Avila Beach on a Whim

As most of you know, I am still waiting for this baby to realize that her lease is up! I am just hoping she isn't as late as Owen was (by 14 days!) We are at the end of 4 days over due and my Dr. is going on vacation (again) in 10 days, so she better be here before then! I think Owen is getting a little anxious too, he keeps saying "baby sister is coming soon." I ask him what day she is coming all the time and get different answers each time. Last time I asked him was Sunday and he said she was coming on Tuesday (today), but then he said in 5 more days, so maybe it will happen Thursday or Friday? Who knows?!

This morning I went for a long walk to hopefully get things moving just before my weekly OB appointment. Obviously I should have walked for a few more hours, because 50 minutes up hills didn't do a thing! Shortly after I got home, we got ready to go out to breakfast, went to my Dr.'s appointment and then the park. We were on our way home when we saw Owen starting to zone out in the backseat. Adam drove past our exit in hopes of him taking a nap, and I spontaneously told him to keep driving. We both had the day off and had nothing else planned for the day, so we headed about an hour and a half up north to Avila Beach (next to San Luis Obispo) for lunch.

Owen was surprised to wake up some where new and fun. There was a cool little pirate park he got to play in before we had lunch at a restaurant across from the beach. Once we got to the beach he of course wanted to strip down to nothing and be a "naked boy." There was about 10 minutes of crying and negotiating to keep his clothes on (mostly because it was a little chilly and windy out). Finally, we gave in and let him take it all off. He had a blast!On our way home, about 5 or 10 minutes down the road was Avila Valley Barn, a great little stop with fresh produce, canned local goods and lots of farm animals. Owen was in heaven! Like his mommy, he loves animals!

Since we didn't plan this trip, I didn't have my camera on me...rats. Lots of fun creative opportunities missed! These were all taken with Adam's i phone however. Glad we got to document part of the day at least! : )

Summer Solstice Fun

Santa Barbara has the best parade for summer solstice every year. There are no motored vehicles and everyone gets VERY creative with costumes. The theme this year was Carnival (from Brazil). Some groups do a great job representing this theme, others....well, I have no idea where they got their ideas, or know what it has to do with Brazil, but it's all entertaining none the less.

Unfortunately Adam came down with a nasty cold (lets hope he's better before this baby arrives!), so he stayed home to rest and Owen and I met up with my Mom, Matt, and some new friends with their 2 year old daughter, Marley, who just moved here from Texas. The sun broke out of the clouds just as the parade started, as it does every year like clock work. It turned out to be a hot sunny day, with lots of laughs. The kids were mesmerized and totally entertained the entire time.

My Mom always remembers to bring water guns to beat the heat, and I think the kids had fun with those too.

Marley got these adorable little butterfly wings at the parade. Not much longer and we will be getting to buy cute stuff like this for our little girl! : )

I love this picture.

The kids also got some confetti eggs (yet another Santa Barbara tradition) and cracked them on top of eachother's heads. I think the adults thought it was funnier than the kids did, but that will change with time!

I think this guy escaped from the Village People.This carrosel was amazing! They did a great job on this float, very impressive!They also had a wheel barrow full of free fresh sweet watermelon that the kids also loved! It was a great idea I hadn't seen during this parade before.

Owen's favorite part was the monkey that came to greet him. I would have been a little freaked out if it was me, but he was really in to it and pretty happy he got to high-five a "real" monkey! ; ) This little girl was an amazing hoola hooper! Owen couldn't stop staring at her and I think she gave him his own little showThis fish's scales were made from recycled cd's. It looked like the Rainbow Fish from Owen's book. Very creative. I think this was part of an Alice in Wonderland theme...not sure (and not sure what it has to do with Carnival, but it made the kids laugh and it was well constructed : )

Adam, Trevah and Marley. (Claudia, sorry we didn't get you in the picture!! You'll have to come back again soon! : )

Happy Birthday Adam!!...Oh, and happy due date to me....

Today was a great day! We decided to take it easy for Adam's birthday this year and just hang out at the beach for a while in Summerland. Owen of course stripped down to his "tiny hiney" and had a blast running around non stop throwing rocks into the ocean.
Adam got to relax and get some much needed sunshine while Owen got to burn off lots of pent up energy, it was great! We have been having "June Gloom" for a while now with overcast days until the late afternoon, and today was the first day we got to wake up to sunshine and it didn't stop all day!! Adam was even greeted by a pod of dolphins shortly after we arrived at the beach : ) You just can't have a bad day after seeing them swim by to say hello.

Katie and Matthew met us at the beach for a while which was nice to catch up with them for a bit.

Adam had been really wanting to go to Stacky's Beachside, so that's where we all ended up for lunch and were not disappointed (though I was so hungry by the time I got there, they could have served me a squirrel sandwich and I would have eaten it!). It's a great little casual beach restaurant that we should really try to go to more often.

Sadly, Adam had to work tonight, but we put chairs out on the street already in preparation for tomorrow's Summer Solstice Parade downtown! This has become a family favorite event. We go every year and it never disappoints! Lots of wacky people, crazy costumes and fun. I am looking forward to tomorrow, and glad that this baby hasn't come yet so I can attend! (though, the night isn't over, and tomorrow is a full moon, which means lots of babies being born due to the gravitational pull of the moon.....we'll see!)

Not Here Yet...

These darling socks from Aunt Joanie are still waiting to be filled with cute pudgy little toes! One day till my due date. I don't think it's going to happen until next week (even though most of Adam's family back east don't believe me :). My Doctor is on vacation until Monday, so I am hoping she hangs in there until he gets back at least. Also, this Saturday is the Summer Solstice Parade and it's a family tradition that we go to this every year. It's always very creative and fun. I keep on making plans and getting my to do list a little shorter every day. I am still working and quite happy to do so.

We are excited knowing that we get to meet our daughter for the first time very soon! I am curious to see what she looks like, what her personality will be, and really hope she is a good sleeper : )

Owen is starting to sense this life change and has become a "Mamas' boy" this week. We have played together a lot more during the day since I am not working at UCSB anymore until the fall. I am getting a lot more hugs, kisses, "I love yous" and wanting to just be near me. He doesn't want to sleep in his bed, he just wants to cuddle up next to me on the floor of his room until he goes to sleep. I am OK with that for now, knowing that he needs the extra comfort. I am loving it to be honest. BUT I am a little worried about how he will handle bed time when Adam is at work and I have a newborn I will have to tend to.... I'll keep you posted on that one!

He still kisses and hugs my belly every day and tells his "baby sister" that he loves her and he wants to take her to the park and the zoo and the beach, etc.... it's really sweet. I am enjoying the last days of having an only child to swaddle with love. The love will not stop of course, but my attention will soon be divided as my heart grows to love yet another little angel who is on her way very soon.

Father's Day

We had a nice day today. It started off with Adam getting his father's day present of a painted canvas from Owen : ) He had fun making it, and I learned how to guide him in the future. One color at a time next time. He's big into "mixing" colors, which is fine, but when black is involved, it doesn't quite look how I had hoped. Regardless, it turned out pretty cool anyway and my artist husband loved it : )
My Mom and David came over for Father's Day breakfast. I (with my help of my Mom who made the home made hash browns) made a filling meal of Huevos Rancheros and blueberry muffins. After relaxing on the couch after our tummies were bursting, my Mom took Owen for a couple of hours so Adam and I could relax and take a nap (since Owen won't take one, that means, we NEVER get them either). It was so nice, and our house was nice and quiet, which is "silent" music to my ears!

I thought my Mom looked beautiful today (as usual) so I had to take this picture to show everyone else : )Since Adam had to work tonight, we decided to pick up Owen early and drive down the harbor to walk around and check out the boats and the breakwater before heading into "Daddy's work." Endless Summer is one of Owen's FAVORITE places to go. Mostly because he gets treated so well. No more than 1 minute passed before someone brought him a bowl of popcorn, a cup of apple juice and a glass with 3 cherries : ) He was in heaven. Then to top it all off, for dinner he had grilled salmon and french fries, with chocolate ice cream for dessert! He left there with a full belly and a big smile!

By the end of the day, on our way to the car, Owen HAD to climb up ths anchor about 100 times before we could leave! He loved it!

Owen's First Movie

I have been wanting to take Owen to the movies for a while now, and today worked out perfectly since I had the day off. Toy Story 3 came out today, so I thought he would enjoy seeing toys come to life, while Adam and I could enjoy the adult humor that was over his head :) He was super excited to go (even though he has never seen Toy Story 1 or 2).

He ate most of the popcorn during the previews (which there were a LOT of) and he sat back wide eyed and watched every second of the film without getting up from his seat from the previews through the credits! He was happy to see Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. He announced to the theater, "Owen has those guys at Nana's house!"The movie was good, and I even had a tear in my eye by the end. Maybe it's hormones....these were cartoons I was crying over after all! Owen had a great time and it was fun watching him enjoy the experience!