SD Zoo/Wild Animal Park

We had a busy two days! Yesterday we had a "Mommy and Me" event at the zoo with our meetup group. We learned all about birds and took a round trip in the skyfari. Kailani loved the ride and even wanted to go again. We walked around the zoo afterwards and waited until it was time to feed the giraffes. Kailani didn't want to feed the giraffes and Zachary wasn't old enough, so I fed them. Zachary enjoyed watching them eat. Kailani got another stuffed skunk to replace the one she lost from last week. Jaylynn had to get one too. Unfortunately, she lost hers in the grocery store on the way home from the zoo. What is it with these skunks?! I got Zachary a junior zookeeper outfit. He's going to be a zookeeper for Halloween. I can't believe it's only July and I have both kids Halloween costumes already.
Today we went to the Fisher Price event at the Wild Animal Park with the meetup group. The kids got to meet Diego. We got a nice group picture, but Kailani wouldn't get in it. We fed the lorikeets and Zachary loved it. Kailani freaked out a little when the birds landed on her head, but she was able to feed them the nectar. The Wild Animal Park had a special event going on where kids could collect stamps in a passport when they visited different sections of the park. We didn't stay long enough to fill the whole passport because it was too hot. We got about 3 out of 8 stamps. On our way home, we stopped at the Mongolian Grill for the second time this week...we love that place!

Kid Ventures

Today we checked out the brand new Kid Ventures in Eastlake. This is an indoor play place with separate dramatic play areas. There is a castle, pirate ship, fire station, nursery, grocery store, and more. The kids could have played for hours. There was about 12 of the moms there from the meetup group, which is a lot for a meetup lately. I'm going to miss the meetups once I go back to work:(

Olympic Training Center and Chick-fil-A

Today we hung around the house for most of the day. Before heading to Chick-fil-A for kids night, we took a self-guided tour of the Olympic Traning Center. It's really nice there and the kids enjoyed running around.

The Chula Vista Fire Department was at Chick-fil-A tonight. The kids got fire hats and they were able to sit in the fire truck.

I am happy to have finished teaching my online class yesterday. Now, I only have to grade the last assignment. Hopefully I can get through these quickly. I agreed to teach another class beginning on August 24. I thought by then, I would be in a routine after heading back to work. I just spent a while reorganizing my course assignments and syllabus to lesson the course load for students and grading for me. After visiting the faculty forum, I found out that the class I teach has now been updated to include new curriculum. I also found out that many students are having issues with the new assignments and technology component. With new assignments and technology, I can see some long nights ahead. And just when I thought I had this class down...

Feeding the ducks

Today we didn't do much...I guess we needed the rest from our trip to Knott's Berry Farm yesterday. When we finally got up and moving, we headed to Heritage park to feed the ducks. Kailani promised us she wouldn't fall in the lake again:) She fed the ducks for a while and rode around on her new scooter. She played on the play structure for a while and even rolled down the hill a few times.

We had dinner at the Stir Fresh Mongolian grill...a favorite of ours. Kailani got to hit the gong when she left the guys a tip. She always enjoys that.

Knott's Berry Farm

Today we spent the day at Knott's Berry Farm. We went once before, when Kailani was younger. We had a nice time. Kailani went on lots of rides in Camp Snoopy. We went on the ferris wheel. Each time we went around she said, "This is super fun!" She also yelled, "Look out below!" She went on her first real roller coaster and loved it. Zachary got to go on a few rides and he was a trooper all day in the hot sun.

After our day at Knott's Berry Farm, we had dinner at Bubba Gump's and we had them sing "Happy Birthday" to Kailani. They wanted her dance as they sang, but she wouldn't leave her seat.

Happy Birthday Princess Kailani!

Today is Kailani's birthday. It's hard to believe she's four already! She had a birthday party at Pump it Up, like most of her friends from daycare have had. There were a few friends from our military moms group and some friends from daycare...about 20 kids in all. After the party, Becky and the kids came back to our house to watch Kailani open her presents. Daddy was even able to watch her open presents in Skype. She had a great day!

Evening at San Diego Harbor

Today we just hung around the house and relaxed...we've been busy the last few days. Zachary took a 3 1/2 hour nap! Around 4, we headed downtown to the harbor to do the Maritime Museum. We got to go on board all the boats there to see what things were like when people lived/worked on the boats. I've been on the boats before, but there were more added since then. We went on a submarine too. It was difficult going through with Zachary because of the small hallways and the circle holes we had to climb through. I can't imagine living in such small quarters for months at at time. Kailani enjoyed seeing the boats. She also enjoyed making the pressed pennies. She's become a real collector of those.

After the museum, we walked around Seaport village for a short time. I found a few cute ornaments in the Christmas store so I got a head start on some Christmas shopping.

The reason we headed to the harbor this evening was because there was a special showing of Disney's World of Color show projected onto the side of the USS Midway museum (I've still never done that!). The show was short, but worth the trip. Becky joined us for the show. The girls liked it, and Zachary loved it. He was in awe the entire time. We stayed and watched it a few times. It was playing continuously every few minutes.

Kailani fell asleep on the way home, and Zachary wasn't too far behind. After grading a few papers, I am ready to pass out now too. Looking forward to another fun-filled day tomorrow and a much-needed moms night with the meetup girls in the evening:)

Pictures and trip to La Jolla

This morning Kailani had her 4-year pictures taken at Picture People. She wore her adorable '4' shirt and tutu skirt for the pictures. She did great in the beginning, actually posing for the pictures. After a short time, she decided not to listen to the photographer and do whatever she wanted. We had to end the photo session early. Luckily, we were able to get some good pictures though.
After pictures, we headed to The Children's Pool in La Jolla to see the seals on the beach. In the most recent judgment, the beach is open for people. Animal rights activists have been fighting for the beach to be closed off from people to allow the seals a place to stay. A rope has been put up and taken down several times depending on the decisions by different judges. Despite the people on the beach and in the water, we were able to see some seals.
While we were in La Jolla, we decided to take a ride up to Mt. Soledad. I thought Jason's parents might enjoy seeing the plaques for the military that are on display there.
This evening, Kailani and I went to Party City to buy the items for her party. We had a nice time shopping on our own. She's getting excited for her birthday party on Saturday.

Kailani's 4-year pictures

Zoo trip with the family

Today we headed to the zoo with Jason's family. We were up and out of the house early so we got to spent a full day there. Even though we went to the zoo recently, we saw things that we hadn't seen before. Things are always changing and animals are always doing different things. Kailani and Tyler had a good time making different pressed pennies. I got Kailani a new penny book since hers is almost full. Kailani had a few meltdowns because she wanted something from every store we passed. Luckily she got over it and was able to pick something out at the end of the day. She picked out two small stuffed animals (I told her one big one or two small) and a small change purse. We decided to fill the change purse with pennies and quarters for pressed pennies wherever we go the rest of the week. Zachary enjoyed looking at all the animals. It was hard to get him to look in just the right direction, but when he actually saw the animal, he was excited. He took a really late nap and he was so tired he fell asleep on the tray of the stroller:)


After the zoo, we headed to Chick-fil-A for kids night.

I've spent the last few hours grading paper for the class I am teaching. Week four of this class is usually crazy, but I am glad to say I am far ahead of the game on grading...let's just hope I am able to keep up for the rest of the week. Thank goodness class ends on Monday. I am ready for a break...but not for too long. I just accepted another class beginning on August 24. It gets easier every time and at least it's extra money. I just found out today that I get paid extra for each student over 18 I have:) In my opinion, 18 is too much already.

I am excited that Kailani will have her 4-year pictures taken tomorrow at Picture People. She has an adorable outfit to wear and I can't wait to see how the pictures turn out. I'm glad that I'll have help with Zachary so I can focus on Kailani.

Cabrillo Monument

Yesterday Jason's parents and Tyler arrived for a visit. Kailani was so excited for them to come. Today we went to Cabrillo National Monument with the Meetup group. It's one place we've never gone in the time we've lived here. The kids had a nice time playing in the tide pools and walking to the lighthouse. We tried to get a good picture of Kailani and Zachary will all of their cousins, but...no luck. After Cabrillo Monument, we headed to Souplantation because Kailani requested it.

Splash fun

Today we spent the afternoon at the Otay Ranch Town Center with the meetup group. They have a splash area there that kids can run through and get wet. Kailani and Zachary wore their bathing suits and playing for a while. We sat by the water and ate lunch. Kailani has been wanting to make a new build-a-bear for a while...since she saw the commercial for the new ice cream bears on TV. For her birthday, she got a coupon in the mail for a free animal, so I let her make one today. She chose the orange sherbet bear. After build-a-bear, we headed to Gymboree to spend out gymbucks! Kailani got a few really pretty dresses...she wore one already:)

Kailani is getting excited for our visitors. Last night she asked when her nana, grandpa, and Tyler were coming. When I said they were coming on Sunday, she became upset and said she wanted them to come "today." She'll be happy to have some company. Zachary has been a big help in getting the house ready. I am excited for Zachary to spend some time with family.

Play Town

Today we went to Play Town with the meetup group. Play Town is like My Kids Clubhouse, but we've never been there before. Kailani and Zachary had a good time playing. After Play Town we went to Applebee's for lunch. Kailani had to get tomato soup, like daddy always gets. We played at Becky's house for a little while after that. Both Kailani and Zachary went swimming in the little pool.

Pool time

This morning I had a doctor appointment, so the kids hung out at Becky's house. It's so nice to have someone I trust to watch the kids. Thanks Becky:) While I had time away, I stopped at Target to get Kailani's birthday present...the Disney princess scooter that Jaylynn just got for her birthday. Kailani has been wanting it since she saw Jaylynn get it. We had a quick lunch with Becky and the kids before we headed home.
We met up with one of Kailani's little friends from daycare at her community pool to go swimming. While I was at Target this morning I picked up a life vest for Kailani to wear in the pool. I figured she could use it at the Legoland waterpark too. The vest didn't really do much for Kailani though. She enjoyed playing with her friend, but she was really nervous about being in the water and going further out into the deeper end. It really makes me wish we had spent more time in the pool. We did a mommy and me swim class when she was 1, but that was it. We really don't go to the pool often. Maybe I can still get her into some lessons before the summer is over.
Zachary, on the other hand, loved the pool. He splashed around and had a great time with the noodle the little girl had brought. I wish I had brought him a floatie to sit in...next time. The pool had some sand and a play structure that the girls played in for a while.
After the pool we went to Chick-fil-A for dinner. The art project for tonight was a create-your-own sundae. Kailani and Zachary made a sundae. Zachary liked his so much that he cried when it was all gone. Kailani got another prize today. She chose a Chick-fil-A cup. She was really excited about the prize.

My Kids Clubhouse

Today Kailani requested that we go to My Kids Clubhouse. We didn't have anything else planned, so we spent about an hour there this morning. I had just bought a 5-visit punch card because there was a deal online; 5 visits for $20, which is 1/2 the regular price if you pay per visit. I figured we would go at least 5 times in the next year. This was the first time Zachary was at MKC and could play on all the stuff. Me, Kailani, and Zachary went down the slides together:)

Bite sized

Today we hung around the house most of the day. We met up with the meetup group at 3pm for the monthly cooking club. This month's theme was "bite sized." Kailani helped me make mini pigs in a blanket. We used little smokies stuffed with cheese and rolled them in the canned dough that you use to make dinner rolls. They turned out good and were actually all gone by the time we left. Kailani had a great time playing with the kids. Zachary had fun too:)
Kailani requested that we go to My Kids Clubhouse tomorrow, so we'll probably head there for a little while in the morning for something to do.

Mellow day

Today we had a pretty mellow day. We ran to Costco to order Kailani's birthday cake. She picked out a cake with a princess crown and wand on it. She's really looking forward to her birthday party...although today she told me she doesn't want to have her party at Pump it Up anymore. She wants to have her party at the house so her animals can come:) Kailani has started treating Gabby as her baby. She had Gabby laying in her bed, covered up with a blanket, and gave her a stuffed animal.
I wanted to be able to shop for goodie bag items this week, but we haven't heard back from a lot of kids Kailani invited to her party. The RSVP date is the 19th, so we'll have to wait a little longer before we buy things. So far there are about 4 kids from daycare and 4-6 kids from the playgroup (plus Makenzi and Jaylynn), so we'll have about 12 kids. Some also have siblings that will come. But...we're paying for up to 25 kids so I hope more come.
We sold the extra carseat base today. Over the last few days I've sold several of the baby things we no longer use. I posted a few new things on Craigslist in addition to some things I've posted several times. If the items do not sell this time, I will just call AmVets and have them come pick up our donation. I'm looking forward to getting the things out of the garage.
Zachary is walking around everywhere. He is such a happy boy. He is really into the pets right now. He loves the "kitties" and can even say "kitty" in sign language and in baby talk. Gabby will let him lay with her for a while, but Rosey and Maddie don't really want anything to do with him. Zachary also loves to feed the fish. He doesn't quite understand what a "pinch" is, so unless we want to fish to over eat, I have to hand him one flake at a time. He gets all excited when he puts it in the tank. He loves to help get the mail too. He takes the mail key off the key rack and carries it to the mailbox for me. When we get home he hangs it back on the key rack and then gets all excited that he hung it up. He's so much fun right now.

Cow Appreciation Day

This morning we headed to the park in Eastlake to get some energy out before having lunch. We met up with Becky and the kids and one of the girls I work with and her son. The park had a water play area so the kids got soaked. They had a lot of fun though.

Today was cow appreciation day at Chick-fil-A and anyone who dressed like a cow got a free meal. So after the park, we headed out for lunch. I made shirts for the kids. They wore ears and tails too. I wanted to make myself a shirt, but didn't get a chance to. Next year I'll have to come up with something different...it took a long time to color the spots in with a permanent marker.After lunch, Zachary got another hair cut. Boys sure do need more haircuts than girls:) He cried for this haircut, but he looks so grown up. They had really good sales at the mall, so Kailani got a bunch of new clothes:)

Preparing for Cow Day

Today we hosted a meetup at the park to prepare for Chick-fil-A's Cow Appreciation Day on Friday. Everyone who shows up on Friday dressed as a cow, gets a free meal. We met at the park and brought lots of supplies to create cow costumes. I got plain white t-shirts for the kids and drew black spots with a permanent marker. They're also going to wear black shorts. I plan to make ears and a tail for each of them to wear too. I think I might even decorate a shirt for myself so we can go as a cow family. We're meeting some people from the meetup group for lunch on Friday dressed as cows. I've also invited one of the girls from work...it should be fun. There's a photo contest too, so hopefully we get some good pictures:)

A wormy good time

Today we had a "wormy good time" meetup with the military moms group. We had "worm" dogs and "worms" and cheese. For dessert, the kids made worms in dirt cups. The kids went swimming and jumped on the trampoline. Even Zachary enjoyed eating dirt:)

Red, white, and boom celebration

Tonight we celebrated the 4th of July at Legoland for the Red, White, and Boom Celebration. It wasn't really warm, but the kids wanted to start out in the waterpark. We stayed there for as long as we could stand the cold water! Then we headed back out into the park. Our plan was to choose our spot early and get some hot chocolate. First, the kids wanted to go on the boat ride though. While on the boat ride, Kailani said, "I love Legoland...we get to see fireworks and have hot chocolate." The other families on the boat thought that was cute. After the ride we were on the search for a prime fireworks viewing location. We got good seats for the fireworks and the show was nice. It took a long time to get out of the parking lot because everyone was trying to leave at the same time. I thought we did good by parking at the end of the last row...unfortunately, this was the row they sent everyone out to head to the exit. We had a good time though.

Happy 4th of July

Park play and "splash"

This morning we met one of Kailani's KinderCare friends at the park to play. We went to Heritage Park, which has a small lake with ducks. We brought some extra bread to feed the ducks. Kailani got a little close to the edge while feeding the ducks and went "splash" in the water. Luckily we keep a change of clothes and shoes in the car. Unfortunately, she fell in with her new sneakers. I'll have to figure out how to get them clean again.
Another little friend from Kailani's daycare happened to show up at the park too. Kailani, Katherine, and Jack played together for a long while...running around the playground and then rolling down the hill. When we left, Jack asked if Kailani was going to Chick-fil-A tonight. We've seen him there a few times for Tuesday night kids' night.
We're probably going to meet up with Katherine again sometime next week. They invited us to come go swimming at one of the pools in their development.

4th of July meetup celebration

Today we celebrated the 4th of July with our meetup group potluck style. We made sloppy Joes to share. The kids got to decorate star-shaped cookies. Even Zachary enjoyed one:)

Kids say the funniest things

This morning Zachary was getting into the bathroom cabinets and I made a comment about how he gets into everything. Kailani's response..."Well, you shouldn't have had a baby then!" I'm not sure where she comes up with these things.