Fall Traditions

Happy 1st day of Fall!!! 

What I love most about fall is all the traditions we've established as a family. The familiarity of visiting pumpkin patches and corn mazes and harvest festivals, no matter where we're living, each and every year, just gives me all the warm and fuzzies. Throw in some cooler weather and baked apple goods and I'm a happy girl.

This year we won't be able to attend Mickey's Halloween Party, which is a bummer because nothing says fall like the Haunted Mansion done up Nightmare before Christmas style. To compensate I found a few other local activities to take its place. The kids may wind up loving
Thomas the Train's Halloween Party even more than Mickeys anyway. Winchester Mystery House is something Joe and I have wanted to do ever since we moved here, and somehow, even though we only live a few miles away we never seem to make it over there.

Also on our list is a mini honeymoon. We may or may not get around to a bigger one next year but for now I'm very excited to do a Tahoe getaway with the hubby, sans kids. If we happen to have it timed right to see all the trees change color that would be icing on the cake. 

One more newish tradition that I'm very excited to announce is the 31 Days to Halloween Countdown linkup. Seeing what kind of fall fun you're all up to adds so much to the festivity. Look for a formal announcement next week.

Oh, and spoiler alert: I couldn't help myself and we've already crossed one of these items off the list. For once I'm not procrastinating ;)

What traditions do you most look forward to each fall?

Goodbye Summer 2016

Another amazingly eventful summer comes to an end. I'd even venture so far as to say that this was the best summer ever, because...we got married! Hard to top that. Looking back the beginning of summer feels like so long ago because we crammed so many things into the last three months. Here's the highlight reel of a few of my favorite summer moments, and my official goodbye to summer and, I hope, the heat. I've loved summer, it's birthday season for three out of four of us after all, but bring on sweaters and pumpkin patches and long, cozy nights. I'm ready for you fall!

1. Splash pad fun: I was really hoping to fit in some more visits, but, you know, life.
2. Soccer at Stanford.
3. Motocross at the fair: quite possibly Ez's favorite moment of all time. That look on his face gets me every time. Pure joy.
4. 4th of July: We capped off the day with a hike and ended with fire works at the park.
5. Monster Trucks at the fair: Ez didn't have the same look of joy as he did with motocross, but he did talk about this event longer, so maybe it's a tie for best moment of all time in his three year old life.
6. Girl's trip to Lake Tahoe: my bachelorette weekend was basically a good old fashioned sleepover with some gambling and booze thrown in. Perfection.
7. Birthday weekend in Pinecrest: This was our best birthday getaway yet. I'll probably say that every year, but I'll mean it every year too ;)
8. Declan's 1st birthday: The cake was a letdown, but thumbs up for presents and lots of adoring relatives. I think he enjoyed himself overall.
9. We got married!!! I can't write that without exclamation points. I'm sure the novelty will eventually wear off, but hopefully not anytime soon.
10. Wine tasting in Sonoma with ALL the sisters. Five of us. So. much. FUN.
11. San Francisco day trip. We actually did several of these this summer, and sometimes I still pinch myself that we're close enough to visit this amazing city for the day whenever we want.
12. Berkeley with my sis. Thankfully she enjoys wandering around random campuses just as much as we do. Don't knock it till you've tried it.

I thought a few of these were far fetched, but it turns out we did a pretty good job crossing almost all the items off our list. I deliberately held back on the caricatures because I wanted a wedding themed one instead. We had several wonderful kid-free date nights and I'm hoping to continue that trend into fall. Declan's 1st birthday was a tad bittersweet, but overall the best celebration of my littlest man. Ez did great at his first movie theater experience, and Nemo and Dory continue to be his most beloved characters, as well as Declan's. Getting married is obviously my most favorite item on this list, and part of me still can't believe that after all those weeks of anticipation it's already come and gone in a blur of jitters and excitement and pure happiness. Now we get to settle into the best part of the wedding - marriage. So far it feels a lot like our old life, except now Joe wears a ring too ;)

2015 Fall Bucket List

Truth be told, we started crossing items off this list before I'd actually made a list, so maybe it's technically cheating to include them here. But since I haven't posted about any of those adventures on the blog yet, we'll just let that slide, right? And one more disclosure: this list is pretty darn near identical to last year's fall list, but with Nor Cal items substituted for most of the So Cal stuff. What can I say? I'm a creature of habit. Fall is all about family traditions. We'll save new adventures for Spring and Summer ;)

Happy almost October!

Summer Bucket List: Train Ride

The summer days are dwindling, and we actually had our first bit of cool weather this weekend, but that didn't stop us from squeezing in one more item off our summer bucket list: Ez and Declan's first train ride! I'm talking real trains, not the rides they have at zoos or Disneyland, which Ez has ridden before. 

Bay Area public transportation is so much more convenient than Southern California's and Joe actually takes the train to work now. So on Sunday we took the same train he normally takes every morning and grabbed some breakfast before walking around a wine and art festival. The whole main street was shut down and filled with booths selling jewelry, clothes, paintings, and photos, plus food and alcohol, of course! There was also live music playing, so if we want to really stretch things we can count this as our outdoor concert too, amIright? oh, and I can't forget Ez's favorite part of the festival - a fire truck that he could explore and his very own jr. firefighter badge. He held on tight to that for the rest of the day, and would take mini breaks to just stare at it in silence and awe. 

But back to the train ride. I think Ez's favorite part was the station where he actually got to see the train pulling up. As it got closer he had the biggest smile on his face, and was all tensed up with excitement, but when it stopped in front of us with a loud screeching sound he jumped back and looked ready to hide. So a healthy combo of excitement and fear when it comes to trains. On the ride there he stared out the window the whole time, completely transfixed, but on the way back he was apparently a seasoned pro and more interested in firefighter badges than the train. Declan pretty much had the same attitude toward trains that he has toward cars - it's all good as long as we're moving. As soon as the brakes go on the fussing begins. Impatient little guy.

Summer Bucket List: Caricatures at Disneyland

As you can see, we are slacking on our Summer bucket list. I kept it simple because I knew we'd have our hands full with a newborn and toddler (and I even cheated a little by adding "meet our lil guy" to the bucket list), but then we went and threw a move and all the chaos associated with it into the plans, and everything else fell to the wayside. Not that we haven't been having fun this summer, cause we have! But we've had to adjust and throw in a few So Cal bucket list items before we moved too. 

The LA county fair doesn't start till September, after our move, so we decided to hit up the OC Fair on it's last day, and one of the hottest days of summer. Unfortunately, they didn't do caricatures at that fair, so I made Joe promise we'd squeeze in one last Disney trip as So Cal residents, and get caricatures done in Downtown Disney. 

So, two days before the big move we took a break from packing and headed down to D-land. We hit up the caricatures first thing, before we were all sweaty and well before the nap/meltdown zone. Then Joe balked at the price, insisting it had gone up since last year (which of course it had, because now there are four of us). So, we skipped it and headed into the parks instead. We did something I've never done before, and climbed Tarzan's treehouse. At one point Joe was carrying both Ez and Declan, so that was quite the workout for him. Then we rode the steamboat while I nursed Declan. Afterward it was off to Cars Land, where Ez and I rode Mater's tractors for the first time together (he'd gone before with the grandparents). Of course we had to stop and say hi to our favorite race car, and maybe we might have let Ez pick out one more car to add to his ever-growing collection. We thought for sure Ez would fall asleep at lunch, but he didn't. So we headed for the car, thinking he'd fall asleep on the way there, but he didn't. So, since the stars seemed to be aligning, we decided to go for the caricature after all. Of course, Ez chose that moment for a mini-meltdown, but we managed to calm him down by letting him watch videos of himself while he and Joe got their pics drawn. My lil egomaniac. Afterward Declan and I went, and Declan opened his eyes just long enough for the artist to draw them before he promptly fell asleep. Somehow it all worked out, and I love the results. 

We first got our caricatures drawn at the LA fair two years ago, when Ez was only 3-4 months old. Now it's become somewhat of a tradition, and I'm so happy we have one with Declan as a baby too. I also love how distinct each artist's style is, and how different all three portraits look.

There's still about three weeks of summer left and we live a mile from the train station, so I know which item we're crossing off the list next! Anyone else still working on their summer bucket lists, or has everyone moved onto fall already? I'm already brainstorming all the fun Halloween stuff there is to do in our new hometown.

Summer Bucket List

This summer will be our first season as a family of four! When I imagine our ideal summer I see lots of fun in the sun, but also lots of relaxation and just going with the flow. Normally I'd throw a camping trip or some kind of vacation into the mix, but with a newborn that may be a little ambitious. Instead I'm seeing lots of time in the backyard splashing in the water table or running through the sprinklers. Plenty of beach days and picnics. Ice cream dates and way too much strawberry shortcake. Family movie nights and Fridays at the farmer's market. Bubbles and evening walks. And, of course, some birthday margaritas!

What's on your agenda this summer? Any family traditions that you're looking forward to? For the past two years we've gotten caricatures drawn at the state fair, and I'm so excited to get our first one with all four of us.

And just for fun, here's a look back at how we did with last year's summer bucket list. Spoiler alert: plenty of margaritas made an appearance ;)

Spring Bucket List Review

I know it's technically not Summer yet, but it already feels like it. And since I made a short and simple Spring Bucket List, we were actually able to complete it all with a few weeks to spare. I'm already looking forward to putting margaritas on my Summer Bucket List. Not gonna lie, I've missed those a LOT this pregnancy! Here's a little lookback at all our Spring adventures:

• We've actually managed to go to Disneyland four times since March (You can see all our Disney fun here.) Each time we go, we marvel that we'll probably be a family of 4 on our next trip, but then we manage to squeeze one more pre-baby trip in. Who knows if the most recent trip is the last one, or if we'll cram one or two more in??
• Ez dyed Easter eggs for the first time this year, and he loved it! Especially the part where he threw one across the patio and it shattered. Last year Ez wasn't even walking, so this was also his first year participating in not one, but three Easter egg hunts. The first hunt had a soccer ball egg, so he was hooked on egg hunts after that!
• We haven't gone hiking since March, but I'm way too fat pregnant to find that fun right now, so we'll go ahead and cross that off the list. Sidenote: I really admire all the pregnant mamas who are still working out and being super active right up till their due date. All I wanna do is nap. And nest. And eat.
• Somehow Ez and I have managed 4 roadtrips up to Modesto this year. That's 5 hours one way with a toddler, people! Aka approximately 5,763 hours of Mater's Tall Tales and Thomas & Friends. My math might be a little off, but that's what it feels like. My family has also made the trek down here quite a few times, so we've had a good amount of family time already this year. Crazy to think that the next visit will probably be when baby Craig arrives. Eek! (And yes, I know I keep saying that.)
• Joe and I have managed one child-free date night this Spring - a dinner and movie night while my parents took Ez to Disneyland. We saw Avengers 2, which I somehow wound up liking more than Joe. I'm hoping we'll squeeze in one more to see Jurassic World.
• Our last beach trip was in March, but that's definitely going on our Summer Bucket List too, especially since Ez finally decided he loves the ocean. Before that he mainly preferred digging in the sand.
• This Spring we've gone to San Jose, San Francisco (twice), and San Diego. Most of those were also work trips for Joe, but Ez and I are always happy to tag along for company :)
• About six weeks ago we fit in a quick maternity photo shoot with our friend Amber from RMA Photography. Love the photos and still need to work on getting some framed and up on our walls!

A few other Spring highlights that weren't on our Bucket List (but should've been!):

• Ez's first NBA/Clippers game - in box seats no less!
• Our first visit to Travel Town.
• And, last but not least, my first baby turned 2. <sob> Also, he's definitely acting like a 2 year old, which I'm sure many of you are familiar with as being simultaneously the cutest and most annoying age on the planet. (See all my Toddlerville posts for elaboration.)

We crammed in so many family adventures this Spring, I'm excited to see what Summer's got in store for us. Anyone else making a Summer Bucket List? I always enjoy stealing your guys' ideas ;) So far I'm thinking water balloon fights, water parks, beach, and margaritas... What am I forgetting?

Spring (aka - Pre-Baby) Bucket List

I love bucket lists. Or maybe I just love lists, in general. But bucket lists are basically a fun version of a to-do list, so that makes them my favorite kind of list. This Spring bucket list is extra special, because it's also our last family-of-three bucket list. Since I'm getting into the heavily pregnant stage, I decided to keep our Spring list short and simple. Technically we've already accomplished some of these (hello, Disneyland, hiking, and beach!), but I want to cram in as many more of these trips as possible before it gets too super hot.

You can also check out last year's Holiday Bucket List, Fall Bucket List, and Summer Bucket List - and by the way, I'm super excited to put margaritas back on this Summer's bucket list!

Holiday Bucket List

I'm a little late to the game with this year's Christmas bucket list, since there's only 22 days until Christmas. 22 days, people!! Crazy. We've actually already done a few of these activities, so maybe, just maybe, we'll actually be able to squeeze in all the Christmas fun I'm imagining in my head. Joe and I are so excited to experience Christmas with Ez this year, now that he's mobile and aware of what's going on. He loved all the lights at Disneyland, so it'll be fun to get all bundled up, grab some hot cocoa, and walk around visiting all of our favorite neighborhood lights. I'm also interested to see how the tree fares with a toddler in the house. I'm guessing all the ornaments that I actually want to keep in one piece will go at the top of the tree this year ;)

Goodbye October & Fall Bucket List Update

October was full of so many fun activities, I'm a lil sad to see it go. This wasn't Ez's 1st Halloween, but there were still so many firsts now that he's walking and actually aware of what's going on. We crossed off nearly everything on our Fall Bucket List, and added a few more fun things I hadn't even thought of while making the list. Like brunch at Goofy's Kitchen, which was probably the scariest event of the whole month for Ez. A house full of giant rodents with permanent smiles...it is kinda creepy when you think about it. Lots of family time, lots of Gymboree - which Ez can't get enough of, too much candy (any candy at all is too much for Ez), AND we finally got some fall-like weather and rain. All in all a great month, and I'm looking forward to what November has in store for us. (Hint: lots more family time!)

Fall Bucket List

I'm calling this a Fall bucket list, but let's be honest, it's pretty much just an October bucket list. Halloween seems to get all the spotlight during Fall, but with all these fun activities, I'm ok with that.

This coming Saturday Joe and I are leaving Ezzy with his Grandma Kat so we can go to Dark Harbor at the Queen Mary. We went once, back when I was pregnant, and it was so so soooo fun and scary. A lil tip for you, if you've never been to these types of places: the more scared you look, the more likely you will get chased around by something scary. Last time I literally got chased out of a maze by a creepy ax carrying butcher guy. I didn't even realize they could leave the maze... Scary.

The following weekend Ez and I are going to Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland with my mom. I've never been to the Halloween party, but I love Disneyland when it's all decorated for fall, so I can't wait.

I've already gotten started baking fall treats over the weekend with a batch of maple pumpkin cookies. Delicious! And we visited our first pumpkin patch too, so we're already knee deep in fall activities over here. And judging by the blog world, it looks like we're not the only ones!

Summer: A Look Back in Pictures

We finally got some rain yesterday! And it was nice and gray most of the day. (It was also hot and muggy, but that was still a nice change of pace from scorching and sunny.) With that change of weather, it seems like it's finally the right time to say goodbye to summer. And what a summer it has been! We crammed a lot in. Weekend getaways. Family time. Lots of fun in the sun. Remember at the beginning of summer when Ezzy would only walk while holding onto his little lawn mower walker? Yeah, I hardly do either. Now he's running full force all over the place. Not to mention the major milestone of moving into our first house. Here's a little recap of the highlights:

1. Ezzy's first basketball game: (WNBA - Sparks vs. San Antonio)

2. LA Zoo with Grandma Kat

3., 4., & 5. Father's Day trip to Sequoia National Park: (read more here & here.)

7. Gangy & Grampa's June visit

10. One of many, many, many hiking trips. Back before it got way to hot, we were walking 30,000 - 50,000 steps per weekend!

11. 4th of July! (Ezzy hated the fireworks this year.)

12. Dinosaurs! I think I had more fun than Ezzy at the Natural History Museum.

13., 14., 15., & 16. Bday trip to San Francisco - definitely one of my favorite highlights from the summer.

17., 18., 19., & 20. Ezzy and I visit family in Modesto for a week. So much family, so little time!

22. Moving time! Feels like so long ago, but it's only been a little more than a month.

24. Ezzy's first pony ride. Seriously, he's growing up so fast.

30. Exploring the Griffith Park Observatory - Ez LOVES it there! (Read more here & here.)

31. Splash parks - all summer long! 

32. The fair with Gangy & Grampa.

Also sprinkled in there are lots of park dates, some beach trips, a LOT of wandering around the mall when the weather was too hot (that's where Ez's favorite red convertible resides), and plenty of backyard fun: wading pool, chalk, and giant inflatable balls - a toddler's dream!

You may remember I made a Summer Bucket List back in June. Here's how that turned out:

For Disneyland, I'm including Ezzy's birthday trip way back in May. I'm counting our Sequoia trip in place of Yosemite, because it will take a lot more foresight to plan a Yosemite trip. Maybe next year! Since we live in So Cal, there's still plenty of time for rollerblading, kayaking, and mini golf - not to mention more hiking, beach trips, and water parks (and margaritas & date nights too!). 

How did your Summer turn out? And what's on your Fall bucket list? I'm already thinking about mine...

Summer Bucket List

Technically we can already cross about half these things off the list, since we've recently gone to the beach, hiking, and swimming. (Not to mention a margarita to reward myself for finally going to the dentist a few weeks ago - there may be a piece of logic missing there, but it felt well deserved.) I'm thinking I can cram in a few more margaritas, plus more beach time, swimming, and hiking too. 

I took Ezzy to the local pool for the first time last week and he loved it. The kid section is half a foot to 1.5 feet deep, and it has a bunch of fountains that spray water. At first he just wanted to wade around and steer clear of the fountains, but once he realized he could splash mommy in the face he was obsessed. He kept redirecting the stream of water at me, and then laughing hysterically. Oh. that. kid. I was cracking up too though, his laugh is infectious. And an added bonus was that after an hour of wading he slept like a...baby? I assume that phrase was based on a baby that actually sleeps, and not my child. 

Some of the items on the list, like Yosemite, Disneyland, and San Francisco may take a few summers to complete, but it's a bucket list so I may as well dream big!

Some other less fun stuff that I have to take care of this summer are my teeth. I just got back from getting a root canal, and next up I need the crown plus a few fillings. Thankfully the pain has been relatively minor - unless you count the bill, which is pretty painful in and of itself. Take it from me people, do not wait years to see the dentist! It only gets more expensive the longer you wait.

What's on your bucket list this summer? I love hearing what fun activities everyone has planned :)