Father's Day Weekend

We were so lucky to be able to spend a warm, sunny weekend down in San Diego with Dee and Niki and Jared's family for Father's Day. We stayed at the Kona Kai on Shelter Island, while was truly like going on vacation in paradise for two days! We woke up to look at the boats docked right in front of our room and looked across the channel to the gorgeous homes along the shores of Point Loma. We spent two days swimming in the pool, playing in the sand, going for rides on Jared's boat, eating, and having a huge bon fire at night. Parker played longer and harder than I have ever seen him, with two of his cousins there and other family members for constant entertainment, a playground, water, sand, toys, and not a nap in sight! Needless to say, he fell asleep in about two seconds once he finally did get tucked into bed (way past his bed time). So much fun!

Fire Truck

Parker and I got to visit a fire truck today at his "preschool"! One of the other little kids has a dad who is a fireman, and he was nice enough to bring his truck and some firefighter friends by for a little show and tell. Parker was, as you might be able to tell in the first photo, a little overwhelmed by all of the commotion (lots of little kids) and the huge truck--I thought Parker  was going to have a breakdown when a nice fireman helped lift him out of the truck! I tried to explain to Parker that firemen are good people whose job it is to help you! But he was pretty excited about the fire hat and sticker they gave him at the end--he even wore it to the beach afterwards! They even turned the sirens on when they drove away--pretty cool.

Late Summer Beach Day

We had finally had enough of the heat and headed down to the beach to cool off one late afternoon. Parker could only bear to keep his clothes on for about five minutes...I'm trying to figure out at what point it becomes inappropriate for a child to play naked at the beach!?!

He's also really digging his sunglasses lately...

Happy Father's Day!

We had a super fun Father's Day in San Diego this year. Dee and Niki scouted out a perfect hang out spot on a little beach in the bay on Point Loma looking out at Shelter Island. Nate, Lisa, Alex, Kristina, Jim, Lanea, Diana, Grayson, Grandpa Don, and Andrew were all there, too, and we spent the whole day playing in the sand, splashing in the water, going for boat rides (Jared brought his boat and beached it right at our spot), and eating lots of food and cake (it was also Alex's 8th birthday!). After weeks of heavy June gloom, the sun came out all day and we had a gorgeous San Diego Sunday. Can't wait to do it again!!

Josie's Here!

We are so happy that Em, Peter, and Josie are in San Diego for the weekend! We got to visit them at the Hotel Del in Coronado on Friday--it was almost a year ago that we had the exact same playdate! Josie is such a sweet and loving little girl, and she surprised Parker with many, many gentle hugs. It was just the right thing to make him a little nervous but to encourage him to open up a bit, too! He ended up giving her some hugs back and even a few tickles, too. At one point he even held her hand as they walked, a scene that just couldn't have been any cuter. I love to see him open up to other kids, because he can be a bit timid and shy. I'm sure they would be best buds if they spent a few days together! Josie's a real cutie.

Catalina Island

We've been having amazingly warm weather the last few weeks, so Jared kept a close eye on the forecasts and decided Friday evening that Saturday would be a perfect day to head over to Catalina! So Parker and I took the Catalina Express boat over from Long Beach, and Jared took his boat over. We had the most perfect weather you could hope for in the winter, and Two Harbors, where we stayed, was peaceful and not busy at all. We spent Saturday afternoon tooling around in Jared's boat, and spent the night in a "rustic" cabin on the island. Parker and Jared both got to "fish" a little bit, while Mommy couldn't resist laying down on the deck and watching the world float by beneath the clear water. We played with a big pod of dolphins for a little while, so excited to get a truly up-close and personal view of them. The next day, we walked across the narrow isthmus of the island and checked out the harbor on the other side--we also saw some tiny sand crabs and big bison on our walk! So many fun things to do on Catalina--it's a wonderful place to be.

Indian Summer

One last naked-day at the beach for Parker before the weather finally turned cold for winter. Can't wait for summer to return! It's tough getting in a full day of playing outside when it starts getting dark at 4:30 in the afternoon now!

Beach Bunnies

Grammy joined us for some relaxing fun in the sun today...it certainly didn't feel like the day before the start of November! We all had fun digging our toes in the sand and enjoying the cold water and sea breeze. Thanks for playing with us today, Grammy!

Foggy Beach, Part One

Wow! After about a week of really, really hot weather, the fog came rolling in this evening. Which means we can add another word to Parker's vocabulary: foggy. I thought I might lose him if he wandered off too far!

Foggy Beach, Part Two

Surf's Up!

We went to the beach after work tonight for some sunset play time. You can definitely tell that "summer" is officially over: the beaches are empty, it's getting dark earlier, and the air is much cooler on the water. Parker caught his first wave today! He's also saying surfboard now instead of calling it a boat. Thanks to Grandpa Niki for the cool new rashguard suit--I really think it helped to keep Parker warmer!