Adam's Disney Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADAM!!!

Yesterday we went to Disneyland for Adam and Owen's first time! I was not too excited the night before when I heard about the crowds and knew we had to get up at 5:00 in the morning, but it was ALL worth it! Owen was awake from 5:30 AM until 9 PM when he got into his car seat! Somehow we avoided major meltdowns, and he was a trooper! He was so excited to be there and had a huge smile on his face the whole day! Making friends on Goofy's piano in Toon Town. (Above) Adam looking like Goofy in Goofy's house : ) (Below).Owen was driving really fast! Adam had to hold on!When we arrived we were greeted by a marching band which Owen thought was pretty cool. Next we got our picture taken with Goofy. Owen wasn't scared at all. He even gave Goofy a few high fives!

Owen's first ride ever was Dumbo. He got to ride with the Birthday boy and had a great time! When you ask him what his favorite ride was he answers with "Bumbo!" Then he says "up and down" (you can control how high you go with a control).

After Dumbo we met up with Amy Richardson (my oldest friend from preschool) and her family for the Merry go Round and Small World. Owen Absolutely loved Small World!

Amy, Brian and their 3 boys, Connor, Ben and Jack with us and Owen. Amy and her youngest, Jack.Mom on the Merry go RoundOld friends and new friends : ) in front of Small World.

It got hot, and someone decided to cool down by putting fountain water on his belly.....

and his hair...and Daddy's hair.Getting off the Pooh Bear ride with Nanna. Making a funny face before we went into Pirates of the Caribbean. Owen didn't know what to think of all the crazy pirates, but he seemed to like the ride.He loved to wear everyone elses sunglasses. Another one of his favorites was the Enchanted Tiki Room that has been there since the 50's when Disneyland first opened. He was mesmerized by the talking birds and songs. The only down side of the day was waiting to meet Mickey Mouse in his house in Toon Town. If it's a busy day...don't do it! There is no warning at how long it would take and we waited almost an hour before we aborted the mission. Every time you turned a corner you thought he would be there, it never happened and we were tired of waiting in line!

Mom and I had our picture taken together on these steps in "New Orleans" many years ago
My Mom took Owen on a train ride around the park while Adam and I got to go on some Big Boy (and Girl) rides! Splash Mountain had a 80 minute wait time, so we skipped it and went on the Adventures of Pooh instead (it only had a 5 minute wait time ;) We also hit up Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, and Indiana Jones. It was a blast! Though we were wishing we were with Owen the whole time. Once we met up with Mom and Owen we saw that he picked up a couple souvenirs with Nana! He wanted his own pair of sunglasses, so he picked out some Mickey Mouse shades that opened up into clear glasses too. Pretty funny! And he couldn't decide between the big and the small stuffed Mickey Mouse, so Nanna chose "Big" Mickey for him (of course). He hugged him an kissed him the rest of the day. Mickey has been added to the collection of his bed time buddies (including Ernie and a gorilla from the zoo).
We finished off our fun filled day with dinner at The Blue Bayou (Thanks Nanna) which overlooks the Pirates of the Caribbean ride (which Owen really enjoyed). Owen got to wear a pirate hat while he ate and tossed spaghetti on the floor. By the time we walked out of there, he was on his 3rd, 4th, or 30th wind! He was unstoppable! We did borrow a harness from our friend Marina. It looked like a panda bear backpack, but Owen was not a fan. He liked wearing it, but did not like the leash part (go figure!). He wanted to wear it around the house today. (Marina, I will bring this back to you washed next week : ). Thank you for letting us borrow it!

Our last stop we couldn't find plain old Mouse ears, so he tried on a Rasta Mickey hat instead. Funny! He liked the braids. (No, we did not buy it:).

Owen didn't want one balloon, he wanted all 100 of them! That's when I really needed a harness attached so he didn't float away!By 9PM we poured our achy bodies and swollen feet into the car and Owen passed out faster than you can say "Happy Birthday Daddy." Next time we are getting a hotel! We were all so tired! We had so much fun though! Thanks to my Mom for coming and helping out so much! : ) It wouldn't have been as much fun without your company and help : )

Random side note:
Today, Adam thought he looked like a "Storm Trooper" and had to take a picture w/ his squirt gun, panda backpack, and toothpaste. I don't see it.

Family Outing

I had a long day of work and finished up in Carpinteria around 6:00. Adam, Owen, Nana and Pappy met me at Padero Grill for dinner. For those of you who don't know, this is an awesome place for kids to eat! It's outside like a big backyard with a huge sand pit full of sand toys. It's right on the ocean, but you can't access the beach at the restaurant because there are bushes, rocks and railroad tracks that divide you. (you can get to the beach by walking about 2 minutes down the road.) We were there just before the sun set over the water. He was running along a path in a circle only to reach Pappy and "scare" him each time by saying "Boo!

Owen got to run around, eat mac and cheese, chase seagulls, play in the sand and watch older kids having a birthday party (mostly 12 year old screaming girls....at one point he imitated a scream 'quietly' and then put his hands over his ears! We thought this was hilarious! Guess he is not a fan of squealy girls ;). When we were getting ready to leave, a woman from the BD party came over with a piece of cake just for Owen. She said that he was such a "patient good boy" and thought he should be rewarded. He was thrilled! I wish he would be that excited to eat broccoli!

On a side note....My Hydrangeas are looking good!

Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day picture from last year. Yes, that is Owen chewing on a (wrapped) cigar.

Today, Adam got to sleep in while I got up and made breakfast. We sat outside and had perfect yellow tomatoes from my Mom's garden (ours are not red yet), scrambled eggs with feta cheese, fresh basil and kalamata olives. I also attempted to make Bloody Mary's (however, I should have left this up to the master of them....lesson learned). After breakfast, we put our swim suits on and headed to the pool! Owen had a blast and wouldn't stop saying "pool" all day long. He swam, chased Elmo (his bath toy), sat in the inter tube with Daddy and relaxed in the hot tub (his favorite part). He was pretty tuckered out by the time we left. After lunch and a warm shower (he does not like baths anymore...no idea why?), he took a nice three hour nap so we could call family and relax outside by reading in the hammock. I finally have some color to my skin other than white!

For Adam's Father's Day gift, I had some black and white photos of Owen, and us enlarged and hung. My idea started from a cut out from a magazine....however once printed, the photos were much bigger than I was imagining.....so.......it looks like our living room and kitchen are getting some new artwork as well as our bedroom (the original location for all of them).

Lastly, I just have to announce to the world on this day, that I feel SO lucky to have found such an amazing partner in life who has the patience of a saint and a bottomless heart of love. Adam is a humble gentleman that still opens doors for his wife (and strangers), always puts the needs of others before his own without complaint, has integrity, humor, and is genuine with everyone he meets. He keeps my head on straight when I feel like it's spinning, and drops what he's doing to help me find my keys, cell phone, and or sunglasses when I am running out the door...late. He never points out my faults, has an endless supply of hugs, and always supports my decisions. He has changed thousands of diapers, kissed many boo boos', and continues to playfully chase Owen around the house even when he's tired, because it makes Owen happy. Adam is the best friend, husband and father I could have ever dreamed of. I am so thankful for him every day! Happy Father's Day!

Happy Summer Solstice!

Today is one of my favorite days of the year in Santa Barbara. Summer Solstice. I am not much of a parade fan, however, this one is awesome! It's always really colorful, a little strange, and lots of fun! This year's theme was "Splash," and people got pretty creative. There were lots of Mermaids and "Mermen," Poseidon on stilts, yellow submarines, Brazilian dancers, kid surfers, and lots of random people that are just plain strange, and I have no idea what they were supposed to be (that's the funnest part in my opinion!) It's a great people watching fest!

Owen had his very own seat for watching the parade! (However he did sit in Nana and Adam's laps for the majority of the time (the sleepy time anyway).

We skipped Owen's nap so we could make it to our favorite festival. Needless to say, he was pretty tired for some of it, but got his second wind shortly before the parade ended. We then followed the tail of the parade to a big park where the after party was happening. Owen walked most of the way, and then got to ride on Pappy's shoulders for the rest. We danced and enjoyed the sun until it was time to head home and try to put the little guy down for a nap.

Owen was in awe of this giant! We were hoping he would walk under his legs like a "bridge" (that he loves to do with us at home), but he was a little too intimidated I think!

Begging for french fries from a little girl's happy meal who was sitting next to us. I think she gave him three, he was stoked!
After the parade walking with Nana and Pappy to the park.
Having fun at the park. My little tree hugger.
Pointing to his very first band aid for a skinned knee "boo boo" ; (
I just had to add this one. I heard him yelling "Mama, Mama" yesterday and I walked outside only to find him STANDING in the fountain! Grrr, it was the second pair of pants I had to change already for the day (he had only been wearing them for less than half an hour too!)

Santa Maria Children's Museum

Today we went to the Children's Discovery Museum in Santa Maria. It was an hour drive, but worth the trip! It didn't look like much from the outside, but the inside was the best place in the world for kids! Owen had free range off the whole place and had a blast! He was able to cook me a meal (oven roasted fish with a side of eggs, onion and carrots ; ), he got to push a shopping cart all over the place, we were enclosed by a giant bubble, we crawled through tunnels, hopped on a saddle, rode a tractor, jumped on foam steps, watched fish in a tank, pet a bear, planted a cauliflower seeding, and slid down a whales tongue to name just a few things : ) I will let the pictures do the rest of the explaining!

Owen had to go for a bike ride over the "bumps" (speed bumps) before we went anywhere. He really wanted to wear his helmet!

Cooking with cabbage!
My wonderful meal Owen prepared for me!


Us in a giant bubble (before Owen popped it!)