Clean Bill of Health

Today we took Jack to see his pediatrician for a follow up exam. He came through with flying colors! According to the doctor we shouldn't baby him or treat him any differently than we normally would. When we asked if it was still OK for us to take him to Disneyland next week he said absolutely. "If he throws up it'll be because of the ride, not the accident. He's totally fine." We still can hardly believe how blessed we are.

Tonight we will be sticking close to home. I have boeuf bourguinon in the oven and Moet & Chandon in the refrigerator. Even in the pre-Jack era, we prefered staying home, cuddling on the couch with a good movie instead of going out to to deal with crowded dance floors and drunken mobs.

We hope the New Year brings you health, prosperity and happiness! Honestly, this year was so fabulous, it'll be hard to top.
Happy New Year!

Strawberry Goatee

It's not blood!! Today on the way back from the park Mommy gave me some strawberry snacks. They were yummy! I got them on my cheeks, chin, mouth, lips, nose and hands. Mommy and Daddy thought it was cute. They said so long as I'm healthy I can get as messy as I want! Bring on the mud!

Grace of God

Let me begin by saying that Jack is OK. Our family suffered the scare of a lifetime last Sunday when Jack managed to squeeze through the bannister railing at Grandma's house and fall 10 - 12 feet down onto stairs and a hardwood floor. Grandpa and Daddy had just installed a permanent gate at the top of the staircase to keep our little adventurer from going up and down without an adult. Unfortunately, it allowed us all to let our guard down, thinking we had created a more safe environment for him. As it turns out, the bannister spindles near the stairs are spaced a bit wider than the others. Jack recognized this and squeezed through, trying to bypass the gate. Since we did not actually see the events unfold, we can only speculate about what actually happened. But it appears as if he fell about 10 feet down, landing on one of the lowest stairs on his left shoulder blade and then falling forward one or two stairs to rest face first on the hardwood floor. The events from that moment until we got to the hospital flash by in freeze frame fashion. We remember racing to the landing, then being on the floor next to him, then upstairs with him on the bed, then in the car driving to the emergency room. The wonderful nurses and doctors at Little Company of Mary took us in instantly. He was given an IV, neck collar and then off for CAT scans and x-rays of every part of his body. Here is the point at which we realized that we had been involved in a miracle. He is fine. Doctors could find NO evidence of ANY broken bones or internal injuries. No brain injury, no neck fractures, no damage to any organs, no internal bleeding, no dislocated joints, not even a cracked rib! The only injuries he sustained were a few bruises on his forehead, back and shoulder and a good sized abrasion on his left shoulder blade. Dr. Carr's diagnosis was "a miracle." We ask that you join us in praying for God to keep Jack free of any negative effects from this terrible accident and thanking Him for working such an amazing miracle for us. We are confident that His hand broke Jack's fall and His arms carried us all through to safety.

We had planned on returning from our Christmas travels and posting about our lovely dinner with family and my dad's surprise 65th birthday party. Instead, we returned home with a Christmas miracle. Our hearts and heads have never been more clear about the joys of the season. We hope you are all having safe and memorable holidays.

Christmas Vacation

That is a warm peanut butter cookie with a melty chocolate kiss. Thanks to The Ruffin's for sharing some Christmas cheer...Jack loved it! His face was covered in chocolate.

We are having a quiet Christmas Eve at our house tonight. Watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and waiting for Santa to drop in. Jack had his best nap ever, just to make sure he was on the nice list. We hope you all have a wonderful evening and a merry Christmas tomorrow. Give each other a hug for us.

Check-out Lady

Dear Grocery Store Check-out Lady,
Thank you for your brilliant parenting tips today. There is nothing more helpful to a stressed-out mother than having you explain the naptime, lunchtime, shopping time cycle while a wailing two year old screams in the shopping cart. Your diatribe regarding how YOU managed your children when they were little (in order to avoid scenarios like mine) was both insightful and inspiring. I hope to one day be a perfect mom like you and raise perfect children who never cry due to teething, feeling ill, or just plain being cranky. Perhaps your position in the express lane is not your calling. Have you considered a daytime show like Dr. Phil? Maybe until the networks call you can just scan and bag my 15 lousy items QUICKLY, so that I may get home sooner. Thanks.

Christmas Tree Lane

Last night Rob and I took Jack to Christmas Tree Lane to see all of the houses decked out for the holidays. It was a first for both Jack and Rob! The displays were excellent. We saw many Santas, "no" men (as Jack calls them), penguins and reindeer. One house even had two electric trains set up in an elaborate snow town. There were lights, garlands, wreaths, trees and more lights. There were carolers singing in Spanish, nativity scenes with life-sized camels and more than one inflatable Grinch:-) Jack was amazed, thrilled and totally delighted. He was adorable bundled up in his hat, mittens and parka. We all had a wonderful time and I believe we started a new family tradition.

Duct Tape

For those of you who are fans of duct tape...yet another use for it. If your two year old is angry that you are making him take a nap, and he strips down naked to get even...duct tape the diaper on with the seam in the back. He'll get pretty mad, but he won't pee on the sheets:-)

Spirit of the Holidays

Gracie still wants to be an only child. She continues to be standoffish toward Jack. (Except for when he is eating, in which case she puts on her cutest puppy ears and patiently waits for him to drop a scrap.) Don't get me wrong, Gracie isn't hostile or aggressive, she just is the only Lab in America who doesn't have time for children.

Well, in the spirit of Christmas, she allowed Jack to cuddle with her on the couch this morning. There they are, like three peas in a pod. For a brief moment in time she thawed her icy demeanor and allowed a little love in. Maybe there is hope for our puppy Grinch to love her buddy Jack.

On the Chart!

Today, Jack had his 2 year old check-up with Dr. Chronis. The exciting news? He's on the chart! He weighs 25 lbs. and is 34 inches tall. He actually landed in the 15%-ile for both height and weight! This is a major accomplishment for the child who has always landed at about the zero %-ile! I told the doctor that I sent him to Grandma Laura's for a couple days to fatten him up especially for this appointment! Maybe it was the cookies and homemade mac last night that did it. Otherwise, he is perfect (like we needed an M.D. to tell us that!) He's using 2 syllable/ 2 word combinations and having tantrums right on schedule. He did need two shots, but he was pretty good. He quit crying before we left the building. The bad news of the day? His new napping habit, or lack of napping habit? "Well, that's just him. Sorry." That was not the Christmas present I was hoping for from him.

Birthday Boy

Jack celebrated his big second birthday yesterday! First he slept in his big boy bed overnight (all night). When we heard him up moving around in the morning, Rob grabbed the flip video and I grabbed his first gift. We entered singing Happy Birthday. He was a little sleepy and confused at first, but when he saw the present he decided it was all good. He opened his new dinotoys, dinoshirt and dino jacket. After a yummy birthday breakfast he set off to Karen's with a plate of dinocookies to share with his friends. Not a bad way to start the day! In the evening he had homemade mac 'n cheese with hot dogs for dinner. However, his favorite part of dinner was eating Mommy's cucumber slices off the salad..."More, more." Well, it was his birthday, who am I to deny him cucumber slices!

After dinner it was cake time. I made a yummy vanilla cake for him and stood

his dinocookies up on it.

He was thrilled! He didn't really care about the cake, but he clenched that dinocookie in his fist and gobbled it up. Who knew stegosauruses tasted so good.

After cake he opened a few presents. He got some books, a Lightning McQueen jacket, and more Cars toys.

He is a professional gift unwrapper now, his birthday was good training for Christmas. After his busy, busy day he fell asleep HARD! All in all, He seems to have had an excellent day. Happy Birthday Little BooBoo.

Email to Santa

Dear Santa,
My parents think I am still a baby so they will probably buy something lame for me for Christmas. I heard them talking about something called a Radio Flyer. I hope it really flies. Anyway, I am really a big boy now and I would like my own computer. I'd like a nice Sony laptop, or maybe a Mac book like Daddy. I'm sorry about all those melt downs lately, thank you for understanding.
Yours truly,
Jack

Countdown to Christmas

The last two weeks have flashed by! Last weekend we got our Christmas tree. We tried to get it on Sunday morning, but Jack melted down in Target, so we headed home. We figured we'd go after his nap. No nap (again), but we went Sunday evening to Big Wave Dave's. Of course, he loved the little red sports car way more than the trees! We managed to get a tree anyway. It took us about three days to finish decorating it, but it really looks pretty. You'd never know we used only plastic ornaments for the lower 4 feet! And we replaced our old lights with new LEDs. Looks great and uses far less energy, nice!
On Monday (after 2 days with NO NAP) I decided to take Jack with our friends Junia and Eden to a great indoor kids playground. Two-story kids climbing area, completely padded and enclosed. Slides, bounce house, play houses, tricyles, ball pit...awesome! He had so much fun playing for nearly 3 hours! Took him home, lunch and...still no nap! You've gotta be kidding me!
On Tuesday we walked to the park where he played for about an hour. Finally, he napped that afternoon. He thinks he is such a big boy, but this refusal to nap is a nightmare for us all. He gets crabby, which makes Mommy crabby, which makes Daddy crabby...you get the picture. So if you are the praying type, pray for sleep at our house:-)

So you don't think he is all 2 year old temper tantrums, here's a cute photo of him ready for our evening outing to see the neighborhood Christmas displays. Our next door neighbors have an inflatable Santa that Jack loves. He says, "San Clau..HO HO HO!" Too cute!

He puts on his ski parka from last winter and his little knit ski cap. When he saw me wear my knit cap the other night, he thought it was so cool that he wore his for almost two straight days! It's nice to know someone thinks I'm cool. I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

Other than that, we have been enjoying fires in the fireplace for the last few nights. Daddy is an excellent fire builder! In his absence last night (late work evening) Jack insisted I build a fire. I went out to the wood pile, loaded my arms with logs and returned to the back door to hear...click! Jack learned how to lock the sliding glass door-with me outside in the rain! After checking all the other doors and spending about 10 minutes trying to get Jack to unlock the door I finally climbed in through the doggie door! Thank goodness we have a big dog!

It is always an adventure!

Lights Alive

We have had fun this weekend getting the front of the house decorated for Christmas. First Rob got all the new LED lights installed along the eaves. Jack was so impressed with them that we decided to kick it up a notch. We headed over to Lowe's where they sell every lawn Christmas character that you can dream up...snowmen, elves, golfing Santa, even a pig with wings! We decided on Snoopy with a Christmas tree. Jack loves Charlie Brown, so this one was easy. Since our olive tree has become pretty big, so we decided to string it with lights and add some plastic colored balls. Jack was a great helper with the tree today. We practiced colors, "Give Mommy the blue ball." And he climbed the ladder under me. Once it finally got dark enough we headed out to check out our work. The house looks great! In fact, our block is starting to look pretty good too. Two homes to our east are also decorated. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Giving Thanks

What a wonderful Thanksgiving. Rob, Jack and I had a wonderful, relaxing day together. It was looking a little questionable on Wednesday night when the thermostat on the oven went out while I was neck deep in pies. This is the second year we've experienced this SNAFU. Our neighbors, Sarah and Davis, gave us the key to their house while they are in San Diego in case we needed to borrow an oven or two. I was able to trick the oven into working and we filled our house with the wonderful fragrance of roasting turkey and all the trimmings. Jack joined us at the table this year. He liked the turkey and LOVED the cranberry sauce! He even got his first taste of little marshmallows on top of the sweet potatoes. We had a delicious meal and then watched a few movies. I don't think Kung Fu Panda is related to Thanksgiving, but Jack enjoyed it. When it was finally pie time, Jack helped Mommy whip the cream and then we dug in. He prefers pecan, just like Mommy!

P.S. Here's the Thanksgiving photo that never seems to make it into the album! HA! It was worth it.

San Diego Fun

San Diego is a very exciting town. We tagged along on Daddy's business trip, so he wouldn't have all the fun without us. It was a little crazy Saturday. We arrived around 4:00 p.m., but our room wasn't ready. Daddy led a tour of the facilities, including the gym and the pool, but our room STILL wasn't ready! Miraculously at 5:00 p.m., Daddy explained to the man behind the counter how there WAS a room available and we got a key! Daddy can be very persuasive. I wonder if my screaming in the lobby had anything to do with it.


On Sunday we met Grandpa Nick and Tutu for lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. It was great to see them. I held their hands and walked all over the mall with them after lunch. Grandpa Nick even taught me how to ride the escalator (over and over and over...). It was a beautiful day, and we were so glad to spend it with them.

Finally, on Monday, Mommy and I went to Sea World. I did NOT like sitting still for the shows. I prefered climbing up and down the stairs (more work than those escalators!). But I did like viewing the sharks, penguins, polar bears, seals and beluga whales. Without a doubt, the very best part of the day was when we watched the orcas swim in their big pool! I pressed against the glass and they swam right up to me! It was amazing! I even brought home a stuffed Shamu to cuddle with.

It was a very exciting trip, but it's always nice to be home.

Week In Review

I feel like I say this every week, but...Man, were we busy!
First we bought a new microwave oven. Jack did not care so much about the microwave, so long as his bottle is warm he doesn't really care how it got that way. But he loved the box. He and Gracie played in that thing for about 30 minutes, long enough for me to make dinner:-)

Speaking of dinner, Jack decided he really liked to play "dog" and eat dinner out of Gracie's bowl. Although I was completely grossed out, I think it is building his immune system. Everyone in his daycare had stomach flu, including Karen, but not Jack! Coincidence?

Then on Tuesday night, Troy, Nikki and Max came up to Ventura for the evening. Mark, Julie and Everett came over to watch the boys while the four of us went to Cafe Fiore for dinner. We had such a wonderful time...I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard. They brought Jack a cute new T-shirt with comic book characters on it. He loved it so much that he decided to wear it over his pjs the next morning.

We had family picture day on Wednesday in Santa Barbara. The park was beautiful, even if it was a bit cloudy. It had a gorgeous pond with ducks and turtles, lush gardens, little wooden bridges crossing trickling streams. What a lovely setting. Unfortunately, Jack wanted NOTHING to do with the camera! Our little ham refused to make eye contact with the photographer. We could not believe it. We tried everything! We jumped and danced like maniacs, we had other people jump and dance like maniacs, we tickled him, made goofy faces, everything. When we finally left the photographer said to wait before we paid her. "I don't know if we even got anything. I'll take a look and let you know." Well folks, that was three days ago and we haven't heard anything yet. Last year she emailed us a preview the next morning. Hmmm. We'll see.

Today we are off to San Diego for the weekend. Rob has to be there on business, so Jack and I are tagging along for the ride. We will hang out by the pool a little and hopefully visit Sea World for the first time on Monday. Stay posted for our mini-vacation posting soon.

Sorry, No Photos

Every morning I wake up thinking, "Lord, I don't have quite enough to do today. Will you please find some way for me to occupy my day?" And the Lord always abides. Today was no exception.

The morning moved along as a typical Tuesday would: breakfast, coffee, get us dressed, start some laundry, light chores, go on a walk with Lorena, reutrn home for lunch, etc. Well, this evening Jack and I will be going to Santa Barbara to watch Rob compete in the bocce semi-finals at Arnoldi's. Seeing how it is a bath night, I decided to give Jack his bath after lunch instead. He was having a grand time until...there in the tub beside him was--a poo. In fact, a few! DRATS! Well, not the end of the world, after all, it does happen. I was at least mightily grateful not to be in the tub with him this time. So I lifted him out onto the tile, scooped out the offending objects, drained the water, moved the toys to the sink for a nice bleach soak, and grabbed the Soft Soap and a scouring pad. As I was climbing into the tub to do some toxic clean-up, I notice that Jack had opened the bathroom door and was standing in the hall, peeing on the hard wood floors. Well, I'd hate for him to slip in that, so I got a towel, mopped it up, and resumed haz-mat duties in the tub. At this point, I was not concerned about him running around the house without a diaper because, frankly, what more could he do? Funny you should ask! He walked back into the bathroom about two minutes later carrying a flashlight covered in poo (no dangling participle, both he and the flashlight were covered in poo). Knowing I had already flushed the poo down the toilet, I was immediately horrified to think that I would spend the afternoon playing "Find the Other Poo". Since the flashlight is usually beside my nightstand, I decided to start there. Low and behold, a lone poo was waiting there, along with a bit more pee, inches from my brand new laptop. Again, I was mightily grateful, it wasn't ON my brand new laptop. Well folks, I ran a new tub, finished Jack's bath (because by then he REALLY needed one) and put him down for a nap. After starting one more load of laundry and making friends with Resolve carpet cleaner, I had to write this blog. I know when he is off to college one day and I sit in my empty nest, this will be one of those memories I cherish. Right now, not so much.

Healthy Breakfast?

100% whole wheat toast with Nutella. Healthy? Only if you eat the toast:-(

More Dino Treats

It did not take long for Jack to figure out the whole trick-or-treat thing. "I get candy? Candy is good. I get more candy if I wear the hat? OK. Let's go to the next house now." I must admit I am still impressed with how cute he was last night.

Dino Treats

We had great sucess this evening getting Jack to embrace his inner dinosaur! Let's say expectations were set to VERY LOW, but as you can see he pulled through in fine fashion! We took the advice of our daycare goddess, Karen, who said, "Just put it on him. Don't give him a choice. Just do it and be done." Ladies and gentlemen, this is not her first rodeo. It worked like a dream. We got him dressed with only minor whimpering, we ignored his tantrum and took him outside. When he saw the other kids in costume, he got a little warmed up. When he saw them carrying pumpkin buckets (like his) he got a little warmer. Finally, he had a bucket of treats in one hand, candy in the other, and he couldn't even protest when I slipped the hat on his head. He got so much positive attention that he ended up wearing the hat for over an hour and the rest of the costume for about 3 hours. He was so adorable I could barely stand it! It was such a great evening for us all that I even ignored the fact that all he would eat for dinner was Nerds candy and his sippy cup of milk! After his bath and a serious teeth brushing, we tucked him in bed with his new favorite book...Christmas story! He could get used to the holiday season!

JACK-O-Lanterns

Jack got to help with carving Jack-o-lanterns for the first time today. He really had fun reaching in to the pumpkin to pull out "guts". He was in there all the way to his armpit, having a great time as Daddy's helper. When he was finished, we carved the pumpkins and roasted the seeds. We hope to have a wonderful time trick-or-treating with our little dinosaur later tonight. Happy Halloween.

Tee Time!

Jack and Grandpa Nick had an early tee time this morning. Gracie wanted a piece of the action, too.

Sushi Anyone?

Daddy doesn't like sushi, so while he played bocce tonight (and celebrated Uncle Rob's birthday with dinner at Arnoldi's) Mommy and Jack had sushi! Well, Jack had steak teriyaki, but he tried using chopsticks for the first time. He thought that if Mommy could do it, then so could he. After a bit of practice, he managed to stab a few carrots and eat them. He also loved dipping his steak in a bit of soy sauce. Mommy might have a sushi partner after all.

Unhappy Dinosaur

Jack wants to cancel Halloween this year. He wore the hood of his dinosaur costume for a total of 30 seconds (if you count all 5 times) and you can see from the video how much he enjoyed trying on the bodysuit. What I didn't get on video was his collapse into tears when he saw himself in the mirror. Oh boy...it's going to be a rough Halloween this year.

Last year I had very low expectations about his reaction to his costume, but he LOVED it. We had to literally peel that lion costume off of his sweaty little body. Well, I guess I thought he'd be excited again this year. Not so much. He doesn't care how many hours I spent making it or how adorable it looks on him. Never mind the fact that he is totally enamoured with dinosaurs and walks around the house ROARING all the time. He has dinosaur pjs, dinosaur books, dinosaur toys and even a dinosaur helium balloon. Apparently that doesn't mean he wants to look like a dinosaur. Maybe when Grandpa Nick and TuTu are here he will change his mind. He will either be a smilasaurus or tyrannasaurus-mess. I'll post photos either way.

Boys' Friday

Jack and Rob had their first Friday together since August. It was some long overdue Father & Son bonding time. They had a fabulous time together. They went to Target for a new gadget and played on the children's playground at the mall. Then they came home and played in the backyard with Gracie. After lunch, Rob put Jack down for a nap, but he was having too much fun to sleep. He played in his crib for two hours before Rob decided to get him up and head to Fry's. When he got him from his crib, Jack had managed to remove his sleep sack and then put it back on, inside out AND backwards! What a crack up! As soon as Rob got off the freeway to go to Fry's, Jack was out like a light in his carseat, so much for computer shopping. They turned right around, came home, and Jack is still passed out in his crib, shoes and all. Jack's not quite ready to hang with the big boys yet. Mommy got home from a very long day at work and is ready for her Friday night! Can anyone say, "Margarita?"

Cheese!

Jack got Rob's love of cheese. He has eaten two cheese sticks for breakfast today. Luckily, it's not a daily occurance. Thankfully, he also likes grapes.

Pumpkin Patch

'Tis the season for ghosts, skeletons, witches and JACK O'Lanterns. So today, after watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," we took a trip to our local pumpkin patch to check it all out. It was funny to think that when we went last year Jack couldn't even walk around the place and this year he was pulling the pumpkins in a wagon, carrying small pumpkins, and running through rows upon rows of pumpkins. The only thing that slowed him down was the display of very scary ghosts complete with eerie music. Frankly, it freaked me out a little too. He played in the haunted house with Daddy and climbed the haystacks for a few photos. It was a very fun morning. We left with three perfect pumpkins. In a few weeks we'll get to see how he likes carving them up, too. We placed them next to his ghost on the front steps for now. He's really liking this Halloween thing!

Jack To Go

Jack does not like when Daddy goes out of town on business! He's a pretty smart cookie. He's already planning how to stow away on the next business trip. He's just the right size for a carry-on! "Anything to declare?" Well, as a matter of fact..."

So, obviously Rob made it home safe and sound. We were all thrilled to see him. He even went into work late on Wednesday morning so he could spend a couple hours with us. We got to have some family time in bed and breakfast together too. Then it was back to the salt mines...board meeting yesterday and late night tonight too. Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday. I think he's only had 2 days off in the last three weeks. Saturday can't come soon enough.

Italian Wedding Soup

Jack's new favorite food? Italian Wedding Soup. Tiny meatballs, pasta and kale in chicken broth. Yummy! I'm not kidding about how much he loves it. Tonight he started out eating it with a spoon, shifted to his hands and then finally sucked it straight out of the bowl. It was the bowl to lip maneuver that made the biggest mess! Thankfully it was bath night, so he went directly to the tub and came out squeaky clean!

On an unrelated note, I can't wait to see the look on Jack's face tomorrow when Daddy gets him up in the morning! Rob has been gone almost a week, but will be getting home late tonight. Jack will probably flip out with joy! I'll try to catch it on video!

Baby Max

Jack and Mommy went down to the South Bay last night to visit family. We started at Grandpa Phil's restaurant where we got to see Zia Andria, Uncle Phil, Grandpa Phil, Auntie Nikki and baby Max. Uncle Phil made yummy mostacciolli with butter and cheese and Grandpa made pizza with pesto sauce. It was all very tasty. Jack got to run around the place like he owns it...oh, he does! He got to watch football in the kitchen and do high fives and knuckles with Uncle Phil and Grandpa...too much testosterone for Mommy! Jack even gave baby Max his first kiss ever! Their relationship seems to be improving. I guess Jack is finally resigned to the idea that Max is going to be around for a long time, so he'd better make the best of it.

After dinner, we went to Grandma Laura and Pa's house. Jack had his bath, a bottle, and had some quick hugs for everyone before he went to sleep. This morning, Nikki brought Max over before she went to work, so we got to play together for several hours before we came home. The cousins laid on the play mat together and Jack even shared is new wind-up frog toy with Max. Max was so full of smiles and laughs for his crazy Auntie. Peek-a-boo never gets old, does it? Sorry the photo with the boys and me is overexposed, but Jack only sat still for one frame, so we had to take what we could get. That was also the last shot of me in that sweatshirt. Soon after, I gave Max his bottle. When I burped him he spit up all over, but being a smart, veteran Mom I had a rag on my shoulder..HA, outwitted him! Then I put him down for his morning nap, but he fussed and cried, so I went to check on him. His blanket wasn't swaddled very well, so I picked him up to adjust it and...KAPOW! Projectile all over my shoulder! HA! Looks like he got the last laugh on me. I swaddled him up again and he dozed peacefully off to dreamland. Oh well, spit happens! It was a quick trip, but I got some good cuddle time in with my nephew, so it was well worth it.

Busy Weekend

Since I had Friday off it already feels like I've had a full weekend and today is only Sunday! Friday, of course, we went to the zoo and then had dinner at my friend Lorena's house...homemade chile relleno!! Yesterday we went to a baby shower for our friend Jenny. She has twin boys (18 months old) and is due with her third boy next month! After 7 years of infertility she and her husband never dreamed this would happen, but what an amazing blessing! They are such wonderful people, great parents. We had a great time, lovely lunch and a perfect fall afternoon for a patio party. Last night, Diane came over and we made shrimp curry. Jack had so much fun playing with Diane and his new dinosaur balloon. He loved being the center of attention. Diane is a 6th grade teacher at my school and it was fun to watch her play with Jack. It must be a teacher thing, but she talks to him just like I do, "Where is Dino's eye? What color is his eye? Is it green?" Everything is a teachable moment!

This morning we are going to go to church and them head to Redondo Beach for a little overnight at Grandma Laura's. It has been far too long since we have seen Grandpa Phil, so we will be going to the restaurant tonight. Sunday night at the restaurant is great because we get to see Zia Andria, Uncle Phil, Auntie Nikki and Cousin Max, too. Looking forward to keeping the weekend rolling!

Roar!!

Jack and I took a drive up the coast this morning to meet Jenny and her adorable twin boys for some fun at the Santa Barbara Zoo. It was a typical glorious day in Santa Barbara. Fortunately, it was not scorching hot yet either. We got very good views of the penguins, elephants, flamingoes, gorillas, meerkats and lions. Jack was especially thrilled with the lions! We saw both the male and female sunning themselves on a huge rock in front of the glass. He roared proudly to everyone who came up for a look and we finally had to coerce him to
say,"Bye-Bye Lions!" and leave them behind. Not to worry though, he found a toy lion in the gift shop that he just couldn't live without. We had a peanut butter sandwich in the shade and then played "get" with the twins up near the new condor exhibit. It was a wonderful day. We are so lucky to live in Paradise :-)