Ride to Arizona

Last weekend, little 7 month old Wade got to take his first airplane ride to visit his baby cousin in Arizona. We had decided to fly to Arizona after several previous road trips ended in pure exhaustion and tears. Thank goodness the flight went great. Wade loved it. As we started to take off I introduced a new toy to him which kept him preoccupied for a little bit. He mostly liked starring at the poor girl in the aisle seat next to us. It’s so hard to control an infant’s starring problem. We had preemptively given Wade nasal spray and tried to have him suck on a bottle during takeoff and landing to help him pop his ears. It seemed to work pretty well. Wade was very calm throughout the flight until we landed, when a look of concern took over his face. I never realized how loud an airplane is when it lands. The poor guy looked apprehensive but did not cry. He sat is his daddy’s lap chewing on a pacifier looking at me in wonder.

His little face was so cute. It’s amazing to see things through the eyes of a child. Once we landed everyone commented on how good little Wade was and as usual he made several friends as we waited to de-board. Thank goodness flying from California to Arizona only takes about 50 minutes. Next month we will be flying 5 hours to Rochester New York, and I’m sure I will have a different blog post that time around.

After the flight we met the rest of the family for dinner. Wade was exhausted, and I was worried that his usual blood curdling screams would disrupt the whole restaurant, but thank goodness the poor kid slept through most of it. Once he did wake up Grammy fed him his baby food while Grampy offered him some tortilla chips. Wade loves tortilla chips now. I can always count on Grampy to give Wade the food or drink that I am not quite sure about.

We had made the trip to Arizona because baby G was having a church blessing that weekend and my sister had planned a party afterwards. Just about everyone that came to the party had a small child or a baby, or several of both. The car seats and baby monitors were lined up in one corner of the room while the adults tried to socialize. It was so funny to see these tiny little babies hanging out there like spectators at a sporting event. This new world of juggling baby and adult time was quite entertaining to me. The party was a hit and the guest of honor could not have been any cuter. Baby G is about 2 1/2 months old and every time Wade sees his little cousin he gets so excited that he grabs Baby G’s foot or hand. And the kid is not gentle. He wants baby G to play with him so bad. It is cute to watch. Since the boys are only 5 months apart, I think they will be having a lot of fun together as they get older; but as for now their playing consists of baby G lying on the floor while Wade attacks him. It’s so nice to have such a big and loving family.

After lots of laughter and eating throughout the weekend we headed home. The flight home was smooth and Wade slept through all of it on his daddy’s lap; so cute. All in all this was another successful adventure for this little family of three!