Have a {dandy} of a Monday!
Tag Archives: park
Tadpoles & Hula Hoops
Tadpole Catching ~ Hula Hooping ~ Creek Wading ~ Dust Flying
….and SO much more!
Stay tuned for more of Elliott’s {woodsy} Birthday Party.
Have You Ever Fed A Sea Lion On Thanksgiving?
No?
We have….
{Rewind}
We finally uploaded our Thanksgiving Weekend pics to the computer and YES we did feed marine life on Turkey Day.
We took the kiddos on their maiden voyage to Sea World ~ many thanks to Gramma K for treating!
Getting his bearings:
A quick whirl on the Elmo ride:
You’d of thought we were at Disneyland with the permagrin on his face!
Gramma & Elliott bringing up the rear in the zebra Elmo:
“Petting” the manta rays:
Then it was lunchtime {for them not us!}:
Do I have to touch it?
I rolled up my sleeves and got in there:
Then we went to “Blue Horizons” {dolphin show}. I must say that they have stepped this show up and it {almost} has a little Cirque du Soleil feel to it. Costumed acrobats swinging & twirling over the tank. Divers. The whole nine. I was pretty impressed.
{Sorry. No pictures of that part, though.}
We then ventured to see the sharks followed by the sea lions.
This guy {gal?} was quite vocal:
Holden LOVED feeding these guys.
First you hold a mackerel in your hand and bring it up over your head:
…then fling it into the exhibit:
{I was thankful for warm water and antibacterial soap at this point}
We then saw the Holiday Paws show and got to pet the pot belly pig:
Then it was another visit to Santa and then some face time with Shamu.
Elliott really wanted to ice skate.
If you’re going to feed a sea lion on Thanksgiving, why not go ice skating, too?
A tuckered Holdy cuddling with Gramma:
All laced up and ready to roll….I mean skate!
If this isn’t Southern California I don’t know what is….the sun setting over the Pacific, palm tree silhouettes, sea gulls in flight:
Gorgeous!
{This part really made me miss my hometown}
Holden awoke from his power nap and was ready to join in on the rink action:
After the drive to SD and an afternoon at Sea World, we capped off our Thanksgiving with Panda Express!
It was a departure from the norm on Turkey Day, but so welcomed.
My Dad made it into San Diego late that evening and we ended up having our feast and giving our official thanks on Friday evening. We had some family friends {who my parents have known for 50 years!} join us. Holden came down with a low grade fever that afternoon so between giving him doses of Advil, making sure Toy Story 2 was playing, visiting with dear friends and eating, we didn’t get any pics of the spread! But Elliott did help Gramma earlier in the day with the stuffing:
She added plenty of pepper!
Friday afternoon before dinner we also took a drive through Balboa Park. I love driving down the 163 corridor past the zoo…so beautiful. We drove by the organ pavillion and across the bridge and reminisced about our wedding day 6 years ago.
On Saturday we were able to catch up with more old friends. Jay and Elliott went to visit one of the groomsmen in our wedding while I stayed home with Holden and kept his fever at bay. I also ran/walked to the mall near my Mom’s place to fetch our holiday ornaments which you can read about here. It was literally over the bridge and under the freeway to the Westfield mall I go! There is a trail that goes along the lake {Lake Hodges}Ā and under the 15 freeway and puts you right at the mall. So yes, I got this year’s ornaments “on foot”.
Saturday night I met up with my high school besties and we went to a 40th surprise party. It’s so nice to just be able to pick up where you left off so to speak. We met up for a pre-party libation and then their lovely 16-year old daughter drove us to and from the party. It was great to get caught up with old faces and celebrate more folks turning the BIG FOUR-OH!
That was our holiday weekend, friends!
I hope yours was just as sweet.
Happy Friday!
Don’t Stop Believin’
The concert in the park series has come to a close.
Last night we thoroughly enjoyed the Journey cover band, Don’t Stop Believin’.
They’re WAY 80’s cool…
EVERY song was awesome.
*****
I’ve mentioned this little libation before, but wanted to remind you of it:
This is what we bring to the concerts.
LOTS of ice in the pitcher, 1 can defrosted pink lemonade {don’t add water}, the empty can full of vodka and 3 beers of choice.
As you can see, cheap vodka and store brand lemonade work just fine.
They all blend together and form a refreshing, citrusy beverage.
It’s called the Hop, Skip & Go Naked.
But we can just call it the “Hop Skip” for now since, from my last post “Edible Thongs” and a “Hop, Skip & Go Naked” all in one weekend, I don’t want you all to get the wrong idea about where this blog might be headed! š
*****
The salty sweet combination of a coconut Dum Dum and a tortilla chip:
The purple girlies:
Lots and lots of “Believers”:
The place was PACKED.
The “no nap” thing lately is kicking in for earlier bed times:
This was a great way to start winding down our summer fun.
Next weekend we’re looking forward to going to San Diego for Labor Day and celebrating my Mom’s Happy Day.
Then I will officially be in Fall mode…
Cozy crock pot meals, pumpkins, autumn scented candles, falling leaves, nip in the air, lots of football…
MY time of year!
Have a beautiful, blessed Sunday.
XOXO
“T” Time
This weekend, again, went by way too fast…
Saturday started off with a much needed bath for my car and a haircut for me.
Once those chores were out of the way, we decided to take advantage of the sunshine and go {tee} off with some miniature golf.
This was the first time for the kiddos and we weren’t sure what to expect, but they caught on real quick, loved the fact that they could pic their ball color and to top it off nobody got hit with a club, so it was a success!
Elliott chose her favorite color, of course:
…and apparently Holden is a fan of green:
Taking a break:
After 18 holes, we went to Farrell’s which is attached to the mini golf place and had a sundae:
We were on our way out the door, when a nice man gave us some cards loaded with LOTS of points so we decided to go on the bumper boats:
We were amongst a mob of middle schoolers who had NO shame and got us soaked!
She loved it, though.
Daddy took her on the race cars:
She loved that, too!
Holden was too small for both, so he had to settle for bubbles:
Then, today we finally made it to Griffith Park and visited the {Travel Town} Museum. The kids had fun climbing in old {t}rains and running through the cars.
Sibling Love:
Conductor Holden:
They have a Children’s Learning Center called “Holden’s Corner”:
And, of course, we rode the train:
I love this one:
It was a great weekend…exploring good stuff in our own “backyard” ~ tee times & Travel Town trains.
Hoping you had the same!
Up tomorrow: Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
Just in time for Cinco De Mayo!
Catch 22
I was just thinking this afternoon as I picked Elliott up from preschool, “I could sure go for a Mickey D’s cheeseburger with extra pickles and a Shamrock shake”! The kiddos could share their usual 10-piece chicken McNuggets with BBQ sauce and a small fry…afterall, they do LOVE to play in the play area. BUT…the play areas at these places gross me out. Lord only knows how often they get up there and clean, disinfect and deodorize those large hamster-like contraptions. But on the other hand, I can go there with my Mommy friends, enjoy my cheeseburger and Diet Coke and chat without worrying that Holden will fall out. It’s pretty “safe” as far as openings go.
BUT….
then there is the park, which, is so nice because it’s outside and you can pack a nice healthy sandwich on multigrain bread and some crisp apple slices. However, I am constantly worried that Holden is going to fall off the structure as I witnessed last Spring….it scared the $h!t out of me. I know he’s older now and a little more steady on his feet, but I still worry. And I hate to be that Mom that constantly follows him around, unable to sit and chat with the mommies, but I am and I will. I just don’t quite trust him yet….possibly because he is my “baby”. I think I need about 6 more months….he sure is brave, though. Climbing like a BIG boy ~ no fear. Good coordination….strong legs, strong arms ~ but a weak Mommy!
Sometimes I try to get him to sit and play in the sand…in ONE spot so I can easily keep an eye on him and have a more relaxing conversation with the girls, but then I feel like I am holding him back from running, jumping, climbing, sliding & swinging.
So, what do you do? Go to the junk food capital of the world with it’s germ infested, but safer “play zone” and have a nice, leisurely visit OR go to the park (which is free) and feel the sunshine on our faces and the wind through our hair, but worry and follow and be overly cautious!
They L.O.V.E. either one…doesn’t matter to them. We don’t go to see Ronald very often so it is a treat when we do.
But I’ll do both from time to time…definitely more park than Ronald. And I will either be there “spotting” Holden or standing at the opening of the hamster cage with a vat of hand sanitizer ready for them to dive into.
P.S. This isn’t to say that I don’t “worry” about Elliott. She is 21 months older and more agile on the jungle gyms and such.
P.P.S. I did NOT go to the Golden Arches today…came home and made them “circle” lunch with round pb&j’s and banana slices. I made myself a nice raw veggie salad consisting of spring mix, shredded carrots, sugar snap peas, red pepper, cucumber, cilantro, dried cranberries, blue cheese sprinkles and grilled chicken with “spray” Ranch dressing.
Take that, Ronald!
Egg Salad With An Attitude
It’s Friday during Lent so I was searching for a way to punch up the ‘ol egg salad recipe.
I decided to marry my newfound infatuation for jarred jalapeƱos and my ever-lasting love of cilantro with a little mayo, salt, pepper & cayenne pepper (oh, and a few hard boiled eggs!)
“Jalantro” Egg Salad
Chop it all up, add a little mayo, s&p and cayenne then spread on your favorite bread (or not)…
…and you’re ready for a Friday picnic in the park!
I snuck a taste and was pleasantly surprised…to me, eggs sort of have that “vanilla” type flavor that blends well with almost anything. I’m looking forward to my upgraded egg salad today.
Now off we go to enjoy this little bit of sunshine before the rain visits us again!
Hope you’re having a bright & shiny Friday.