Wild About Animals

After a fun filled day at Legoland, we decided to mix it up and head to San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park in Escondido. I was so impressed by the Wild Animal Park. The first exhibit we saw were the gorillas and they were so active! I'm not used to animals being on the go and not sleeping the day away. Sophie loved watching them eat and move around... they were just a foot away from her on the other side of the glass window. I knew at that moment we would be coming back to San Diego for another visit to see all the animals again. Another neat thing about this particular zoo are the "Keeper Talks". The animal trainers bring out various animals, educate the audience, and have them "perform" at particular times. We saw Asian elephants (they even walked on a balance beam for the audience) and we also met a serval.

We quickly found the Petting Kraal in the morning. I was thrilled that the animal highlighted was the deer. Given that they are constantly milling around our neighborhood, Sophie is very familiar with them. At this age, I see Sophie really connecting with things she's already experienced or read about. So, it was fun to see her actually be able to pet the deer since she knows exactly what they are. She insisted on petting each and everyone of them before we headed out to the next section.

Sophie is wearing her lions and tigers shirt. It matches the lions exhibit we were viewing. She's tired and ready for a nap but refused to go to sleep!

We rode the Carousel and Sophie's choice was the deer, of course:

After a long day and no nap, we head home for a quick shower before dinner. Sophie cracked me up. She opened the refrigerator and cupboard all by herself, got out cereal and the gallon of milk and was bringing it to us to feed her while we were getting ready. We headed out to a delicious dinner at Crab Catcher in La Jolla Village right after that!

Dinner was perfect. We had the best table in the entire restaurant and Sophie was very prim and proper during the entire meal. Couldn't resist a quick picture of the beautiful view we enjoyed during our meal:

Legoland!

For one of our days in San Diego, we decided to take Sophie to Legoland. I cannot say enough about how impressed I was with this amusement park. It was perfect for Sophie as she really loves Legos and it was well designed for younger kids, plus everyone was so friendly and it was well managed! I'm glad Sophie is 34 inches tall as she was able to go on quite a few rides with us. I'm thinking she's going to continue to love amusement parks when she gets older as she rode a helicopter, airplane, boats, trains, and cars and asked for more!

Okay, Sophie went crazy in the Explore Village section of the park. It is geared towards the younger children and we had a really hard time pulling her away from Playtown. We could have easily stayed just in this section and Sophie would have been in heaven. She climbed up and down everything and left nothing untouched.

Our little monkey climbing up all by herself:

And she's off again, since she couldn't sit still in this section:

You know Sophie is having the time of her life if she's looking at the camera AND smiling:

Sophie and Daddy rode the Sky Patrol way up high:

Sophie and Mommy decided to relax as Sophie maneuvered our Lego boat. She was "driving like a big girl" and loving every minute of it:

I was blown away by the Miniland USA section of the park. There were replicas of U.S. cities completely made by Legos. I can't even imagine how many hours and people it took to make these models and how real they looked:

Sophie was really making us laugh as she was dancing and grooving at the Musical Fountain. It's so endearing to have her in our lives as we smile spontaneously with all her little actions. In order to get the Lego instruments to play, you have to hop up and down on the circles. Sophie was half hopping and half running to every single one of them... back and forth:

Beach Babe

I was looking forward to spending some time at the beach, so Sophie could go crazy in the sand. We spent the late afternoon at La Jolla Cove. David is such a sweet, loving dad with our daughter. She was a trooper and got half way into the FREEZING water with him. I, on the other hand, was perfectly content getting no more than my ankles wet.

Sophie loved the beach. What kid doesn't like to play with toys in the sand? I'm strategizing on when we can take another family vacation to a beach resort this time.

Visit from Ioli!

I was really happy my cousin Ioli graciously drove down from Los Angeles to visit us in San Diego! I hadn't seen her in nearly a year and I also wanted Sophie to see her again. It was so good to catch up with Ioli as we all miss her and wished she lived in Texas!

We agreed the Birch Aquarium at Scripps sounded like a fun activity for the four of us. I must say I was impressed by the exhibits mostly because they had very unusual fish from the Northwest, which I have not seen before. Sophie was intrigued by the scuba diver feeding the fish in the big aquarium and the interactive water ponds outside. Of course, we couldn't have a visit to an aquarium without Sophie's question on "where is Nemo and Dory?". Luckily, we were able to find Nemo's "cousin", so all was well!

Sophie would have gotten into the water with the fish if we would have let her:

In another area, there were some really good fake marine creatures for the kids to enjoy. Sophie had a ball with the starfish. I think she thinks they were are real. She is picking it up so carefully. It's too cute:

Sophie insisted on getting into a shark's open mouth to pose for a picture. Typical Sophie, she decides she doesn't want to look AT the camera once the three of us followed her lead and got in:

After a few hours at Birch, we decided it was time for lunch. It's not a true a vacation if we don't eat every few hours! The four of us headed to La Jolla Village and had an amazing lunch at George's on the Cove. We sat on the rooftop and enjoyed Bloody Mary's, fish tacos, great company and a gorgeous view. Can't wait to see Ioli again. I'm hoping it's at Christmas this year:

Busy in Balboa Park

Our first day in San Diego, David was lucky to get a tee time at Torrey Pines. He was really excited to play a round of golf at the course where the U.S. Open will be held in 2008! So, Sophie and I headed out exploring the town on our own. We left our hotel in La Jolla and I decided we should spend the afternoon visiting Balboa Park. San Diego has quite a few similiarities to Austin - the hills/mountains, laid back atmosphere, and all the natural preserves and parks.

In Balboa Park, we managed to visit the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, the Carousels, ride the Zoo Train and even play in the cool playground all in one afternoon!

I was trying to introduce Sophie to the various educational exhibits covering air, sound, light, etc. and yet she got the biggest kick again out of finding the kid's center and "shopping". She did appease me with briefly trying some of the other exhibits! Such a girl!

Sophie was actually intrigued by the pipes and the sounds they made after I pumped them up:

As soon as Sophie saw the little shopping baskets, the shopping cart and plastic food, she went around collecting and stacking all the baskets together and trying to get as much in her cart as she possibly could. She is trying her hardest to keep everything in the cart without it topping over. It was comical!

Sophie's first real carousel ride! She chose the "horsie" all by herself:

I know it's not apparent with her expression, but Sophie LOVED this leaning, spinning cup! We've never been on one before and she was laughing, leaning her head way back, and totally getting into it. She kept asking for more and more and more. I would feel bad after a while and make her rest. She would stumble around and fall down because she was so dizzy, yet after she dusted herself off she would head straight back. Crazy girl!

So Big, So Fast!

David and I have been looking forward to our own family vacation with Sophie for quite a while! We got up before the crack of dawn on July 20th to fly out to San Diego, California. I cannot go on enough about what a trooper Sophie was during the entire trip! I loved traveling with her!

I thought Sophie would like a little backpack of her very own to match Mommy's & Daddy's on the trip. I just can't believe how big she's gotten so quickly! There's no baby in her at all when I look at this picture! It is really bittersweet! Just as I thought, Sophie was so very proud to be walking around with her Dora backpack. It was cute, the few times she tried to put it on herself, it turned into a front pack as she hasn't mastered swinging it over the back of her arms!

Couldn't stay away

As David and I continue to put our Sea World season pass to VERY good use this summer, we were thrilled to plan a trip with Aunt Kristin, Ethan, Gigi, Grandpa, Uncle Wade, Aunt Jenn, Hannah and Holden.

Sophie is all over what to expect now as she knew the proper pose on feeding the dolphins and was actually following them through the water! It's the best thing to see her grow up and take it all in! She's constantly talking about "dolphins" and "beluga whale". Her vocabulary is just so impressive to me!

All the kids were lucky to get a break from walking and hop on shoulders. Given how hot it was that day, I would have appreciated a rest break from walking, too!

Sugar High

Nothing better for a small child than a day when they eat nothing but desserts and do not take a nap. Mommy and Sophie went to Nicholas' 2nd birthday party this afternoon. Nicholas and Sophie have been buddies from school for well over a year. Fifi (as Nicholas calls her) was in heaven as she got to do a ducky dunk, a bean toss, fish for party favors, and eat, eat, eat. We're glad we went to the party as Mommy enjoyed all the decorations and food as well! It was very impressive!

Very cute cupcakes for the kids - with icing, M&Ms AND a lollipop on top. Look at the smile on Sophie beneath the food and icing:

Sophie's buddies from school. Left to right: Guy, Sophie and Nicholas. If a messy kid is a happy kid, then they are all happy!

Dirty Dinner

It was nice for Ethan and Sophie to spend time together at the end of a work week (half work week for me!). Gigi, Grandpa, Uncle Josh, Aunt Kristin and I decided Ethan and Sophie needed to have dinner together as too much time had passed.

The Brentwood Tavern is perfect for families, since there is music and a playground. Sophie and Ethan spent the majority of time digging in the sand. They were filthy from head to toe and were loving every minute of it! Once sand started getting flung around, the majority being from my daughter, we decided dinner was delicious and it was time for the kids to go home and bathe! I'm so curious to see how Ethan and Sophie will play together as they get older. They seem to tackle and pull at everything, including each other. Good thing Sophie is tough. I love that she has a cousin so close in age.

I insisted that we take a quick snapshot together as we seldom see the adults in pictures anymore!

Houston Weekend

It was well past due for another visit to Houston, so the four us went down this weekend. Yiayia and Papou had planned a special weekend with a trip to the Children's Museum of Houston. I am not an expert on children's museums as I've only been to Austin and Houston now, but I must say I was incredibly impressed by the one in Houston. I loved it! There were so many rooms and so much to do, I know we didn't visit all of the stations/activities. Sophie was too cute cautiously checking out all the activities except for the grocery shopping room and the face painting station, which she jumped right into! We all laughed that Sophie's favorite events are make up and shopping! After the museum, we stopped and had a delicious Greek lunch. I miss not having good Greek restaurants in Austin. My parents and Mary took us out to a really nice Argentinian restaurant for my birthday dinner celebration, which was also delicious. We were all impressed by how well Sophie behaved at a fancy restaurant! After a relaxing Sunday morning, we drove back and went swimming this afternoon. I love living in Austin, but definitely miss the amenities, but not the traffic, of a big city. Til our next visit!

Sophie wanted to put one of every fruit and vegetable in her basket. I can't get over how much she loves organizing... takes after me!














Ah, the make up... Sophie refused for us to wipe it off for hours. She's going to really enjoy Halloween this year! And, it'll be interesting when she's a teenager!














Quick picture of all of us to remember the day!

Fourth with Friends

We topped off our Fourth of July by heading over to the Livengoods for a low-key dinner with a few of their friends. Sophie was in heaven as she snuck FOUR festive chocolate chip cookies! After she crashed from her sugar-high, David took her home and the rest of us watched the fireworks at Zilker Park from their front yard. It was pretty cool as you could see everything. When I tell David this, he will never want to go to Zilker again! After shooting some of our own fireworks, I headed home before work today! What a perfect ending to a great holiday.

Not sure which number cookie this is:

I had to have at least one picture of the family:

I love that we were all dressed up in American colors!

Red, White & Blue

Wade and David woke up bright and early to go play golf at Barton Creek with the rest of the family and friends. Jenn and I took the three kids to the country club for the Fourth of July Parade and Party. We missed the parade as we weren't moving too quickly, but got to enjoy some of the party even though we were an hour and a half late. This was my first year to check it out and I must say I was impressed. It would have been a lot more active (and less muddy!) had it not been raining, so we definitely look forward to making this an annual tradition! Anyone is welcome -- there are clowns, trinkets/toys, food, drinks, games, bounce houses, slippy slides and more!

We stood in line to meet Limpy the Clown and have him shape balloons for each of the kids. He was the BEST balloon-making clown I've ever met. He wasn't strange and he was super nice! I would hire him in a second! Hannah asked for a dog with a ball in his tummy, Holden got some cool game where the balls in the balloon swivel up and down, and Sophie got a ladybug bracelet.

Sophie was a bit anxious about getting her face or arm painted, so we decided it would be fun if Mommy went first. Nothing like a sleeve of red, white and blue flowers!

Okay, this picture cracks me up! Holden is a strong man!

Tried hard to get a picture of the five of us! I think all three kids were tired of the camera by then!

Cramer Fireworks Spectacular

We were thrilled to hear Jenn and Wade were driving through Austin and spending the night at our home with the kids. We rarely get to see them and even having a day visit is nice! We miss getting together with them and their company. I was bummed that the LCCC Fireworks 4th of July Bash was postponed due to the impending weather as it's a FUN time, but we'll look forward to it over Labor Day.

After a casual dinner at home, the "big boys" (aka David and Wade) went to get fireworks and the rest of us played at home. With our own fireworks show off our back porch (the next door neighbors were watching it as well), it was a good time for all!

Sweet Hannah and Sophie:

Nothing better for kids than blowing bubbles, even if it's in the rain:

Everyone participated in putting on the show. Sophie enjoyed watching the lights, sparkles and colors!

About two hours after the 3 kids normal bedtime, they finally admitted they were ready to go to sleep. I just love that Hannah is so kind to Sophie. She read her all of her bedtime books and I was off the hook for the night! Sophie loved Hannah reading to her: