Oma's Pumpkin Patch!

One of the big reasons why Ez and I went back to San Diego was to visit Oma's Pumpkin Patch.  We thought we were starting a tradition last year by going with our friends...and we really wanted to continue it this year.  The kids have a great time, it's got a lot of different things for them to do and has a ton of cute photo ops :)

We arrived a little later than expected, so we had to hop right on to the tractor-pulled hayride.  Since it was so dark already, I didn't get any good pics of that -- but Ezra really enjoyed the cows (despite the overwhelming stink).

Right after the hayride, we made a beeline for the cottonseed hill.  There were a lot of punkish older kids hoarding the saucers, so we got the little ones to roll around and act crazy...thus frightening the punks and causing them to leave their saucers for our kids to play with.  Genius, right?!

Here's me and my E-Z.  I look a little strung-out and he looks a little sick...so what?

One of his friends got the crazy-party started with her insane rolling around.  Her folks are going to be pulling cottonseeds out of her clothes and shoes for the next month!

I told him that tiny leprechauns had hidden their gold in the cottonseed...

Just kidding.

Ez, driving a tractor!  Please excuse the dust...you couldn't see it but everytime I took a photo, it was clouding the picture :(

You can't really tell here, but this tractor was painted to look like a cow.  Ez really liked this one...probably because it was a huge pain to get him all the way up into the seat :)

By the time I pried him off the tractors, he was pretty pissed at me.  He didn't want to smile at the same time as he was looking at the camera...so this is the best I could get...

...And then he got to "milk" the fake cows...which made him happy again.  This kid and milk....

Disregard the Happy Birthday wishes...

Ezra picked out a perfect pumpkin!

Thugs, roughing up the pumpkins...

You can see how my normally happy, smiley kid was just about to hit that "I'm sick and don't want to do this anymore" wall.

But he rallied for a group shot!  That's my boy!

We ended up grabbing a late dinner at the same place we went to last year.  Not because the food was particularly good (it's okay) or the service was phenomenal (they seem to really be annoyed when kids/babies arrive)...but because there really isn't much for options in Lakeside ;-)  They gave us our own room in the restaurant (same one as last year!) and the kids were generally well-behaved, so it was a win.

Back in San Diego...which can only mean one thing -- The Zoo!!

Ezra and I took a quick trip to San Diego a couple days ago.  I just can't stay away ;-)

The ride down was completely awesome -- Ez checked out the cars and trucks and "Slides!!" (any mountain with a smoother surface is a slide, according to my kid), he watched every episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Sid the Science Kid, Super Why, Cat in the Hat, and Dora the Explorer that I'd put on the iPad....and even caught a nap.  No crying, no whining, and we even made it there without having to stop a single time...it was perfect.

We arrived around 7 and grabbed some pizza at Bronx.  I know what you're thinking..."You weren't even in San Diego for an hour before you went to Bronx?  You're obsessed."  

And my response is yes.  Yes, you are correct.  It's that good.

It helps that we were both hungry and we were crashing at our friends house that is a block away from there...so back off.

The next morning, we were up bright and early to meet some friends at the zoo!  Ez has been signing his zoo animal signs since we left San Diego a month ago, so we just had to go for a visit.  

Easy-E has also been drooling like a Saint Bernard, has a runny nose and has been sporting some rosy red cheeks lately, which can only mean one thing....more teeth!!  Yay!  

(That was said with all of the sarcasm that my tired butt could manage)

That said, he really didn't seem to be bothered by it until Tuesday.  Then it just got progressively worse and he started seeming a little sick, too.  You can see the progression in the pictures that I took while we were there ;-)

Ez and his best buddy, walking along the path to the monkeys and gorillas.    ...And all is right with the world...

The little monkeys, checking out the other monkeys ;-)

He's such a big kid now...I can't believe how much he looks like Jordan in this one...

The shadows make him look even more mischievous than normal :)

I'm king of the world!

Ezra and Claire, BFF since 2010.

Nancy had her stroller and the baby, so I took the kids on the SkyFari (there's a 4 person limit per car).  Like always, getting both kids to look at the camera at the same time was nearly impossible.  They'd both say Cheeeeeeeessseeeee! but be looking in different directions.  To be fair, we were also high above the zoo...so there was a lot to look at that was WAY more interesting than me and my camera ;-)  Also, note the sickly face he's got here...boo for teeth and colds ganging up on my boy.

We had a great time at the zoo and Ez fell asleep as soon as we got back home.  After his nap, we headed out to Oma's Pumpkin Patch in Lakeside with our friends.  More pics to come!!

Ezra's 2nd Birthday Party!

I really, really thought I'd finished and posted this weeks ago.  Really.

Turns out I'd only dumped all the photos in and forgotten about it.  I seem to do that more often than I'd like ;-)

So, here's Ezra's 2nd Birthday Party!  We had it at Liberty Station, which happens to be right down on the water in Point Loma.  I've been there a lot and never had a problem with ridiculous wind.  Until the day of his party...which was SO windy that our borrowed canopy couldn't be put up to a normal height,  as it had attempted to make a break for it and go for a swim in the water.

Luckily, my dear friend was there to take charge and she made a mini-tent area for the kids (or seated adults!) to enjoy.

Also, due to the crazy winds, most of the decorations didn't get to make an appearance...much to my dismay.  I'd spent most of my free time during naptimes and after Ez went to bed working on street signs, clever names for the food (to tie in the theme), etc.  I didn't even get to set up his cupcakes, which were firey-flames to go with his firetruck...and by the time we got around to serving them, they looked more like scrambled eggs on top of mini cupcakes than fire.  They still tasted pretty good, so I'll take that as point in my favor.

On the bright side, the kids did love the cardboard box cars that I'd made -- and the pics of them driving were super cute :)

Overall, it was a good day!  The kids had a lot of fun, Ezra got to see all of his buddies one last time before we moved, and there were surprisingly few tantrums ;-)  

Tuesday Playdate

We went on our last Tuesday playdate...without realizing it was the real last one.  See, I knew I wasn't leaving for a week & a half...but I forgot that I wouldn't be meeting up for a playdate while my Mom was in town.  

When all was said and done, it was actually a perfect San Diego day and a really great time for Ez and for me.  We started off at the 6th Ave playground, where Ez's bestie, Claire, met up with us & we walked over to Balboa Park via the Laurel Street bridge (a classic me-and-Ez morning activity).  Ez & Claire's friend, Kate, joined us and we walked around the park, settling near the Koi pond.  Lunch, some playtime, some potty accidents, and some other hilarity ensued.  The weather was beautiful.  It was a perfect way to say goodbye to my favorite place.

I was snapping away as Ez and Claire were laughing uncontrollably at each other.  I, unknowingly, caught the moment just before a potty accident occurred.  Whoops!  (And just to lay it all out there, Ez was in his "back-up" shorts by the time this pic was taken...)

Is he almost 2 or almost 15 in this picture?  Seriously?!

 Ez and Kate decided to play in the dirt.  Then, Ez decided to smear it all over his face....

 Impromptu dance party!  Also, note that Claire is wearing Ez's hat.  Much like a girl wears her boyfriend's Letterman's jacket...

A couple days later, I sent Jordan in to help Ez wake up.  I heard Ez cracking up and throwing himself around, so I grabbed the camera and snapped a few pics...

 And here's the Little Man...playing with his new mixer, toaster, and coffee maker.  Mmmm....breakfast.

When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves.
-Viktor Frankl


I have to read that a couple times a day.

I was ready to be (and was being) a complete punk about this move.  I didn't want to move and leave our friends and the place that I feel at home.  I was supportive of Jordan and the decision to move, but I was far too transparent with my feelings about it.

Childish?  Yes.  And do I still have moments where I just whine (to myself, mostly) about how I want to go home?  Yep.  But I'm working on it.  It's not that bad here.  The house that we're in now is about twice the size of our old place, plus we have a 2 car garage (storage space!!).  We've ventured over to the playground a couple blocks away and Ez has already made some friends...and I can happily report that the moms & nannies are nice, too :)  I know this is a good thing.

So, to get you up to speed....we moved on a Friday.  Got here about 4pm -- which was approximately 2 hours after the gas man was here to turn on the gas.  We got it turned back on yesterday afternoon (Tuesday).  Cold, cold showers are no fun...and nighttime diaper laundry has been piling up...which I'm happy to report can now be washed -- thanks to the washing machine repairman who just fixed my washer that crapped out the night we got here ;-)  It's been a fun few days here, folks.

Here's an on-going list that we've been compiling since we got here...called, Things We Never Said In San Diego...

-Can you put this in the dishwasher?
- No, no...it's in the OTHER closet.  Nope, not that one either.  The other one.
-I can't hear you...I'm on the other side of the house.
-Oh, the washer & dryer is inside the house?  What?  With it's own closet and storage?  What?
-Just put it on the kitchen counter...there's plenty of room.
-Yeah, it's in the bathroom.  Oh, no...the other one.
-Honey?  Is this bathroom in the shape of Nevada?

And for the record, our master bath toilet "closet" is, in fact, in the shape of Nevada.

So, here's a few pictures of the boy since we've been here.  I haven't actually been taking many photos recently because I'm mostly unpacking and playing with Mini-Man.  It'll get better...

 Here he is, indulging in some coconut-milk ice cream because I'm a sucker and he had done well with his potty training that day ;-)

I kept telling him to turn around and look at me so I could snap a photo...so naturally he just laid down on the floor...?  Also, my vacuum was in San Diego, awaiting the final cleaning and walk-thru, so my floors here suffered the consequences for a week.  Trust me when I tell you that it was a glorious experience to finally vacuum up all the moving crap and dog hair that accumulated in that week.

 This child will pick up my camera, hold it out away from his face and say "cheeeeeeeese".....but ask him to look my way for a photo while he's having fun?  No-can-do.

He decided that picking up rocks (there's 57 million of them) and throwing them randomly into the grass was REALLY FUN.  

And finally, Ez...looking a little 'Squatchy...caught in the act of terrorizing the chihuahua while checking out his new backyard.

Hopefully, I'll get around to posting the pics from his party, from Mom's visit...and also from Josh's visit.  Cross your fingers...