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 : )

Owen's Second 2nd Birthday

So, it's taken me a while to do this post. Better late than never, I say ; ) Last Saturday was spent celebrating Owen’s second, 2nd birthday! His actual birthday was spent with family and this time we got to share it with lots of friends. Owen and his friend Laith are only a few days apart, so we decided to have a joint party for them since they have most of the same friends.

We went to Padaro Grill so they could run around and the adults could relax. However, it was a lot of running around making sure the kids didn’t leave the restaurant. I would not have been able to do this without the help of my amazing Mom who selflessly entertained the kids with red light, green light, being the judge of races, played ring around the rosie and blew up animal balloons! Thanks again mom for all of your hard work! We love you!

The kids all had a great time, it was a lot of fun. It’s nice that they are finally at the age of interacting and playing together. Though, this does mean there are a lot of “time outs” from not sharing, hitting, pinching and throwing sand. These two year olds can be brutal! I wish I got to take more pictures of every guest, but I just never made it happen. To see the rest of the pictures check out our Picasa site: http://picasaweb.google.com/adamanton/OwenAndLaithSSecond2ndBirthdayAtPadaro#
Owen had a huge crush on Claire, the 5 year old with the braids and striped shirt. He kept trying to hug her every chance he could get. She was a good sport and let him : )

I made carrot cake cupcakes in ice cream cones for the kids. It was a hit, though I think most of them were a little confused at "what type of ice cream" it was. Every one of them tried to lick them like ice cream and not cake! Cute. I made 3 batches of the carrot cake and one batch of yellow cake with chocolate frosting. I don't want to see another cupcake until next year! Gwendolyn tasting the "ice cream" carrot cake : )

Cyanne watching Gabriel blowing bubbles.

Owen was taste testing BOTH cupcakes at the same time.

Our co hosts, Daalia and Laith. Sorry about the shadow in the picture Daals :(

Gwendolyn rocking out with her party dress and princess balloon.

These were the goodie bags each child got to take home with them after the party. They contained, a coloring book, crayons, glowing bouncy ball, playdough, a crazy straw and bubbles!

Happy Anniversary!

Three years ago today, I married the love of my life! We had a beautiful sunset ceremony on the beach and a very memorable reception at the Santa Barbara Yacht Club. It feels like yesterday.

Two years ago today, we brought Owen home from the hospital. We were obviously not in any shape to go out, or cook a nice meal, so my Mom bought new table linens that were the colors of our wedding, lit candles, opened a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, and cooked us an incredible meal while we got to enjoy our new baby and relax. She left us alone for our first anniversary dinner after all her hard work. I wish I could say that we drank the bottle of champagne and ate every last bite of dinner, but we were so exhausted and had to take a crash course on learning how to eat while holding a crying baby. We fed each other a few bites while taking turns holding Owen. I had half a glass of champagne before we put the food away and fell asleep. Not your typical romantic one year wedding anniversary, but very memorable.

Last year we were in Saratoga Springs, NY. Owen was pretty young still, so we took him with us. We went to dinner at a nice place with slllooooowwww service. Not very relaxing, nor romantic when you have a hungry one year old with you who had a cold at the time. Fortunately, all the tables around us were congratulating us on our anniversary and graciously entertaining Owen while we waited for our food. If I remember right we inhaled our food so we could get the little guy to bed since it was so late. Yet another fun anniversary with our little "roomate." This is how Adam was woken up the following morning....This year Adam is working tonight, but we will be celebrating tomorrow sans Owen : ) Though getting massages and sleeping for 12 hours sounds like the best way to celebrate to me, I think we will go out for a nice dinner and maybe hit the town together like the old days. I'll keep you posted!

I am so grateful for every day that I have with Adam. I truly could not have picked a more understanding, patient, easy going, fun, caring, and loving husband, and father to Owen. Here's to a lifetime of more memorable anniversaries!

Owen Turns 2!!

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY OWEN !!!!

Wow, how did the last two years fly by already?! Owen has really turned into quite the little character with a great sense of humor, a sensitive and caring heart, and lots of curiosity about the world around him.

He had a great day today with presents spaced out all day long. First he started his Birthday breakfast with granola, fruit and yogurt parfait (was going to make almond banana pancakes, but we were out of eggs, oops!).

Then he got to watch Peter Pan for the first time ever. He sat through the entire movie! It was a little more violent than I remembered, but he enjoyed it none the less.

Next we unveiled his big present from Mommy and Daddy, an easel. One side is a chalk board, the other a white board, and a roll of paper on top for drawing. He was pretty pleased with his new gift, and kept all of the writing utensils exactly where they should be...not on the rest of our walls or furniture : )

On your birthday anything goes, so I gave Owen a home made chocolate cupcake for his snack before lunch! He was all smiles. Lets hope he doesn't expect this every day now! After his nap he got a package from Granny Anna at the door. It was a "Go-Diego-Go" big wheels bike! The smiles just never stopped today. He rode it around the house, got it stuck in a few places and carried it around when he was tired of riding it. It was a hit!

I made up a fruit salsa with cinnamon pita chips for dipping (Adam says DELICIOUS), and a veggie platter with sun dried tomato and basil hummus to bring to Nanna and Pappy's house for a family get together. Owen had all of his favorites -- broccoli (really, he can't get enough!), mac and cheese (Nanna made enough for the whole state of California), grilled chicken, and last but not least...carrot cake, Owen's special request. A meal fit for a little prince.

Nanna and Owen spent lots of time the day before rolling out little marzipan carrots for the cake decorations. Before it was served, she put real carrot tops out of each carrot. It looked great, Nanna did a great job!

He had such a fun night playing with his 2 1/2 year old cousin Joee, riding his bike, playing with balloons, and opening fun presents! He got a lot of great books, some adorable clothes, lots of plastic fruit, a drum which was a winner (thanks Pappy!), an Owen-sized basketball from Daddy, and lots of hugs and kisses. He went to bed singing! I love seeing him so blissfully happy. It's not even all the "stuff" that makes him happy, it's being surrounded by all the fun and loving energy of his family. Thank you everyone for making our little boy's birthday so special and everyone on the East Coast who got to celebrate a week early!!!