Beach Babes

Late this afternoon we went to the beach to meet up with Suzanne and Keira after work. The water was warm and it was nice to catch up briefly while getting in some exercise and fresh air. Owen went from shorts and a long sleeved t-shirt to a diaper and a hat pretty quickly! Some big waves were coming in and he didn't quite judge them right on more than one occasion.

Once he was fresh out of dry clothes, we decided to take a walk on the dry pier instead. They had a good time looking over the ledge to see the ocean below, while Suzanne and I had queasy stomachs and a tight grip watching them inch further over the water.

Before we walked back to the cars, I put my sweatshirt on Owen to keep him warm. He looks like such a beach boy in these pictures. Here are some fun pics from out little afternoon adventure!

This is a boy who liked his snack SO much that he decided to stick his whole face in the bowl and eat like a little piggy!

hanging out at the park waiting for Keira

Our beautiful friends, Keira and Suzanne

Things that Owen is doing now:

He likes to stall bed time as long as possible. He achieves this by always asking for not one, but "two more books." He walks slowly to pick one out and stands there for what feels like eons before he returns to the couch to read. When we get close to the end he starts flipping pages backward so it doesn't end.

He drags out his dinner by eating non stop and asking for seconds, even when I am quite certain that he is full. He asks for milk or water before bed.

He will start talking to me as I am walking out the door to his room just to delay sleeping by keeping me in there a little longer. He doesn't want to miss a thing while he's dreaming!

He now says, "Mommy, I wuv you too!"

In the morning, he stands in his crib holding every one of his "friends" (stuffed animals) and his 3 blankets and asks us to put it on the couch so he can get cozy out there. You can barely see his head when he's holding all of these things!

His two favorite stuffed animals right now are a little gorilla called "Gorilla" that he got from Nana at the zoo, and a stuffed sea lion named "Silky" (name taken from the sea lion on his favorite movie, Nim's Island) that Pop Pop gave him from the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut.

He makes us laugh hard every day by the random things he says and does. Today he tried to feed his snacks to a shark and Nim on Nim's Island (his favorite movie) through the TV.

His favorite snack right now is frozen peas. Raisins, grapes and cereal being a close second.

He can sweetly sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and The Itsy Bitsy Spider.

He says "Momma, stay home" when I am walking out the door to go to work (breaks my heart).

He says the same thing to Adam when he leaves.

He waters the garden every morning with Daddy........

I guess I should stop there, this blog is getting too long! He is just amazing and I love him so much!

Pied Piper

Before I left for work, we decided to take Owen to Lake Los Carneros and feed the ducks. It's just around the corner from my Mom's house, so it's easy to get to, and Owen always has fun on this little adventure. He loves animals more than anything on this planet. So, getting up close to the ducks is right up his alley.

The ducks marched right up to us waiting for their breakfast. They were NOT shy.

Recharging with some refreshing water!He must have wings, because I get so many shots of him in mid air. He spends half the day flying, running, jumping, and skipping. I can only dream of having THAT much energy!One even ate out of Owen's hand (yes Mom, we washed his hands before his snack)! It was so nice to get outside and run around today.

Puddle Jumper

We got ton of rain today which only means one thing for Owen....jumping in puddles! I told him rain was coming yesterday and he kept looking out the window saying "Rain, come, Owen's house." It came alright, it's still pouring outside! When I got home from work this evening I put him in his rain gear and we headed outside scoping out good puddles! We found the best one's behind our house (thanks to Adam's suggestion).

I think this one is my favorite mid-air shots! I love the reflection in this one. He almost looks like he's levitating!

My two muddy, soaked, yet very happy boys!

Visit to the Farm / Pumpkin Patch!

Fall is finally here! I know, I know, I have said this before, Santa Barbara can never quite decide what season it wants from day to day. I get my fall fix for a few days and pull out my sweaters and my soup cookbooks, then all of a sudden, it's 85 degrees out. Right now we have a lovely rain storm that is much needed, and yet a little dreaded with fears of the recent burn areas creating mud slides. We knew this storm was brewing, so yesterday, Adam, Owen and I went to Lane Farms for our annual pumpkin patch fun before the rain started.


Last year was fun, but this year he is was WAY more involved! We got to pet the donkey, and goats, we took a hay ride around the farm, sat on a tractor (or two), we spent at least 20 minutes getting lost in a corn maze, we sat on giant pumpkins, checked out some big scare crows, and played with an old fashioned water pump (this was a huge hit!). It was a great afternoon. The rain started late last night, we lucked out!

Corn maze.

Hay Ride Pumpkin time!

Owen's "cheese" smile

Fun with the water pump!

Harbor Festival

Saturday we hung out by the boats for a while before heading up to see Adam bartending at Endless Summer. It was crisp out, over cast and a perfect fall day! Owen had a great time checking out Pappy's boat and running up and down the the docks. Also took some pics of him today in his new pea-coat from Grandma Zena : ) He loves this jacket, he kept looking at himself in the mirror and saying "cozy jacket." He decided to water the garden in his new duds and didn't take it off until his nap! Adorable. Just adorable! Stay tuned for the pumpkin patch stories we hit today! Too late tonight, will fill you in tomorrow!

Busy Bees

My posts are getting fewer and fewer the past few weeks. A sign that we have been very busy! Some of this weeks events include, the Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens. With the Axxess card, it was only $8 for the three of us! Some of it has been burned in recent fires, however it was a nice afternoon, snack time outdoors.

On Sunday, Owen and I went to the Avocado Festival with Nanna and Pappy. Owen had a blast dancing to the live bands and running up and down the crowded sidewalks (my least favorite part!). We picked up some ADORABLE clothes for Owen at a quality second hand store for kids. Pictures soon to come!

Monday, Owen went to the zoo for the millionth time with his Daddy (I was working). We have spent countless days at the park as well. We rotate where we go, but the one in our complex is easy and fun. Here is a picture of Owen swinging on his tummy with Adam.

Adam took Owen to Earl Warren Show grounds on Tuesday and let him go to bouncy house heaven! The place has a bunch of these "castles" and Owen was one of 4 kids in the entire place. Since it was in the middle of a school day, they lucked out! He bounced his way to nap time. I wish we had one of these in our backyard permanently!

Yesterday we dropped Owen off for his nap at Nanna's while Adam and I went to Endless Summer for a margarita, then off to the Brewhouse to meet some friends for happy hour and dinner. We left by 8:00 and went to the Arlington to see one of our favorite bands, Michael Franti and Spearhead! We were only 4 rows back and danced to the good vibes all night! It was a great show and a much needed date night out! We slept in until 10 AM and relished every quiet second before we picked up our "roomate" and put him down for a nap. Thanks Mom and David for watching Owen!This weekend we have the Harbor Festival tomorrow and possibly the "Old Time Fiddlers Fest" at Stow house. Sounds pretty funny, I have no idea what to expect with the Fiddlers Fest, but I am sure Owen will love it! We are hitting our favorite pumpkin patch this week at Lane Farms as well. I will be sure to post pictures of that trip next!

Birthday central!

We were invited to 4 Birthday parties today. We went to three and I am pooped! First, we went to Gabriel's 4th Birthday. It was at his grandparent's beautiful home in Montecito. Gabriel is such a sweet boy and he and Owen get along so well. We love to get those guys together, and Adam and I happen to just love Gabriel's parents as well, so it's a win win! Owen got to play in yet another bouncy house (castle), eat another cupcake, swing at his first pinata, put his feet in a rocky stream like fountain, and make lots of new friends. It was a fantastic party, they went all out!

Pinata time!After party #1 we got in the car and headed to Padaro Grill for party #2; Princess Gwendolyn's 2nd Birthday!! This princess party was also beautifully done. Everything that Victoria touches turns to gold. So much thought and love went into every detail of the party, from the gold crowns that each child could decorate and keep, to the balloons at each table with pictures of Gwendolyn, it was all very sweet.

Gwendolyn was decked out in a darling princess dress, as was her Mom ; ) They had a balloon guy, face painter, mini cupcakes, a home made banner, the list goes on and on. It was absolutely perfect! A party fit for a true princess!
(Marina, I hope you don't mind I borrowed your picture of G for the blog, it was so cute, and I didn't a chance to get one on my camera, we were there for such a short time.)
Unfortunately we couldn't stay for long because Adam had to work : ( but I am so glad Gwendolyn let us into to her fairy land for a bit. She had a smile on her face the entire time! Happy Birthday Gwendolyn!! xoxo

It was probably a good thing that we left when we did because Owen didn't get his nap and hit a wall (figuratively) while we were there. We put him in the car and he fell asleep pretty quickly. Just in time to rest up for the last party of the night; Uncle Mark's 50th!!

My cousin Todd and his family, came yesterday to surprise his dad (my uncle) for his birthday. Owen was pretty excited to hang out with his older cousin Riley (almost 4) and his little cousin "baby Ashley" (10 months). He just showered Ashley in sweet kisses on the head. Owen LOVES babies!

My Mom of course went all out on the food as always. Everything was delicious! Mark didn't want cake; just dark chocolate and red zin (smart man). My mom cleverly put pieces of dark chocolate piled high on a cake plate and put two 5 0 candles in two brownies so he could at least make a wish. It was a nice night.

The boys helping Mark blow out the candles. I guess, when your 50 you need the extra help! ;)I put my sleepy boy in the car by 8:30, and he was showered and asleep by 9:00. Today was a lot of fun, but I hope tomorrow is a little more mellow : )