Parker's Got Talent

I have SO many video clips of Parker dancing like a madman! He absolutely loves to put on a record and go crazy. He especially likes loud, noisy, raucous music, which means that he's generally disappointed in my taste in music and that he and Jared get along very well in this respect. On this particular evening, I managed to make us all happy with a little Chuck Berry.

HO HO HO!

Big Splash

Okay, so that wasn't really a very big splash...but Parker thought it was really cool, and that's what counts!

Family in the Fog

Rainy Day Road Trip

Another wonderful rainy day today...we decided that we'd rather sit in the car in the rain than sit in the house in the rain, so we went out exploring. We drove southeast to a dirt and gravel road in the hills near the border (which we found listed in an off-road driving guide Jared has). It was a pretty drive down there once we got off the main freeway and wound through the Jamul area--the rain brought out lots of lovely fall colors. The off-road part of the drive was easy--we wanted to make sure we chose an easy trail since it was raining steadily for most of the day, and we wanted to stay safe. We drove up into the hills and along a ridge for about two hours until we came out the other side right near the Otay Mesa border crossing--we had views right into Mexico from high up on the hill. Halfway through the drive along the dirt road, we passed a Ranger in his truck--he told us we "couldn't have picked a worse day" to be exploring this particular trail, as it was so fogged in that there were no pretty views to enjoy! But we still had a fun adventure bouncing around and splashing through big puddles--those were Parker's favorite parts :)

Last Children's Garden Post of the Day!

Another cool part of the children's garden--a couple of giant logs for climbing on. So cool to have a new outdoor place to explore, where kids are encouraged to play, and where things are a a little more free-form than a traditional park.

And Even More Children's Garden Playtime

More playtime at the garden--romping on dinosaur eggs and dino statues.

More Children's Garden

I think that this is Parker's favorite part of the children's garden--a cool natural sand area filled with big plastic dinosaurs and a big turned-over tree's root system. He loves to position all of the dinosaurs in the tree roots :)

Seeds of Wonder

Thanks to Grammy and Grandpa Mark, we are enjoying our Christmas present early this year--passes to Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas! They have a FANTASTIC children's garden for preschoolers, with so many fun things for kids to do--a playhouse with books and a pretend kitchen, a natural sand pit with dinosaurs, a veggie/herb garden, a model train, blocks, a place for them to pot their own plant, and crafts and story times on different days of the week. There are little trails for kids to explore, funny little plants and pots and fountains and statues, and awesome tree trunks and roots all meant to be climbed on. It's so cool to take Parker there for an hour or so on any given day, making for a great alternative to yet another trip to the park! Here he is showing off the little succulent that he potted himself--and working on his fake smile :)

In The Zone

Watching Caillou and Clifford the Big Red Dog videos on YouTube...I just thought he looked so sweet. I've never seen him lay like this before, with his chin in his hand...it seemed like such a natural thing to do :)

Bath Time

O Christmas Tree!

Yay!! We got our Christmas tree today! Part of me feels like it's still a bit early, but I just couldn't wait any longer, especially now that Parker is really able to engage with all of the fun Christmas activities and oddities. It was a perfect day here for tree shopping--"cold" by San Diego standards, and grey. We got a great deal on what turned out to be--in our house, at least--a HUGE tree! It seriously still startles me every time I see it--it's like Rockefeller Center in here or something. Parker "helped' to decorate the tree, which means that he stuck as many ornaments as he could get his hands on on the same two-foot square area at the very bottom of the tree--and then most of them proceeded to fall off! I managed to do some "rearranging" once he gave up. I also fulfilled my Christmas tree-decorating requirements with Christmas music, home-made hot chocolate, and a giant bowl of popcorn. Now if only it would snow...

Mommy's Birthday

We recently celebrated my 32nd birthday! The festivities began over the weekend and continued on Monday, my "real" birthday. Thanks to everyone for their birthday wishes, and to my mom and dad for this amazing and very chocolaty, delicious cake! Parker could not wait to get his hands on it!!