California, I Love You

 Again, so mad at myself for not blogging about our San Diego trip sooner, because now, lots of little details have escaped my memory! I'll do my best though!

It was our first real vacation as a whole family. Just me, Noah and Matt, not going to visit family, but going to a place none of us had ever been before. None of us had ever been to California, and we found it to be wonderful! The weather was beautiful, the scenery was gorgeous and the resort we stayed in (courtesy of Matt meeting his goals at work) was spectacular! Noah called our room "our San Diego house." 

Flying with Noah is a totally different experience when Matt is there with us! The flight went smoothly and Noah behaved quite well! We left St. Louis very early so that we would arrive in CA early. Great idea, except we all ended up being exhausted since we had been up since 3:30am. That plus the time difference made for an early bedtime that first night. Before we hit the hay though, we ate a wonderful lunch at the bayside restaurant at the resort, took Noah to a local playground, got settled in, met up with Gary and Marilyn, swam a bit and then attended the Allstate Welcome Reception, which was equipped with a kid's table and delicious food. I was quite impressed! Noah however was wiped and fell asleep on Matt's shoulder while we were saying our goodbyes at the reception.

The next morning, Noah was up pretty early (5am CA time), so Matt snuggled him up in our bed, and they watched cartoons for a while. I continued to sleep! This began a morning ritual for the remainder of our time there. I was actually happy Noah was staying on Central time, so I didn't have to re-train him once we got home. We had an amazing breakfast at a local cafe, and then spent the whole rest of the day at the San Diego Zoo with Gary and Marilyn. It was such a great time! G and M are such wonderful people, and they totally took the role of stand-in grandparents for Noah! Noah fell in love with Mr. Gary. It was the cutest thing.

Noah and  Mr.Gary are flying here. Noah could get Mr. Gary to do anything!

Towards the end of the day, Noah was spent, but didn't want to be held by mommy or daddy. Oh no, it had to be Mr. Gary (whom we actually lovingly refer to as Uncle Gary behind his back)!

We finished off the day with dinner at a restaurant (can't remember the name) in the Gas Lamp District of San Diego. Such a fun day with Mr. Gary and Mrs. Marilyn!

The next day, we explored a little more of the area. We started with breakfast at The Broken Yolk, which we had heard a lot about! Next, we drove up to La Jolla and stopped at a few different beaches. Not to swim though, it was a bit too cold! Noah loved running around on the shore. We also saw sea lions, but surprisingly, Noah didn't seem to give a flip about them. Matt and I were a little disappointed in his lack of enthusiasm, but we figured he just needs to be a little older to be intrigued by them. They were out on rocks, so you had to look hard to make them out. He was just more interested in walking by himself, than looking at anything. 

We headed back to the resort for naps. We only had a one room, room, so we shut the tapestries, turned out all the lights, and even Matt and I crawled in bed, in order to give Noah the greatest chance of falling asleep. Of course the child did not sleep though. He tried several things to get us to get him up. My two favorite tries were: "mommy, I need to tell you something" and "daddy, I need a hug." That kid is stinkin' smart and hilarious. Matt and I had to stifle our laughter. We gave it an hour, and then went swimming! There was a pool and a large hot tub, and Noah preferred the "warm pool." It was too chilly to be in a non-heated pool (in my opinion) but there were still plenty of people swimming. That night we had another Allstate dinner to attend, and again, I was super impressed! The meal was delicious, and they had a band and all the kids tore up the dance floor. It was adorable to watch.

And here's where my memory has totally failed me! We had a third full day, but I can not for the life of me remember what we did. I'll ask Matt, but he's sleeping now. So perhaps I'll be editing this post in the near future. How pathetic is this?!

On our last full day in San Diego, we took a trolley tour, which allowed us to get on and off the trolley all over the city. We explored all the main areas of the city, and Noah was over the moon about riding on the trolley. He especially enjoyed looking at all the ships docked on the bay.

We ate delicious mexican food that night at one of the little nooks of the city (again, can't remember the name! Ah!). The next morning before our flight, we ate at the brilliant cafe we had found the first morning, and then drove around looking for antique stores (none of which were open yet).

Overall, it was a wonderful family vacation. Even though he couldn't exactly voice it, I know Noah had an amazing time because he got mommy and daddy all to himself without any of the normal distractions of daily life. We were able to really enjoy each other's company and relax in the pleasure of just being together.

Did I mention that I would live in San Diego in a heartbeat? It was so earthy and friendly and beautiful! Loved it.

Brian and Janet's October Visit

I am going to start trying to catch up on blogging! I've been dreadfully awful about it for the past few months, and feel like I haven't written down things and now will never remember them! Awful! Here's a post I started, but never finished...  Of course I don't remember the tiny details that make memories, so the pictures will have to tell the story.
Brian and Janet and the boys came up to visit us in October. It was the first time they'd seen our new house. It was SO nice to have an actual room for them! The boys are playing so well together now, and I expect that to just continue to escalate as they all grow older. Parker is such a caretaker, and Tyler is the wild man setting the standard of danger! Noah loves his cousins so much...he talks of them constantly and has a blast when he's with them.

I. AM. HOT.

I . AM. HOT.
I. AM. TIRED.
I. AM. SITTING.
I. LIKE. GRAPES.
I. AM. PLAYING.
I. AM. TWO.

Over a month ago I started this post. Noah was going through a "statement" phase. It was hilarious, and I've tried to remember a few of the things he would often declare. I've really been slacking on keeping up with blogging, but I figured better to post a little than nothing.  Noah is speaking really well now, so this phase has passed. I can actually have a conversation with him now, which is really fun.

Weekend with Friends, Part 2

Saylah and Noah looking anxiously for the tractor that will take us to the Eckert's Pumpkin Patch!

We went with friends, Alejandro, Sandra and Saylah to pick pumpkins.

These two ran around the pumpkin patch like it was the most fun thing on earth! They were hilarious. Noah tried to pick up pumkins, and he would say, "it's heavy," and he would always draw out the word "h-e-a-v-y." So funny! Miss Saylah followed him everywhere and mimiced everything he did. He's not always the best example, so I began to get a little nervous when he darted out into an empty and immense corn field. Matt had to chase him down, and luckily Saylah was wise enough to know that she probably shouldn't follow him this time!

Fast boy, faster daddy, and smart chica!

After the pumpkin picking (we actually didn't get one, as I had already purchased two of them!), we headed to the fun farm. Our kiddies were still a little small for many of the activities, but they still had a good time.

After the fun farm, we had lunch and walked through the farm grocery store. Saylah pushed around her own cart in the store.

Great Sunday morning with our friends! Nothing more "fallish" than going to the pumpkin patch!

A Weekend with Friends, Part 1

Friday night we caught up with the Gourley's and Rappaports. Now that Shanna is a working woman again, we only have the weekends to hang out. It's great for her, but sad for me (and Jenn)! We had a kid friendly dinner at Fuddruckers and then spent a little time at the Magic House. Fuddrucker's has a game room that we let the kids play around in before dinner. This is one of the only times you will see a gun in my son's hand (that is until I'm completely overrun by Matt, Steve, Brian and Janet)! Cute picture though, right?

 The Magic House had a "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" themed display. Noah enjoyed driving the Smart Car and the Recycler Truck. Really, because they had steering wheels, certainly not because they were environmentally friendly!

Mmmmm...apples!

Next, we worked on composting.

Then he used the compost to fertilize the garden!

He worked on recycling experiments.

 I love this little cutie!

Next, we hit up the Legislative and Judicial Branches, along with President Obama's office. All the boys were anxious to speak into the microphone in the courtroom, and as cute as Noah was, Aidan won the entertainer award by boldly singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game!" He's such a ham! Abe, Jude and Jenn can be seen behind Aidan as he makes his presence known!

Saturday morning, we bundled up and took a walk to the park. We walked around the Farmer's Market, let Noah play on the playground, and then we attempted to join the Malones in a little soccer practice. Noah, however, was more interested in picking up the soccer ball with his hands, and then losing his mind when he got knocked down. We didn't force it.  Matt ended up just letting him roam the grounds, which made our little wanderer extremely happy! We ran into several friends in the park too. I love living in a place where we run into people we know. St. Louis continues to feel more and more like home. I'm really digging that feeling!

Tomorrow, Pumpkin Patch!

Jamaican Me Crazy

I imagine that a "resort" vacation isn't for everyone, but if all you want is to relax, it's the thing to do.  I have never had a vacation like this! It was incredible!

On to the pictures...

We saw this sign on our way out of Montego Bay. Hilarious!

 This was the view from our balcony. See that pool down there? It was actually a hot tub that we spent a couple of rainy afternoons in. Lovely!

 This was the view from our side balcony.

 This was the view from our front door. I took this picture our first night in Jamaica. We were stunned by the beauty. We actually walked out on the beach, and one of the resort photographers caught us and roped us into an impromptu photo session. He made us do some of the cheesiest poses, including creating a "heart" with our arms, and holding our fingers so that it looked like we were pinching the sun.  We were laughing the whole time! We didn't order any of the photos! (mainly because they wanted an arm and a leg for them.)

 One of the special dinners out on the beach side patio. I had a lobster salad...it was delicious! Unfortunately my throat was hurting pretty badly on this particular night. This was the night of the whiskey!

 And here goes the shot of whiskey! It was absolutely awful! My throat felt better for a few minutes afterward though...mainly because it was burning so much, I couldn't feel anything!

 Later that night, we walked to the resort theater. The talent was...interesting. Now, when Simon from American Idol makes one of his, "you sound like resort karaoke" comments, I will know exactly what he means.

 It gets worse though. Matt was literally dragged on stage and made to dance with this tribal group. Poor poor Matt. I could do nothing but laugh and take pictures!

 These beautiful peacocks roamed the grounds. They were so lovely and tame.

 This is the place where we spent a large majority of our time! This pool was incredible! A swim up bar, umbrellas, huge beach towels, the ocean literally steps away, employees walking around serving water and specialty drinks, my book, my iPod, Matt beside me, a little sun tan oil mixed with the sun block (of course) - it was majestic! I miss it just reminiscing.

 Just about every afternoon around 2 or 3 o'clock, it would rain. We generally stayed at the pool until then, and once the rain started, we'd head over to "Bayside" for their immense lunch buffet. This was not your typical Shoney's buffet. It was fresh and massive and delicious. My favorite part of these lunches was the dessert - banana fosters! Made fresh right in front of us! One of the best desserts of my life, I kid you not! We always sat outside. I didn't want to miss a second of the landscape. It was lovely to watch the rain during these lunches. After we finished eating, we would either read, chat with new friends, or grab a daiquiri and make a run for the hot tub!

 A few of the mornings we went diving, which was included in the price of our "all inclusive." Diving is so expensive, so we wanted to take full advantage of this inclusion. The water was clear and beautiful. Before our first dive, we took a refresher course since it had been a few years since we'd been diving. This was when we realized that Jamaicans have a whole different philosophy on time management! Our instructor spent over an hour trying to configure our equipment while we sat and waited. I tried really hard not to be annoyed! It did get better.  

I only dove twice because of my sinus issues. I hated being sick while I was there, but I tried to not let it slow me down too much. After feeling pain in my forehead after my second dive though, I decided I better stop. Matt dove once more without me, while I read and soaked up the sun poolside.

We also were able to sail, kayak and water ski. Matt and I loved sailing! We wish we had more opportunities to do it. We'd both really like to learn how to actually sail. I'm not sure steering a Hobie Cat around a bay qualifies!

 On the dive boat out to the reef.

 The resort offered several restaurant choices each night. We tried each of them while we were there, and developed a couple favorites. Eleanor's was one of them, so we went twice. The food was superb, as was the wine!

This was just another one of the magnificent views.  

 On our last night, the resort threw a beach party. They set up dinner on the beach, and after dinner a DJ set up and got us dancing. We ate and danced with new friends. We were literally one of the last couples to leave. Afterward, we went back to our room, changed into our bathing suits and took a swim in an attempt to savor our last night in Jamaica. It was serene and I have to say, straight out of a movie! We were the only two in this huge, underwater lit, pool. Such a lovely memory!

 Goodbye Jamiaca! You were everything I'd hoped you'd be and more.