Vacation and Child's Play

We have had a whirlwind last few days here in San Diego. Before leaving Salt Lake we purchased the 3 in 1 pass from Costco that allowed you to visit Sea World, San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Kingdom on an unlimited basis for five days straight..... and that is just what we have done. This is one of the reasons that I love travelling with Matt's parents - Colonel Bob keeps us on a strict agenda and he makes sure we see and do everything within a 50 mile radius that is on any "must see" list or AAA brochure. In five days we have managed to visit Sea World twice, the Animal Kingdom twice, the San Diego Zoo, have dinner in Old Town, breakfast with Elmo and Friends, a quick stint at the beach for a picnic and a dip in the ocean, take a quick pit stop to Torrey Pines golf course where the next PGA golf tournament will be held, take a drive through beautiful La Jolla and also take a quick driving tour of the large navy boats in the harbor. Whoa - my fingers hurt just writing all of that. I don't think I could have seen this much of San Diego in such a short time unless I would have gotten my own tour guide - or wait a minute, maybe I did have my own personal tour guide. Bob - I think you have found your retirement calling.

In those few short action packed days the kids have managed to see and do alot. The best thing about days of over stimulation and exhaustion is that they sleep like rocks during the night.

I think Matt's parents have been great sports for the duress that they have been exposed to over the 5 days with us. It has been a really long time since they have had two young boys in tow so I think they have gotten their workouts. Here are some of the things that change while vacationing with a 1 year and 3 year old:

• No longer do you just hop in the car and head to your destination. Instead, there are diaper bags to be packed full of snacks, drinks, diapers, sunscreen, hats, cameras, wipes, sippy cups, bottles and the kitchen sink. Don't forget the double stroller that takes up a third of the trunk space.
• Getting the kids buckled in their respective seats and ready to roll is another fun challenge. Harper is at the age where he likes the idea of procrastinating the buckling in process. He even tries to convince you that he is old enough to sit in the seat with a big boy seat belt. He uses the stalling techniques of "hold on second I need something", "let me look at this real quick", etc. etc. I usually try negotiation with food or toys to lure him in before buckling but I think at times Bob would have rather me cut the negotiation and get the show on the road.
  
• Now add in the magic words for opening and closing the van doors - "Ishkabibble" this and "Ishkabibble" that. God forbid you forget to let Harper "magically" open the doors - the process has to start from scratch and we would be another five minutes.
• Upon arrival, sunscreen has to be applied from head to toe. Our poor kids are almost albino with their translucent white skin and blond hair. We are really good friends with the 50+ sunscreen.
• Once in the gate, it becomes a battle of keeping them in the stroller. Information and stimulation overload plays on their curiosity. They really have a desire to see things from a little higher up. I have to choose wisely of when and where to let Harper run around - mostly thinking - "Do I or someone else have the energy to chase him at this moment in time all over this park".
• About every hour or so, it becomes an alternating "I need a snack", "I am thirsty", "I poo poo'd". Then there is the occasional cart with ice cream or some odd junk toy that they see and require more negotiation or quick running past to avoid spending another $20.
• Then there is the repetitive things that a 3 year old has the desire to do. Like seeing the same things over and over and over or saying the same things over and over and over. I don't think it is a shock to anyone at this point that Harper's favorite color is orange. This trip has only increased the intesity of his orange fetish. Who knew that the majority of the animals in the zoo have at least a hint of orange on their bodies. Maybe the zookeepers don't even know this, but Harper was able to locate any thing that was orange on any animal. When we were in the petting zoo, Harper took a particular liking to one of the deers and I ask him why he liked that one so much - he looked at me like I was crazy and said "he has an orange button on his ear and his mine". Oh excuse me. Speaking of repetitive things - I do have to throw in that I rode the carousel 8 times in a row today. Mostly alternating between Harper riding the tiger and the panda. My head was spinning by the time I was able to coax him off the ride.

To say the least, travelling with the youngsters requires a bit more effort and alot more planning. But, it sure is fun to experience these parks through their eyes. Matt's parents head to LA tomorrow and I am truly going to miss their help. I think we will spend a good portion of our day tomorrow at the pool relaxing - or should I say juggling two kids that don't know how to swim and one that can't walk.... maybe relaxing isn't the right word.

Happy Birthday Little Codge!

A year has surely flown so fast. It only seems like yesterday I was posting a blog of Collier's arrival! Oh "the days are long but the years are short."

To celebrate both Collier's birthday and Mother's Day (which happened to land on the same day this year) we decided to hijack Matt's work conference in beautiful San Diego. We were even able to convince Matt's parents to join us in our trip - so, I am hoping this will be the first of a series of blogs that I will post on our adventures. The first of which, I will dedicate to our little man's 1st birthday.

As a matter of update here are some basic stats:

* Collier has 3 1/2 teeth - two bottom ones and 1 full front tooth with another one noticeably poking through. This makes him slightly resemble Elmer Fudd. With his new teeth he is learning to crunch all kinds of food and occasionally sneaks a chomp on an arm or shoulder when you least it expect it.

* Although not officially walking, he did take his first few steps on his birthday in the hotel. Walking has not stopped him from getting around though. This child has no fear - and doesn't allow walking up right to slow him down. I would love to enter him into a speed crawling contest because nothing less than a cheetah could beat him. Although walking is yet to be perfected, he can climb most anything. You can't even turn your back for a second without him shimmying up some chair or wall. I often wonder if he might have invisible suction cups on his hands and feet. I am attaching a recent video from our bathroom at home. He is much braver and physically astute than the 12 months he has under his belt (or diaper in his case).



* He is officially off the boob and onto the bottle. I managed to accomplish this transition just 2 weeks shy of his first birthday. It was surprisingly a slow and somewhat painless process. Since he was an "all night" nurser, I was sure that it would be closer to his 12th birthday rather than his 1st. As a matter of accomplishment, I can't help but share that over the course of this year I produced well over 14,000 ounces of milk or about 114 gallons. In a matter of dollar signs I saved the Brace household approximately $1250 - given that the average cost of formula. Sadly enough that use to be about the equivalent of my annual shoe budget but those luxuries have gone by the way side.

A year has brought alot of change and a nice window for growth. At 22 lbs currently, he has nearly tripled his birth weight and gone from a vulnerable helpless infant to a strong and vivacious pre-toddler. His activity in my tummy was a very good predictor of his activity level in the real world. Since he has been able to move, he hasn't stopped! On most days, it seems he has the equivalent energy level of a team of work horses. With that energy, he has a smile that is just as big. His playful grin and big eyes seem to light up any room and he makes it a goal to have everyone in sight say something about him. My 3 favorite adjectives for him this year are: playful, energetic and gregarious.

Since we are out of town, we have scheduled his birthday party for May 23rd. But, his big day did not go without celebration. We headed to Old Town San Diego to a very authentic Mexican restaurant where he had one of his favorites – beans and rice. For dessert, he stuck his face in a delicious chocolate dessert and was serenaded by a Mexican singer. It was a great evening that wrapped up a great year for Collier! We are looking forward to many more birthdays and many more years of all the great things he will bring to our lives. Happy Birthday little man!