california cousins: part 3

the night before the berkeley bunch headed home,
we gathered on mission bay for smore making. 
the boys were in sugar heaven!

 

 

california cousins: part 2

leslie and i chose to forgo the crowds and the high ticket prices of legoland,
and stay right here in the neighborhood for our 'outing'.  we went to belmont park.

finn and soren were so excited to ride the park's only rollercoaster, the giant dipper
but poor soren missed the height requirement of 50" by just 1".  what a bummer!
finn was just a hair over 50" which means he got an adult bracelet on his wrist which
allowed him to ride almost anyything in the park.
the roller coaster was what he dreamed about most.

he's been fascinated with this old wooden coaster since 2006. he was 2 years old. 
when we lived on diamond steet, i'd run on the boardwalk with him in the jogger
and the rollercoaster was my 3 mile turnaround landmark.  if i dared to try to shorten
my run,  finn would put up a fuss and point ahead to the coaster in the distance.
he kept me on track and seeing the coaster was the highlight of those mornings.

fast forward to 2013, and finally at age 9, he could ride himself.
he rode with his auntie leslie the first time and then with mom.
i don't think any of us will ever forget the excitement on his face!

 

 

 

 

ander, wishing he was big enough to ride...


 



 

the best part about having a child  50" tall was NOT having

to go on the 'make me want to puke all over the place rides'.

leslie nor i would have anything to do with those and with finn having an adult

bracelet, we were able to sit back and let him take all the little ones on those.

 





they rode this one {tilt a whirl} 6x

 

 

 

we had a really FANTASTIC evening together -

just us sisters and our little boys. despite the moms not riding certain rides,

we made sure we had fun with them too - challenged them at the bumper

cars and tried to beat their time at the laser maze.   

 

soren promised us he'd be back next year when he will be big enough

to ride the giant dipper alongside his cousin finn.

 

I see a belmont park visit every time our cali cousins visit.

 

 

california cousins: part 1

i'm SO far beyond in posting.
{i crammed my entire summer into the last 3 weeks}

leslie and her boys {including her new husband}
drove all the way down to san diego from berkley a few weeks ago to visit.
it had been a little over a year since the cousins had seen each other and
we were due. it's quite a trek south, so their effort meant alot to us!

we crammed so much in that i will have to summarize in two posts.

the boys spent a good part of a day playing in the invention room,
another evening at belmont park, {this deserves a separate post},
a day at the air and space museum, at the beach, playing in the backyard,
and roasting marshmellows on mission bay.

we were sure to squeeze in an adult night too.
leslie, rob, jen and me snuck off to dinner at bali hai
while the kids stayed stayed home with a sitter and had a movie night.

here's a few fun photos of our time together:

california cousins:
soren (7.5), finn (9), ander (4) and scout (6)

 

 

 

 

there's so much to share but it's late and i have a presentation
due to my boss at 7am {he's on the east coast this week}.
i need to finish!

besides work, we've got grandma flying back to florida tomorrow and
the two little guys are starting back to school. we are ALL so ready!!

hoodlums outside

"i can't sleep because there are hoodlums outside
my bedroom window skateboarding and being loud."
- finn oliver, age 9

these words came out of finn's mouth last friday evening
as he came out of his bedroom and into the kitchen where
c and i were.  it was around 9pm, an hour past his bedtime,
and when we said this, we both started chuckling.

i let finn know it was the word hoodlum that was funny,
not his situation. i could see he was frustrated.

i walked outside to see if the skateboarders were there.
i was going to politely ask them to move along as i had
children trying to sleep {i wasn't going to mention we hear
everything b/c of our 40 yr old single paned aluminum windows}

the 'hoodlums' had moved on. 
i could only hear faints voices and skateboard wheels in the distance.

i came back in and reported to finn they had moved on
and he responded with "they were probably TEENAGERS".
{as if to say most hoodlums are teenagers}. 
i chose not to remind him he will be a teenager in a few years. *grin*

oh how we love finn. he makes every day interesting and fun.
{i remembered to jot down in the quotable kids journal i've been keeping}

if you were wondering where he learned the term 'hoodlum',
i'm guilty as charged. it's a word i probably use more often that i realize.
i use it when describing inappropriate behavior.

~ i can't remember if i shared that grandma is visiting from florida this week.
we are enjoying her so so much!  the boys are keeping her entertained with
their shenanigans, and she's enjoying the cooler temps of coastal california.
it was 75 yesterday and she actually was a little cold}.

i haven't taken a single picture but i will...and soon before she heads home.
jen and i have something special planned for her on sunday which should
make for some interesting photos.  it's a surprise.

santa barbara getaway

before too much times passes and i forget details,

i am taking a few minutes to post about our

little mom/son getaway to beautiful santa barbara.

 

since we arrived by train and never planned on

renting a car, we packed light, just a backpack each

which meant there was no room left for my big camera.

{i resorted to using my iphone which isn't comparable}

 

the boys brought their cute red beach cruisers on the train,

and amtrak didn't charge a cent....just required a reservation.

apparently bringing bikes along is quite popular for travelers.

 



finn kept a journal (a bday gift from uncle chad}

we stayed at the harbor house inn, a small hotel that
worked really well for us.  some highlights of our trip:

• our room was a cute stand-alone cottage 
• we were just 2 blocks from the water and it's miles of bike paths
• there were dozens of cafes, restaurants and shops right around the corner
  {no car needed}. we found sambos, which became our favorite stop for brunch
• i was able to check out a complimentary beach cruiser, towels, chairs, umbrellas,
  and sand toys from our hotel {a lifesaver}
• a gift basket in our room full of fresh fruit, snacks, juices and a loaf of
  homemade banana bread which we finished off on the train ride home
• the hotel lobby was stocked with books and movies. a treat for evenings.

we spent the cool mornings on long bike rides and the afternoons

soaking in the sun. we briefly considered biking to sb's zoo

{just 2.5 miles away from hotel}, but the boys opted for spending the day

swimming, building sand castles and reading.

 

while finn was digging his way to china, scoutie finished his 13th book in the 39 clues series

he is obsessed with, and i started the poisonwood bible, a book a dear friend recommended

to me. it completely and utterly sucked me in. 

 

the habor house inn

 

 

and santa barbara, oh how i LOVE this little town that reminds

me of a smaller/quainter/and more $$ san diego.  it boasts a similar 

climate, but has the added bonus of the santa ynez mountains as it's backdrop.

{finn and i almost crashed into other cyclists distracted by the views}

 

 

 

i'm sure i sounded like a broken record because i said that i loved

this little town over and over outloud.  by the 2nd day, i remembered there

was a college here {uc santa barbara} and mentioned it to the boys,

ending with maybe one of you will go to college here someday. 

 

finn, ever so seriously said, "mom, it IS beautiful here, but i'm going to

caltech or mit"  he followed with, maybe scoutie can go to college here. 

that's so finn....a boy with a plan at just 9 years old.

 

scoutie's response was more typical.  he said "that's a long time away". 

{the thought of leaving home doesn't sit well with most 6 year olds}

 

i responded, it IS a long time away {but at the same time thought it comes fast}.

still, like scout, this mom's not really ready to think about about it too much either.

there's still so much to do together first. i said this and then we walked over to the

pier to get an ice cream cone.

 

the trip was more than we had hoped for...the perfect mixture

of activity and relaxation. i'm hoping they'll remember our special

getaway years down the road.  if they get cloudy, they will have mom's

memory {and my blog} to remind them.   

 

toothless

we're back from the little paradise town called santa barbara.
oh what a beautiful place...the boys and i agreed it reminded us
alot of san diego....same weather but it was much quainter.
i will post more later and include a couple of pixs too
{a couple is all i took}

so

the big news during our vacation
was scout losing his FIRST tooth!
to a six year old who's been watching his friends lose
theirs and waiting to lose his, it's a very big deal.

"toothless" is the affectionate nickname i've given to him.
{it's a reference from the movie how to train your dragon}

his tooth had been loose for few days and we could
see he had a new one coming in right behind it.
he's been gently wiggling the tooth back and forth with his
tongue and announced early that morning he "would probably lose
it that day or the next". sure enough he did.

he was so excited to lost his first tooth.

he said he felt more 'grown up"..
and for me, it was yet another reminder my 'baby' boy is growing up.

a train ride and together time

tomorrow the little guys and i will be up early
to ride the pacific coasterliner up california's north coast!

via

for years the boys have mentioned wanting to take a 'real' train
somewhere {they've taken our local trolley and coaster all over san diego}
but never the amtrak train, which is completely different.
sadly, we had never made it a priority.  i knew it was time.
and now that they are older, they will actually have memories of this.

SO

with christopher in israel and summer slipping away,
it was time to just go.  i had no idea where to go, but i knew staying coastal
would be more fun {for our end destination and it would make for a better view}.

i knew a 1 or 2 hour trip wouldn't be enough for the boys, so i chose the lovely
coastal city of santa barbara as our destination - a 5 hour train trip north
{i was last here with some girlfriends when scout was just 6 months old}

 

 

i am really looking forward to this trip with the boys.

i haven't had them all to myself this summer and i'm in

need of some mom/son time.  i think they are too.

 

we are bringing the boys' beach cruisers on the train,

but i won't need to lug mine with me, as the hotel we are

staying at has adult sized beach cruisers for guests to use. 

{and we're only 2 blocks off the ocean}

 

~ leslie and her sweet boys left yesterday. 

i have some fun photos to share when i get back.

sit tight. 

the wizard of oz

scout's kindergarten teacher, ms lim,
read the wizard of oz to her students
towards the end of the school year.

scout absolutely loved it,
and came home desperately wanting to OWN a copy of this book.

i love to see the kid's excited about books,
and because this was a classic, it was an instant "sure".
i was hoping we could get this copy since we are
collecting all these illustrated classic series for our home library,
but he insisted we get the exact one his teacher had read.

we jumped on amazon and searched together
until we found this copy, the original unabridged story.

he's been reading it to ME every night for the past few weeks.
even on the nights he is tired, he refuses to let me read.
it's as if this story is his special gift to me.

it is special in so many ways.
special because this is my first time hearing the story,
and it's the first entire chapter book he's read to me.  

there's just one more chapter left before we are done.
i captured this little clip of scoutie reading on my phone
the day after his 6th birthday celebration. 

i'm already thinking that his special christmas ornament
this year.  i am thinking i might get him a tin man ornament,
as this is his favorite character in the book.

~ the boys and i were up at 6:00am yesterday morning
dropping christopher off at the airport. he's off of to israel
with a stop in chicago and then has an 8 hour layover in madrid
{he planned this so he'd be able to see some of the city}

i'm so envious!! madrid has been on my list of places i want to see
for years. with the crazy time difference, i'm not sure we'll do much
talking of skyping, but we are leaving messages back and forth.

we have leslie and her family, new husband Rob included,
arriving tonight through the weekend.  the boys are beyond excited
to see cousins soren and ander and to do some fun activities planned.
i'll be sure to snap a few photos.

hold onto your butts day

 

today is surfrider's san diego chapter's
hold on to your butt awareness day.

your butt?
the boys asked when i shared what today was.

i explained it's a day set aside to educate beach lovers everywhere 
{smokers and non} about the effects cigarette butts have on our oceans.

we've already discussed smoking is icky for people.
it causes bad skin, bad breath, bad smelling clothes and hair,
reduced athletic performance, increased risk of illnesses, etc.

BUT

it's also icky for our coastal environment and ocean.
still, many smokers don't seem to think cigarette butts are litter. 
we've all seen it - a butt tossed out a car window, onto the sidewalk,
and yes, the sand. it's crazy to see because it's litter,
just like a piece of gum or a candy wrapper.

so today the boys and i discussed why it's important not to litter
and to keep our beaches clean - for smokers and non-smokers to enjoy.
our ocean is a precious resource and a place to respect
and for our family and neighbors, it's our playground.

there was a big beach cleanup today that i learned of just
yesterday.  i so wanted to go with the boys, but i had planned
weeks back to have the breakfast club girls over this morning.

we had a very nice visit, with lots of delicious foods.
finn did such a good job helping to supervise and entertain
both sophie, char's dog, and sidney, shannon's adorable one year old.

~ finn continues to ask for a dog
{thank goodness NOT a baby sister anymore}.
c and i told him we'd discuss it, but it won't be too soon.
a new family member takes planning - logistically and financially. 
maybe next year... 

sunday with my sis

last weekend i met up with my jen for an early
morning hike at torrey pines state reserve.

it had been too long since i had been to this beautiful reserve.
i use to take the boys when they were wee things.
i'd bring the jogger and carry scoutie in the bjorn.
life was easier then.  the boys had no agendas,
their agenda was whatever mom and dad wanted to do.

we'd gone since for morning hikes and beach days
but not nearly as often as we did back when they were
babies and preschoolers.

torrey pines has the most scenic trails in all of san diego.
to get to the over 8 miles of trails, visitors can drive or
walk up a steep paved road to the trailheads.

once your feet are on the unpaved paths,
that's when the fun really begins.
the reward at the turnaround spot is an ocean view...
you can walk down a path on a cliff and along the
ocean to go back to the parking lot OR
do a big loop and hike back through the reserve
which overlooks the water. .

it's pure heaven!
words can't describe this place.
{this is one of the places we take first time visitors to san diego}

last sunday was special.
i got some exercise, sister time and sunshine.
what more could a girl want?  well maybe some coffee
{i made sure to get than afterwards}

i really must remember to do this more.

i am thinking i'll take my mum here when she flys
out to visit in 2 weeks.  there's nothing close to the
experience in florida. i think she will love it.

peanuts and cracker jacks

via

the boys arrived home at 10pm last night
{unheard of for the boys even in the summer}.

they were at a padres game with christopher
and were having the time of their life,
especially since their mode of travel was the trolley.
i think they enjoy those rides more than the game,
that
and the peanuts and cracker jacks.

though i'm not a fan of baseball,
i was sad i couldn't join them.
i had a deadline and needed to work late.

with christopher heading to israel in a few days,
i thought the daddy/son time would be good for them
so that made me feel less guilty for missing it.

the boys made memories with their dad and that makes
this mommy happy.  oh i should mention the boys
received the tickets to the game for participating in the
library's summer reading program.  for every 10 books they
read and record, they get a stash of goodies.

they've received everything from free food at local restaurants,
to museum passes to a free kids tickets to legoland, $50 value.
{we might try to use when leslie and her boys visit next week}
we'll see. 

yes, summer is in FULL swing!

~ oh and christi texted me last night excited to share that jenny
had her baby yesterday.  her name is emmaline grace and
she will be called emmie.  she is as cute as a button!